Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds is the fifth installment (published in 2012) in the National Intelligence<br />Council’s series aimed at providing a framework for thinking about the future. As with previous<br />editions, this report will stimulate strategic thinking by identifying critical trends and<br />potential discontinuities. It distinguishes between megatrends, those factors that will likely occur<br />under any scenario, and game-changers, critical variables whose trajectories are far less certain.<br />As the diversity and complexity of various factors has grown, there is<br />increased attention to scenarios or alternative worlds.<br />At a critical juncture in human history, which could lead to widely contrasting futures.<br />the contention is presented that the future is not set in stone, but is malleable, the result of an interplay<br />among megatrends, game-changers and, above all, human agency. The ultimate goal is to encourage<br />decisionmakers—whether in go
