WORLD POPULATION TO HIT 7
BILLION
Four years from now the
world population will reach 7 billion, just 13 years after passing the 6
billion milestone, according to U.S. Census Bureau projections.
The Census Bureau's
International Data Base covers 226 countries and other selected geographies
and incorporates data on net migration, HIV/AIDS and other factors affecting
population-growth projections.
Globally, population
growth will slow from 1.2% annually at present to 0.5% by 2050. "However,
this growth will be concentrated in less-developed countries," the bureau
notes.
By 2050, the proportion
of the population over the age of 80 will increase from 1.5% to 5%. In
developed countries, that figure will be 10%.
"In order to better
project countries with increasing numbers of people in the oldest ages, we
are in the process of converting our projections to be done by single years
of age up to 100 years and over," the Bureau reports.
SOURCE:
U.S. Census Bureau
FUTURE OF THE
INTERNET ECONOMY
New policies to promote
innovation, enhance security, and improve communications infrastructure
globally were among the chief priorities outlined at the recent OECD
Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Internet, held in Seoul and hosted
by the Korea Communications Commission.
The meeting brought
together key stakeholders in the Internet's future, all with urgent agendas:
The technical community called for policies to promote open standards and
protocols; civil society urged protections for freedom of expression; and
business called for policies that encourage investment.
This confluence of
stakeholders enabled the meeting to uncover key new issue areas that will
affect future policy making:
* New communications
platforms based on new technologies such as fiber optics that may
fundamentally change market dynamics and user behavior.
* The accelerating shift
from immobile (PC-based) to mobile access.
* The advent of
sensor-based networks that not only require massive new infrastructure
capacity, but also raise new privacy and security issues.
SOURCE:
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
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LAST CHANCE! CONFERENCE
CLICKS
With presenters and
attendees from all disciplines and all regions and cultures, WorldFuture
2008: Seeing the Future Through New Eyes will bring together a thousand
different perspectives to Washington, D.C., July 26-28, at the Washington
Hilton Hotel.
REGISTER BEFORE JUNE 30 to save $50 off the on-site registration fee:
BOOK YOUR ROOM AT THE HILTON:
DOWNLOAD PRELIMINARY PROGRAM:
PRE-ORDER the 2008 conference volume (available after August 1):
WATCH A VIDEO INVITATION FROM CONFERENCE CHAIRMAN NAT IRVIN II:
LEARN MORE: |
A BUSINESS GUIDE TO
CLIMATE CHANGE
Businesses can make
money, reduce their long-term risks, and discover new opportunities by
dealing with climate change issues, according to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. EPA has partnered with a wide range of industry groups to
prepare a newly released resource guide for businesses.
Among the partnership
programs featured in the guide are:
* Best Workplaces for Commuters, which provides technical assistance and
certifies employers based on traffic-reducing and productivity-improving
employee benefits.
*
Combined Heat and Power Partnership,
which assists businesses in establishing cogeneration systems.
*
Waste Wise, which helps companies set goals and implement plans to
reduce solid municipal waste.
Dozens of other
partnerships may be searched by sector, including agriculture,
transportation, product labeling, energy, waste, pollution prevention,
water, technology, regulation, and more.
SOURCE:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Partnership Programs
FEELING FAT VS.
BEING FAT
Adolescents who believe
themselves to be overweight--whether or not they are--are likely to have a
lower quality of life than those who feel their weight is just
right--whether or not it is.
According to a study in
the German medical journal DEUTSCHES AERZTEBLATT, the proportion of
adolescents who think they are overweight has been increasing more rapidly
than the proportion of those who really are overweight.
Society puts pressure on
youngsters to be thin, and those who believe they do not meet that ideal
unnecessarily forfeit a great deal of quality of life, according to the
researchers. But those who are in fact obese and do not see themselves as
such may not be susceptible to weight-reduction interventions that would
improve their health.
"A realistic body image
on the part of obese adolescents is a prerequisite for their acceptance of
interventions," the researchers conclude. "The marked deterioration in
quality of life resulting from perceived obesity, even for young people of
normal weight, illustrates the complexity of the struggle against obesity."
SOURCE:
"Perceived or True Obesity: Which Causes More Suffering in Adolescents?"
by Bärbel-Maria Kurth and Ute Ellert, in
Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, 105(23): 406–12
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EDITORIAL POSITION OPEN: Editor,
Future Survey
The
World Future Society offers a challenging career opportunity in identifying,
condensing, and packaging leading edge ideas shaping the United States and
the world. Published monthly since 1979, FUTURE SURVEY is a unique abstract
journal covering books, reports, and key articles on trends, forecasts, and
proposals. The new editor must be able to work independently, preferably
located in the Washington, D.C., metro area. PhD in social science or
information science preferred. The editor must be able to deal fairly with
new thinking about technology, environmental issues, and a wide variety of
socio/economic issues. Transition to new editorship to begin ASAP, no later
than January 2009.
Request sample issue of
FUTURE SURVEY
(info@wfs.org )
before submitting your vita, with cover letter, references, and
writing samples. Contact: Tim Mack, President, World Future Society, 7910
Woodmont Avenue, #450, Bethesda, Maryland 20814;
tmack@wfs.org ; 301-656-8274;
www.wfs.org .
|
CLICK
OF THE MONTH:
HOW YOU LEAD:
http://www.howyoulead.org/
The Center for Public
Leadership at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government
teamed with the Ken Blanchard Companies in May to identify the key questions
we should be asking those who wish to lead us.
Though the questions are
specifically geared toward the U.S. presidential candidates, the issues are
appropriate for anyone seeking to become a leader or to improve his or her
leadership abilities. Among the leadership-probing questions suggested:
* What are your five
core values, and how will they shape how you lead?
* What experiences have
helped you deeply understand the mind-set and values of other cultures?
* Can you share some
examples of when you were a catalyst who brought groups with polarized
opinions together so that all voices were at the table?
* Tell us about a time
when your judgment was tested in crisis. What do you want us to appreciate
about your judgment?
* How will you create an
environment for innovation within your leadership team?
The site also invites
visitors to contribute their own leadership questions.
FUTURIST UPDATE: News &
Previews from the World Future Society is an e-mail newsletter published
monthly as a supplement to THE FUTURIST magazine. Copyright © 2008,
World Future Society, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 450, Bethesda, MD
20814, USA. Telephone 1-301-656-8274; e-mail
mailto: info@wfs.org ; Web
site http://www.wfs.org .
Editor: Cindy Wagner,
mailto:cwagner@wfs.org
Senior Editor: Patrick
Tucker, mailto:ptucker@wfs.org
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Submit feedback: to
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The WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY is
a nonprofit, nonpartisan scientific and educational association with a
global membership. Regular membership in the Society, including a
subscription to THE FUTURIST, is $49 per year, or $20 for full-time students
under age 25. Professional and Institutional membership programs are also
offered; contact Society headquarters for details:
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