Obstáculos profesionales en ciencias biológicas y ambientales: Una visión general completa

 

Global Foresight for the Year 2025

Gonzalo Arango, Calgary, AB, April 15, 2025

Traditionally, I carry out this Macro analysis, ordered but not academically formal, to know the present and near future of the development of biological and environmental sciences, to understand the professional market. After reviewing and analyzing the contents of dozens of articles and editorials from the media and networks, the following is the most relevant on a global scale for the future of the world:

1. Clearly positive aspects

a) Economic and Technological Transformations

• Sustained growth of emerging markets outside the G7, except in regions where the state has been captured by ideological, religious or mafia interests.
• Widespread digitalization: expansion of the digital economy, industrial and agricultural automation, with wide access to the internet and mobile telephony by the common population.
• Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence (AI ), accompanied by the development of new mathematical, statistical and information science tools.

b) Science and Health

• Accelerated development in biomedical and health sciences, genetics, biochemistry and pharmacology.
• Significant advances in quantum, materials, particle, astrophysics, and superconducting physics.
• Significant advances are expected in all applied areas related to genomes and technological development, with the application of Artificial Intelligence technologies.

c) Environment and Sustainability

• Successful ecological restoration and local natural resource management projects, particularly in China, Africa (initiatives such as the "Green Sahara"), Mediterranean regions and arid zones.
• Global expansion of renewable energy and clean technologies, already commercially capable, including solid waste management, wastewater and environmental sanitation.
• Consolidation of the green economy, with a strong boost to sustainability, biodiversity, and ecological tourism, supported by the use of Artificial Intelligence.

(d) Infrastructure and Trade

• Large-scale initiatives in infrastructure and engineering, including responsible development of mineral resources and economic and technological optimization with the massive application of Artificial Intelligence
• Initial macroeconomic stability promoted by the WTO and regional and bilateral treaties (although today they are being unfairly questioned).
• In the first quarter, a very positive view from international financial institutions was rarely seen with such a consensus.

2. Clearly negative aspects

a) Geopolitical Retreat and Autocratic Leadership

• The US has taken a radical turn towards autarkic policies, comparable to the historical period of the first part of the 20th century with Hoover's tariffs, Hitler's case with the 'Schumpfreude Market Problem', Stalin with industrial consolidation and Mao with self-sufficiency, according to Arango's historical analysis.
• The emergence of global leaders with autocratic, egocentric and zero-sum visions generated high instability and threats to the world order, including local wars ("proxy war"), economic rivalries and partial confrontations.
• US withdrawal from strategic alliances, conditioning its "aid" on economic benefits, and weakening international balances.
• Global instability due to the use of "doublespeak", irrationality in economic policies, the use of uncertainty as a negotiating weapon, the inability to generate a real vision of the historical context and opponents; the lack of the use of human and artificial intelligence to understand the culture, history, and positions of opponents to define strategic options (Arango's historical analysis).
• The rejection of fundamental historical alliances, which the US has turned into antagonistic narratives and hostile activities on borders, (Arango's analysis).

b) Institutional Dysfunction and Inequality

• Growing inequality within countries is marked by the concentration of economic and political power in elites far from ordinary citizens.
• Weakness of the rule of law, especially in countries whose legislation impedes human development and the consolidation of stable markets.
• The inability of the UN and its agencies (such as the Blue Helmets, the ILO, and the WTO) to enforce international agreements.

c) Shortcomings of the Global Economic System

• Lack of regulation of financial markets and expansion of "Dark Pools", where large capitals operate outside the law and manipulates prices in their favour.
• The absence of food and energy sovereignty in many countries leaves them vulnerable to external shocks, policy changes, and the effects of climate change.
• Structural dependence of countries with low GDP on the great powers (G7, China, Russia) amid an unstable international market.
• Markets are distorted by governmental, financial and lobbying interventions, making it impossible to establish real prices and healthy markets.

d) Climate and Social Risks

• Notable increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, exacerbating the vulnerability of developing regions.
• Persistent political instability in non-G7 countries, fueled by ideological, religious, or ethnic heritages without robust institutions, complicates preparedness and response to extreme climate change events

3. Critical Challenges with Transformative Potential

a) Reconfiguration of the World Order

• The global imbalance caused by policy changes in the US, land grab pressure from Russia, the Chinese threat to Taiwan and the growing use of electronic warfare and disinformation (such as "troll farms") creates conflicted spaces for other countries.
• The return to autarkic ideas ("jump-back") can have profound economic implications, but it also offers the possibility of exploring new forms of regional or local integration.

b) Transition to Energy and Food Sovereignty

• Although today it is a structural weakness, the lack of energy and food independence represents an opportunity to invest in local self-sufficiency, clean technologies, agroecology and climate resilience.

c) Emerging Leadership and Multipolarity

• Amid the crisis of the traditional order, some countries in the Global South are beginning to validate their models of growth, environmental management and productive transformation. Its consolidation requires overcoming structural vulnerabilities.
• The BRICS present a different option from the dominance of US hegemony. Unfortunately, they contain one of the most retrograde regimes and the most important competitor of the U.S., polarizing other countries to a level inappropriate for global development.

These being the "macro" results, in the following note I will present the micro aspects related to professional options.

The personal opportunities are enormous, but the threats to global stability are serious. From the outset, there is a great uncertainty for professional development, so I suggest reviewing the resume, updating your skills, activating your network and collecting detailed and verified local information about the professional areas of your field of work.