Predictions for 2022 about Trump, Apple and more

By Stephen Carter

At the end of December we reflected on what we hope to improve in the year to come … and it is also time for my annual news headline predictions for the next twelve months.

I usually start by evaluating last year’s predictions, but this year there is only one thing to mention: For the second time in the last three years, I hit the winner of the World Series. I predicted that the Washington Nationals would win in 2019 and I predicted that the Atlanta Braves would win in 2021.

Other than that, when 2021 rolled around, my crystal ball was cloudy. (Whose not, ah?) But things are clearing up. Here, then, are my predictions for 2022. It’s up to the readers to interpret the ironies:

Concerned about the blockchain, members of the United States Congress will continue to demand regulation of cryptocurrencies. To investors’ relief, federal agencies will move at their usual frigid pace. Yet the House and Senate will continue to hide ridiculous rules on the issue amid bulky bills that apparently deal with other issues. Interestingly, no one in the media will dare ask any member who is upset about cryptocurrencies to explain what “blockchain” means.

In this regard, federal agencies facing evidence that their systems have been hacked will continue their habit of evasion. But do not worry. Thanks to the infrastructure bill, the government’s digital networks, which have lagged far behind those of China and Russia, have an equal chance of having 2022-level security by 2027.

Continuing my habit of betting on the winner of the World Series, I will go for the San Diego Padres over the Boston Red Sox. (I know, but I bet they felt the same way last year when I chose Atlanta.)

In 2022, the Greenland ice sheet will dissolve a little faster than last summer, when it melted 40-50% above what was not long ago the normal rate. Although the melt rate has been difficult to predict, several models double it before the end of the 21st century. As always, without an exciting video, people will have trouble concentrating on what is happening in Greenland, perhaps because the damage from ice loss will occur in the distant future.

In other climate change news, the internet’s carbon footprint, which in 2017 accounted for 3.7% of global emissions (higher than all but two countries), will continue to skyrocket as people continue to work and play from House. By the end of 2022, only China will generate more greenhouse gases. (Yes, there is double counting, but you get the point.)

Since we’re on the topic of carbon emissions, with so many people staying home, content providers will increase their recent practice of posting episodes weekly rather than releasing the entire season at once, further narrowing the gap between traditional television and streaming services. Here’s how this relates to climate change: streaming in HD generates a carbon footprint 20 times greater than watching the same content in standard format.

More about movies: “Babylon” will be the critical favorite of the year. The box office record will by far be “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” Plus, “Killers of the Flower Moon” will be an unexpected hit, because who wouldn’t pay to see “Yellowstone” performed by Martin Scorsese?

A new highly communicable variant of COVID-19 will appear in Western Europe in the fall. The United States will respond by banning travelers from southern Africa.

In other foreign policy news, the West will give in to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands that NATO halt its eastward expansion, and will also promise not to sanction the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Enraged by the ease of his victory, Putin will invade Ukraine anyway. The US will threaten serious repercussions if it takes more of the country than it wants.

Pfizer Inc.’s stock price will exceed analysts’ forecasts, who have forecast 2022 revenue, driven by vaccine sales, of about $ 100 billion. Furious that successful product developers are making big money, Congress will pass a special tax surcharge on COVID-related revenues from Big Pharma.

Speaking of Congress, here are the results of next year’s election: As widely predicted, Democrats lose the House of Representatives, albeit by a much smaller margin than expected. To the relief of progressives, the party astonishes by maintaining a 50-50 Senate. Republicans turn Georgia, win North Carolina and keep Pennsylvania, just barely. But the Democrats change Wisconsin and, to their own surprise, keep Nevada.

In other political news, former President Donald Trump will publicly condemn Republican candidates who refuse to make the 2020 election illegitimate. The result of this pressure will be … the surprisingly strong Democratic vote mentioned in the paragraph above.

Back in professional sports, the Green Bay Packers will overtake Tom Brady in the playoffs and win the Super Bowl by beating the Kansas City Chiefs (I can’t keep picking Brady as the winner, I just can’t).

Despite efforts to tighten the security of Tor users, concerns will grow that due to interference from state actors, transactions are no longer secret. Coupled with long-standing concerns that Tor stealth protocols significantly reduce bandwidth and increase latency, the issues will drive users who want anonymity to seek alternatives, increasing pressure on popular browsers to deliver. a way that is truly private.

In other tech news, as observers have predicted, Apple’s newest iPhone won’t have a charging port; instead, the device will charge wirelessly only. Bewildered consumers will search for charging stations, only to find they are sold out everywhere. Congress will open an investigation into the pricing policies of greedy charging station manufacturers.

Meanwhile, in the face of an increase in consumer demand, automakers will spend generously to redesign all vehicles to include multiple loading docks. The airlines will modify their planes. The hotels will remodel their rooms. New home buyers will demand built-in wireless chargers, and existing homeowners will frantically renovate them. Also apartment buildings. And restaurants. And coffee shops. And medical waiting rooms. The ensuing iPhone charger-fueled economic boom will last through 2023 and beyond, until the 2024 election, when … oops, sorry, the crystal ball is getting cloudy again.

Have a wonderful and safe New Year.