At the start of 2020 the world economy was expected to show a modest annual increase, although the United Nations had already predicted overall global growth to experience a ten-year low. Emerging economies were set to make significant inroads in economic rankings, challenging long-held Western dominance. Climate change was a growing concern, exacerbated by unprecedented events. Fifteen extreme weather disasters in 2019 were estimated to havecaused at least one billion dollars-worth of damage each, with seven of the 15 causing over $10bn each. No continent is now considered immune. And then, just as the new year began, along came the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing communities into lockdown and decimating economies. As of April, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts the global economy will contract sharply by at least 3% in 2020 and suggests that the pandemic's economic damage will rival that of the 1930s Great Depression. If the virus can be contained,the IMF predicts growth of 5.8% in 2021 but it warns of even more severe outcomes if containment fails. On a more positive note, the world's Cd emissions are predicted to fall by 8% in 2020, according to the International Energy Agency. Let's take a look at some key indicators. We have split the infographics into different sections: Global Outlook Pre-Covid-19 ... Global Outlook Post-Covid-19 ... Emerging Markets ... Resources ... Digitalisation ... Artificial Intelligence ... Infrastructure.
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