Global Change

Spotting the Snow Leopards

What unappreciated phenomena are out there waiting to change the world?

Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash

What are the trends and happenings going on right now that may turn out to be more significant than they seem to us at this moment? The Atlantic Council, an American Think Tank headquartered in Washington D.C., has coined the term “Snow Leopards” to classify these phenomena that may have world-changing impact, but seem ordinary to us now.

In December, The Atlantic Council came out with their list of Snow Leopards for 2023. While their offerings are interesting to read it is possible that some of their prognostications may turn into nothing significant, while others might prove dramatic catalysts to our world.

Here is a quick list of those Snow Leopards:

• The tightening regulation of algorithms
• The rise of preemptive decoupling from China
• The democratization of battery technology
• The beginnings of a global, platform worker-driven labor movement
• The risky promise of geo engineering
• A deeper reconciliation of Japan and South Korea will change the Indo-European dynamic