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span class="inline inline-left">The choices we make now determine our journey to the future; however, how do we perceive the journey? What factors may affect the future of human civilization?

These are the concerns raised by the former US vice president Al Gore in his book The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change.

Until the first decade of the 20th century, human civilization was projected to move toward '€œlimitless progress'€. This optimism was the corollary of monumental events in history from century to century, namely the revolution of the idea during the Renaissance era, the discovery of new continents and the invention of new technologies.

However, that optimism was later dampened by catastrophic events such as World War I and II and the emergence of totalitarian regimes.

Gore argues these events were not predicted because human civilization was regarded as a linear process, without recognizing the connections between multiple processes that occurred during that era.

In fact, they emerged in unpredictable new complex forms, which caused irreversible differences between the past and future. In order to reclaim our future, humankind needs to identify emerging phenomena that may drive global change and make strategic choices to deal with their impacts.

In this book, Gore describes the phenomena as the '€œsix drivers of global change'€, which interact. The first phenomenon is the escalation of economic globalization, which is backed by the interconnection of high-technology machines and computer networks that connect global business activities in real time, without face to face interaction.

This causes job outsourcing from industrialized to developing countries that have larger populations and lower wages, as well as robo sourcing, or the replacement of human workers with sophisticated machines and computer systems. Both of them have dramatically changed the ever existing patterns of capital flows, the government'€™s role in economy, market behavior, and the nature of work.

Another factor is the rapid development of digital communication and Internet networks, which allow global connections and the quick transmission of information. This brings the expectation that it will foster democracy amid the repression of authoritarian regimes and the dominance of wealth and power over public interests, as happened in Tunisia in 2011.

The growing use of the Internet has given rise to concerns over the threat of privacy, as the personal data of Internet users can be gathered by business interests without the users'€™ consent.

The third critical factor of global change is the declining of the role of the US as a global leader. To reclaim our future, nation-states that possess exclusive power to formulate policies need leadership to build a consensus on protecting human values.

Since World War II, the US has been a model for this kind of leadership. However, the growing influence of lobbyists in US domestic politics has led the decision makers in the country to pursue inappropriate policies that have gradually lessened US leadership.

The fourth phenomenon is the accumulation of the impacts of environmental damage and the reduction of vital natural resources for humankind. The rapid growth of the human population, the size of global economy as well as technological development, demand a higher consumption of resources, while the Earth'€™s resources are limited.

These factors have also led humans to produce more waste or pollution, which are harmful for human health and the Earth'€™s ecosystem. History shows that resource scarcity and environmental damage have created violent conflicts and other social problems.

The fifth factor is the rapid development of biotechnology and life sciences, which allows humankind to engineer genes, physical forms and the characteristics of humans, animals, plants and microbes. They could be beneficial to medical care with the prospect of eliminating diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

However, some inventions have sparked concerns about morality, as well as the potential risks of the changes that we never expected. The birth of a cloned sheep in 1996, which gave rise to the idea that the technique would be applicable to human cloning, is an example of the controversy.

The sixth driver of global change is the disharmony between human civilization and the ecological system. It is mainly caused by fast human population growth, technological development and our understanding of threats that are still influenced by our ancestors'€™ perspectives on dealing with challenges, which are different from current challenges.

Hence, we are now facing the impacts of disruption, including the depletion of natural resources, environmental damage and a climate crisis.

Gore'€™s views in this book are shaped by his experience as a member of the US House of Representatives since 1976. He joined a group known as the Congressional Clearinghouse on the Future that allowed him to discuss with hundreds of prominent thinkers.

However, conceivably, the one who influence Gore the most was Ilya Prigogine, a Russia-born Belgian scientist, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1977. Prigogine is known for his theory about self-organization '€” a condition in an open system while energy flows into the system and subsequently causes the system to break down and spontaneously reorganize itself into new, complex forms.

This theory influences Gore'€™s view on the emergence of new complex forms in a certain period that caused the irreversible differences between the past and future.

Indeed, his perspectives in this book may open room for debate. Some may not agree with his argument about the importance of US global leadership in efforts to reach a consensus to protect human values.

Others may also doubt the willingness of nation-states to build the consensus, as each of them has its own interests. Despite the debate, this book may be a worthwhile reference for policy makers, decision makers, or those who are willing to contribute to efforts to reclaim our future. The future is ours.