The Extreme Future

The Top Trends That Will Reshape the World in the Next 20 Years

In the post-9/11 world every forecasting book that came before 9/11 is obsolete. Our world is constantly buffeted by new and dramatic change that we can’t fully grasp. The changes come in extremes: faster, bigger, more illuminating and more devastating than ever before. And all of these changes are tame compared to what is coming in the Extreme Future.

In his new book, The Extreme Future, Dr. Canton breaks new ground in boldly analyzing the key trends that will affect business and society, touching every person, in the coming decade. The fusion of emerging and future trends—from customer changes to technology and science will be a guide to the 21st century.

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The Top 10 Trends of The Extreme Future

  1. Fueling the Future – The energy crisis, the post-oil future, and the future of energy alternatives like hydrogen. The critical role that energy will play in every aspect of our lives in the 21st century.

  2. The Innovation Economy – The transformation of the global economy based on the convergence of free trade, technology and democracy, driving new jobs, new markets, globalization, competition, peace and security. The Four Power Tools of the Innovation Economy are Nano-Bio-IT-Neuro.

  3. The Next Workforce – How the workforce of the U.S. is becoming more multicultural, more female and more Hispanic. Why the future workforce must embrace innovation to become globally competitive.

  4. Longevity Medicine – The key forces that will radically alter medicine such as nanotech, neurotech, and genomics, leading to longer and healthier lives.

  5. Weird Science – How science will transform every aspect of our lives, culture and economy—from teleportation to nanobiology to multiple universes.

  6. Securing the Future – The top threats to our freedom and our lives, from hackers to terrorists to mind control. Defining the risk landscape of the 21st century.

  7. The Future of Globalization – The new realities of global trade and competition; the rise of China and India; the clash of cultures and ideologies; and the cultural-economic battle for the future.

  8. The Future of Climate Change – How the environment is changing and how we need to prepare for increased global warming, pollution, and threats to biodiversity.

  9. The Future of the Individual – The risks and challenges from institutions, governments, and ideologies in the struggle for human rights and the freedom of the individual in the 21st century.

  10. The Future of America – The power of America and its destiny to champion global democracy, innovation, human rights and free markets.

The Extreme Future was named by the Society for Information Management’s Regional Leadership Forum as one of 30 Books Every IT Leader Must Read in 2008. Here’s the shortlist:

  1. How to Read a Book, by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren
  2. Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting with Others through mindfulness, Hope and Compassion, by Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee
  3. Heart of Change, by John P. Kotter
  4. The Extreme Future: The Top Trends That Will Reshape the World for the Next 5, 10 and 20 Years, by James Canton
    Full list here: Society for Information Management

Editorial Book Reviews of The Extreme Future
“In his latest book, international business futurist, James Canton takes readers on a dizzying ride through hundreds of technological, govern- mental, medical, environmental, and economic trends that will, in Canton’s view, reshape the world over the course of the next 20 years. Roughly half of the world popula- tion, some 3 billion people, is under the age of 25, and approximately a quarter of the world youth population subsists on less than a dollar a day. By 2025, two out of every three people on the planet will live in a water-stressed area, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, eastern Asia, and southeastern Asia. At the same time, technological innovation and globalization will result in more than a billion millionaires by 2025. Break- throughs in genomics and stem-cell therapies will extend the human life- span in the West beyond 150 years, creating new problems. These and hundreds of other facts, figures, forecasts, and predications are part of what Canton calls "The Extreme Future".
World Future Society

“Canton’s background in future-planning consultancy began when he studied under Alvin Toffler in the 1970’s – and it shows in this big-picture take on the world of tomorrow. Taken individually, none of the trends Canton believes will shape the upcoming decades are surprising: major crises brought on by energy shortages and climate change; economic transformation wrought by globalization; and the “ware on terror” has barely started. But he recognizes that the future is created by a “convergence” in which these developments interact. Canton’s imagination runs in a dozen directions at once, peppering the margins of his vision with media headlines and short vignettes from a science-fictional future. Some of these are more believable than others – hydrogen-based energy systems by 2040, sure, but drugs that will keep us from even thinking antigovernment thoughts? Canton’s goal, however, isn’t predicting, it’s convincing Americans to take a more active role in envisioning and safeguarding the 21st century before somebody else does. His lively scenarios are designed to spark debates, and they surely will.”
Publishers Weekly

“Canton, global futurist and business advisor, offers a forecasting road map for the twenty-first century that includes 10 top trends of the extreme future. These trends are the critical role of energy; information technology and networks; biotechnology; the manipulation of matter at the atomic scale (producing new drugs, fuels, materials, and machines); and the use of devices, drugs, and materials to heal and enhance mental performance. Other trends are the emerging workforce, which will be more multicultural, female, and Hispanic; longer and healthier lives; the critical importance of science; major threats, including hackers, terrorists, and mind control; and the new realities of global trade and competition. Finally, he cites preparation for increased global warming, the struggle for human rights and individual freedom, and the consequences of future interaction between America and China. Canton is optimistic about the future and believes Americans in general are, too. He observes, “They inspire change and innovation, creating a vision that suggests what is coming next will be good.” Important and fascinating perspective!”
Book List

“A sort of Extreme Future Shock, this work talks about how such issues as climate change, terrorism, shifting populations, and the rise of China will affect all of us.” Library Journal
Library Journal

“Writing primarily for corporate executives, Canton (chairman and CEO of the Institute for Global Futures), a one-time student of futurist Alvin Toffler, predicts the top trends of the “extreme future,” which is defined by speed, complexity, risk, change, and surprise. His predictions are presented in ten chapters that grapple with energy issues, the emerging innovation economy, the changing American workforce, longevity medicine technology, emerging science (“from teleportation to nanobiology to multiple universes”), security issues, economic and cultural globalization, climate change, the changing role of the individual, and Sino-American relations.”
SciTech Book News

” Dr. James Canton author of the”The EXTREME FUTURE said you’re going to hear a lot more about disease management in the very near future, particularly as we unlock the human genome.So personalized medicine, this fusion of combining biotechnology with healthcare, will make for a very different kind of healthcare that will be more precise, more cost effective and ultimately is going to help people live longer”
CNN

“Once medicine becomes boldly proactive, then you’re talking about eliminating 70, 80 percent of diseases.Canton believes the human life span will increase and that the ensuing societal changes will be monumental.”
CNN

“Canton’s new book real value lies in reinforcing the hard truth that “long-range planning” means more than what will happen beyond the next quarter.”
CIO Insight

“There’s a tremendous move toward green sustainability,” says James Canton.”There are going to be tremendous new business opportunities.”
INC Magazine

“This event is a watershed moment for America,” says James Canton.The birth of the 300 millionth American will signal the real beginning of the 21st century, when people’s talents will drive the economy.”
NY Daily News

“James Canton, estimates that half of the U.S. gross domestic product is driven by “innovative” industries, and about 75 percent of them are being addressing the needs of the military” National Defense Journal

“Canton’s list of the top nine jobs in the 2015 workforce suggests how dramatically life is changing. Those include neuro-medical techs, personal security techs, organ cloners, biofuture therapists and quantum scientists.”
Philadelphia Inquirer

“The future that Canton writes about is no distant science-fiction world, he says. His objective is to alert America to what needs to be done to make it ready and able to meet the twin challenges of innovation and globalization.”
Fort-Worth Star Telegram

“This look at the challenges that confront America and the world today should find a place on the must-read list of all corporate leaders and public policymakers. Its greatest value lies in its showing how to think futuristically in order to promote profitability, sustainability and freedom.”
McClatchy-Tribune

“The boomers will transform healthcare – they want to live forever with the vitality of a 30-year-old. These people will be a key economic driver for the development of predictive medicines, nanotechnology, biotechnology, new medical devices and lifestyle pharma.”
European Chemical News

“Customers are demanding change and mortgage bankers have to make a choice whether or not they want to lead clients into the future or play catch-up a few years from now, according to James Canton”
National Mortgage News

Kudos, what they are saying about The Extreme Future
“Lots of folks talk about the future. Dr. James Canton’s The Extreme Future takes you there, outlining in vivid detail the top trends transforming society and the marketplace. This book is visually stunning and beautifully organized. If you care about the future – and who can afford not to? – this book is for you.”
Patricia Aburdene
Author, Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism and Co-Author Megatrends 2000

“Dr. Canton’s account of the future of healthcare is chilling … not because his vision is fearsome, but because his predictions are fast becoming fact.”
Terry Fassburg
Vice President, Brand Communications, Philips Electronics

“This book is your essential guide to the future. It is an insightful, straightforward, clear view into the amazing and surprising future that is closing in on us fast. It is essential reading to understand the revolutionary impact on business and beyond.”
Toby Redshaw
Corporate Vice President, I.D.E.A.S., Motorola

“Canton&srquo;s optimistic prescription for a successful global future comes as a refreshing change from the often dismal reports alive in the world. Canton&srquo;s intelligence, wit, and passion readily found in the numerous talks he gives worldwide comes through in his prose.”
Barbara A. Propes
President, World Affairs Councils of America

“Canton does a great job identifying the top trends that will shape our future. If you want to prepare for the Extreme Future, read this book.”
Rudy Burger
CEO & Chairman, U.S. Development Partners