Read in 2016 - 4: Future Agenda - The World in 2020

A free find in Amazon's kindle shop, this book kept my mind busy for weeks during my trips to and from work. There is real food for thought there, and I recommend at least looking at the future agenda website to get a better idea of what it's all about - and maybe get "hooked" and start reading... and thinking... and doing something.

For me, it was particularly interesting to know that the book was published in 2010, looking at probable and possible scenarios of our world in 2020. We are more than halfway there. To look at where we stand now in so many areas touched by the book, and compare it to what the future agenda team thought most likely to happen in mid-term developments, was fascinating.

So much of what will undoubtedly change things forever and shape the future of millions (if not billions) of individuals just as much as of organizations, countries and whole regions, had not yet happened in 2010. Just think of the terrible war in Syria, of the Ukraine conflict, the Ebola outbreak or the refugees crisis in Europe.

There were some new insights for me in it, too, although nothing too surprising, since I already do read quite a lot about many of the topics put up for discussion in the book.

What I liked very much was that each topic is presented factually and neutrally, not moralizing or judging, and not even preferring one point of view to the other. On the contrary, the authors acknowledge diverse perspectives on the same problem and admit that there is not necessarily a "right" or "wrong" way of doing things.
Of course, some things are not arguable - we ALL know, no matter where we live and how wealthy or poor we may be, that the way humanity is going about wasting the planet's resources is not good and can not go on for much longer. But there is no pointing the finger at one nation or region to be more "at fault" than others.
It is not a political book, although each and everyone of the topics covered has political implications.

Again, if you can, take at least a look at the website. Unlike with many other books on my kindle, I have not deleted this one after reading it. I am sure I am going to refer to it again in the future.