A drought- and disease-resistant wheat variety growing in Pakistan. Photo by International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, used under Creative Commons licensing. A drought- and disease-resistant wheat variety growing in Pakistan. Photo by International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, used under Creative Commons licensing.

 

They say expect the unexpected, but how do you do that on a global scale? In the newest edition of the renowned State of the World series, the Worldwatch Institute considers issues that are often overlooked and how we can better plan for an uncertain future. The excerpt below introduces some unexpected problems that are already being addressed and introduces the eight topics focused on in the rest of the book.