Planet Earth 2025

Futurology is normally a load of old rubbish - the authors arrogance and inability to stand aside from their own set of values often means the predictions come to nothing. Whatever came of those inventions foretold in Tomorrows World? And what about the paperless office? To say nothing of the shamefully low hit rates of The Economist World In series and Old Moores Alamanac!

However, the latest official briefings for President Obama are extremely interesting and show significant signs of reality creeping in to the process. Its conclusions are many, but include:

• A demonstrable link between terrorism, religious fundamentalism and a dominance in the host population of males under 30. It foretells that as a population ages so it turns away from these horrors. Good news.
  

• An acceptance that an enhanced role of women across the globe is likely to result in less military spending, more concern for social and environmental issues and more openness to new ideas (where the solutions to global problems will of course be found)

It's almost as if i wrote it myself?

But all this begs the question - when can start to create the future we each need, and not be locked into someone elses agenda?