Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2020

The World Economic Forum identifies ten emerging technologies for 2020, including green hydrogen, electric aviation, and lower-carbon cement to combat climate change, alongside advances in digital medicine, spatial computing, and synthetic biology to transform healthcare and industry.

• Sun-powered chemistry uses photocatalysts to convert waste carbon dioxide into useful chemicals like methanol, formaldehyde, and formic acid, potentially reducing emissions by using CO2 as a raw material and sunlight as the energy source.
• Electric aviation aims to decarbonize air travel, which accounted for 2.5% of global carbon emissions in 2019. Electric propulsion could eliminate direct carbon emissions and reduce fuel costs by up to 90%, maintenance by 50%, and noise by nearly 70%.
• Cement production is a major source of greenhouse gases, contributing up to 8% of global human-produced carbon dioxide. Current annual production is 4 billion tonnes and is expected to reach 5 billion tonnes within 30 years due to urbanization.
• Green hydrogen, produced via electrolysis using renewable electricity, is identified as a critical technology for decarbonizing hard-to-electrify sectors such as mining, construction, and chemicals to meet Paris Agreement goals.
• In silico medicine, or virtual patients, uses mathematical models and anatomical data to simulate drug and treatment responses, which can reduce the number of human subjects in clinical trials and lower costs.
• Digital medicines, including AI-driven apps and sensor-bearing pills, can autonomously detect or treat disorders. During the COVID-19 pandemic, AI bots fielded over 200 million inquiries regarding symptoms and treatments.
• Spatial computing integrates digital twins of people and locations with high-fidelity mapping and sensors to coordinate interactions between the physical and digital worlds, with applications in industry, healthcare, and transportation.
• Whole-genome synthesis allows for the design and printing of entire genetic sequences, enabling microbes to act as factories for drugs, fuels, and construction materials, though it raises significant biological security risks.

APA

World Economic Forum (2020). Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2020. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Top_10_Emerging_Technologies_2020.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2020. 2020. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Top_10_Emerging_Technologies_2020.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2020 |date=November 2020 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Top_10_Emerging_Technologies_2020.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2020top, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2020}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2020}, month = nov, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Top_10_Emerging_Technologies_2020.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }