[EQ] State of the Future 2006

State of the Future 2006

Jerome C. Glenn and Theodore J. Gordon

American Council for the United Nations University, 2006

The Millennium Project

Summary available at: http://www.acunu.org/millennium/sof2006-exec-summ.pdf

Website: http://www.acunu.org/millennium/sof2006.html

"..The capabilities of civilization to build a better future are rich but
terribly inefficient. Improving efficiency requires seeing the status of the
whole and its parts as objectively as possible. For example, the avian flu
could mutate and kill 25 million people, higher oil prices could plunge some
economies into depressions, increasing natural disasters are causing massive
human misery, and millions of people are caught in deadly conflicts around
the world. Yet it is a fact that the world is becoming more peaceful,
prosperous, and healthy.

The first Human Security Report found that the number of armed conflicts
declined by more than 40% since the early 1990s, that genocides and
politicides fell 80% between 1988 and 2001, that international crises
declined by more than 70% between 1981 and 2001, that the dollar value of
major international arms transfers fell by 33% between 1990 and 2003, and
that the number of refugees dropped by some 45% between 1992 and 2003. The
IMF estimates that the world economy grew 4.8% in 2005, while the population
grew 1.15%, increasing annual per capita income by 3.65%.

The UN Millennium Development Goals continue to help focus international
cooperation and increase sensitivity to global long-term perspectives in
policymaking. Although criticized by some as too ambitious, these goals are
increasingly becoming the benchmarks for global progress and measures for
international efficiency. Over half of the world's $62-trillion economy is
generated in developing countries. Over a billion people (16% of the world)
are connected to the Internet. The digital gap continues to close, helping
to democratize the coming knowledge economy with tele-nearly-everything and
providing self-organizing mechanisms for emerging collective computer/human
intelligence and management systems. A worldwide race to connect everything
not yet connected is just beginning, and great wealth will be generated by
completing the links among systems by which civilizations function and
flourish..."

Table of Contents - Print Section
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Executive Summary -

1. Global Challenges

2. State of the Future Index -

3. 2020 Global Energy Scenarios -
             Scenario 1. Business as Usual-The Skeptic
             Scenario 2. Environmental Backlash
             Scenario 3. High-tech Economy-Technology Pushes Off the Limits
             Scenario 4. Political Turmoil

4. Emerging Environmental Security Issues-

5. Reflections on the Tenth Anniversary of the State of the Future and the
Millennium Project -

Appendix
Millennium Project Participants Demographics
Acronyms and Abbreviations -

* * * *

This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of
an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality
in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health
Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues. [DD/
IKM Area]

"Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is".Unless
expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and
not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------

PAHO/WHO Website: http://www.paho.org/

EQUITY List - Archives - Join/remove:
http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html
Received on Mon Aug 21 14:05:27 2006