“Smart Futures for a Flourishing World” by Claire Nelson Illustrates an Aspirational Tomorrow

We know we have to change but the question is, how? Many of us feel powerless to solve the looming climate crisis, water crisis, food crisis, ocean pollution crisis and all other challenges that are enumerated by the 17 global sustainable development goals. How do we get to a safe, just space for humanity?

If we can build Smart cars, clothes, houses, cities and so on can we find a way to create smart futures? In her new book, SMART Futures for a Flourishing World, Dr. Claire A. Nelson helps us see glimpses of our aspirational futures, and lays out a path for our journey to global sustainability.

Dr. Nelson combines lessons from her career in international development and sustainability engineering with her personal experience with systems changemaking to show how a few seemingly simple questions can create the conditions for transformational change. Using aspirational futures storytelling, she takes us on a journey from the future to the present and then shows us how asking the right questions can help us make the paradigm shift needed to achieve global sustainability.

In Smart Futures for a flourishing World, you meet an imaginative power that goes beyond expected horizons… – Erik F. Øverland Ph.D., President, World Futures Studies Federation

What emerges is a set of design truths that should capture our attention and activate us to mobilize. Dr. Nelson weaves a compelling perspective on our collective future as a single human race and establishes a visionary and principled foundation of sustainability, morality, agency, resilience, and technology, that is inspirationally moving. – Professor Kemper Lewis, Dean of the School of Engineering, University of Buffalo

This visionary synthesis of our current global situation uses the tools of science fiction, prophecy, and policy analysis in combination to make a compelling description of where we are, where we could get to in terms of making a good future for humanity, and also, crucially, how to get there. It’s a wonderfully entertaining and informative book— a call to action! – Kim Stanley Robinson, award-winning science fiction author.

The book is part of a new series called Resetting our Future, published by Changemakers Books. “After the pandemic has disrupted everything, humanity has a rare opportunity to reset our path and avert even bigger disasters headed our way,” says Changemakers’ publisher, Tim Ward. “We need big, paradigm-shifting ideas to tackle climate change, pollution, inequality, unemployment, racial and gender injustice. That’s what this series is all about.”

Dr. Claire A. Nelson is the founder of The Futures Forum in Washington DC and was a Development with Equity pioneer at the InterAmerican Development Bank, where she was honored for her courageous leadership with the Bank’s coveted Ortiz Mena Award. Honored as a White House Champion of Change, she is listed among Top 50 Female Futurists on Forbes.com