The World Ahead: Our Future in the Making

Plot

Product DescriptionWill humanity survive the coming century? Are we threatened by a demographic time-bomb? Will there be food for all? Can we eliminate poverty? Are we, in our cities, heading for a kind of apartheid between the affluent and the socially excluded? Will new information technologies increase the gap between rich and poor - or, on the contrary, open up opportunities for lifelong distance education for all? Are women going to win their legitimate place in society? Is it true that many languages are in danger of extinction? How can we forestall global warming and the onward march of the world's deserts? Will there be wars over access to shrinking supplies of water? What are the prospects of running out of affordable oil and gas; and can we harness solar energy?This book looks at the major challenges of the future. Packed with the latest information and scientific understandings, it traverses a rich tapestry of crucial issues, threats and choices confronting humanity and proposes a new start based on four broad contracts: social, natural, cultural and ethical.In a world where problems are taking on increasingly global dimensions, we must come up with global solutions. We need to turn a culture of violence into a culture of peace. The choice is stark: either a 21st century with a human face or the grimacing mask of a 'Brave New World'.Review“This volume could serve as a text in an introductory college course on globalization, or as background for an educated citizen.” ―Choice“Will appeal to anyone involved in the field of social development.” ―Social Development Issues, 2002About the AuthorFederico Mayor is the outgoing director general of UNESCO. He has served as minister of education and science in Spain, president of the University of Grenada and as Member of the European Parliament.Jerome Binde is director of UNESCO's Analysis and Forecasting Office. An alumnus of the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, and member of the French University (agrege), he was assistant professor at the Ecole polytechnique.Federico Mayor is the outgoing director general of UNESCO. He has served as minister of education and science in Spain, president of the University of Grenada and as Member of the European Parliament.Jerome Binde is director of UNESCO's Analysis and Forecasting Office. An alumnus of the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, and member of the French University (agrege), he was assistant professor at the Ecole polytechnique.