Terra Incognita: 100 Maps to Survive the Next 100 Years

by Ian Goldin, Robert Muggah

Map-making is an ancient impulse. From the moment homo sapiens learnt to communicate we have used them to make sense of our surroundings. But as Albert Einstein once said, ‘you can’t use old maps to explore a new world.’ And now, when the world is changing faster than ever before, our old maps are no longer fit for purpose.

Welcome to Impact. Based on decades of research, and combining mesmerising, state-of-the-art satellite maps with enlightening and passionately argued analysis, authors Ian Goldin and Robert Muggah chart humanity’s impact on the planet, and the ways in which we can make a real impact to save it, and to thrive as a species.

The maps in the book, which were a viral sensation and have been viewed over 10 million times on the BBC website, trace the paths of peoples, cities, wars, climates and technologies, all on a global scale. Full of facts that will confound you, inform you, and ultimately empower you, Impact guides readers to a new place of understanding, rather than to a physical location.

The book will be printed in two-colour with full colour plate sections.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Economics, Politics, Environment, Maps, Geography

480 pages, ebook

First published August 27, 2020

About the author

Ian Goldin is a professor at the University of Oxford in England. He took up his most recent position as director of Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford, in September 2006. He is the Oxford University Professor of Globalisation and Development, and holds a professorial fellowship at Balliol College, Oxford.

Reviews

[Kristine Strautane · Rating 4 out of 5]

For someone like me, who is just waking up from a long hibernation period of not reading any news what so ever, this was an excellent, analytical book highlighting the main global trends and concerns to get me up to date with the world.

[Zara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anders als erwartet. Teilweise düstere Aussichten in Kapiteln wie Gewalt und Ernährung. Aber auch sehr interessant was ich zu Migration oder auch Technik/Technologie erfahren habe.

Dank dem Fazit gibt es den Hoffnungsschimmer, dass doch noch alles gut wird 😉

„Unsere Zukunft bestimmen wir am besten, indem wir sie gestalten.“
Toller Satz.

[Buchdoktor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ian Goldin und Robert Muggah zeigen mit Landkarten und Luftaufnahmen in Vorher-Nachher-Reihung ein ungewohntes Bild unseres Planeten. Luftaufnahmen haben für mich den besonderen Reiz, dass sie entlegene und unzugängliche Gegenden in den Focus rücken oder die gewaltige Ausdehnung von Megaregionen abbilden können. Gegenüberstellungen von Aufnahmen mit zeitlichem Abstand können Entwicklungen anschaulich hervorheben. Mit 100 Karten und 13 ineinandergreifenden Themen wird so mancher Betrachter aus seiner Komfort-Zone herausgeholt werden. Karten sind nicht neutral, sie zeigen immer nur einen Blickwinkel, betonen die Autoren. Dass der Begriff Covid-19 im Buch recht oft fällt, ist nicht allein dem Erscheinungsjahr des Wälzers geschuldet. Das Ineinandergreifen wie in einem Räderwerk von Globalisierung, Urbanisierung, Klimaveränderungen und menschlicher Unfähigkeit aus Fehlern der Vergangenheit zu lernen, hat zur Verbreitung des Virus nicht unwesentlich beigetragen. Die Pandemie hat Schwächen und Stärken der Globalisierung hervorgehoben (wie die Abhängigkeit von globalen Lieferketten), die uns 2020 nicht mehr neu sein konnten. Ähnlich wie Zahnräder greifen auch Ungleichheit, Unzufriedenheit, Bevölkerungsentwicklung und Migration ineinander oder Klimawandel, Urbanisierung, Verslumung und Kriminalität.

Goldin und Muggah vermitteln zusätzlich zur Infografik in umfangreicher Analyse die Lage unseres Planeten. In Wort und Bild stellen sie verbreiteten Legenden und Mythen handfeste Fakten gegenüber. Der Menschheit im Allgemeinen halten sie damit zwar schonungslos den Spiegel entgegen, allein den USA gegenüber scheinen sie etwas unkritisch eingestellt zu sein, wenn gerade in der Gegenüberstellung von Gewalttaten außerhalb von Kriegen die USA als weiße Fläche dargestellt werden (S. 254). Null Schul-Massaker, Polizeigewalt und Unfälle mit Waffen in Privathaushalten in den USA? Düstere Zukunftsaussichten und irrational handelnde Menschen scheint es für das Autorenduo eher außerhalb der USA zu geben.

Fazit
„Atlas der Zukunft“ ist kein Kartenwerk mit erläuterndem Text. Sein umfangreicher, ausgewogener und kritischer Text lenkt mit anspruchsvollen Fragestellungen den Focus auf unbequeme Fakten zu kontroversen Themen. Im Vergleich zur Qualität des Textes fällt der Bildteil ab durch einige Abbildungen in zu kleinem Maßstab, Unschärfe oder ungeschickte Farbwahl. Für Karten-Fans finde ich den Band daher weniger geeignet und bewerte ihn als „Atlas“ mit guten 4 Sternen.

[Sanjay Banerjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended reading! Starting with a brief history of map making in the Introduction section (Ptolemy, Mercator, Gail-Peters, Google 3D), the book combines state-of-the-art satellite maps with well-argued analysis about the times that we live in - how the world has changed over the years to expected changes in times to come. It traces the path of people, diseases, cities, wars, climate and technologies on a global scale and the impact of humanity on the planet. It dwells on a range of issues like fires in the Arctic, implications of rise in the level of oceans on the cities, the myths of migration and the unfounded fears of the West and what actually is the truth, the counter-intuitive future of population growth, the impending miracles of health and education lurking around the corner and the issue of inequality and what needs to be done to address this.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book about where humanity has come from and where it is heading. One question though, why don’t we have people like these authors running countries instead of politicians???

[Malene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although not quite finished this is truly a remarkable book which analyses our world in the current state and interestingly with covid19 as a backdrop.
The Book was published just as the pandemic stated and the predicted effects are poignant and thought-provoking as is the view to the future and how we are likely to navigate the challenges ahead.
I am likely to re-read immediately just to fully absorb it.

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! Amazing maps that blow your mind.

[Thomas Fratkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathtaking.

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really insightful and thought-provoking book. It gives a clear overview of current trends and problems in the world and explains them. Definitely one of the best and most useful books I've read in years. No 5 stars, because there were some writing errors here and there, and the writers had a clear opinion on many of tge subjects they wrote about. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does make you consider whether some things may have been inaccurately portayed because of this slight bias.

[Jan Kub · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like maps, soI though I should find this book interesting. Well, I did, but sometimes it was tiring read - some sections simply repeat what the maps say, which is probably necessary. There are many interesting thoughts and angles at which you can see the world. Living in a small country made me also miss larger prints of the maps, because some information is not visible unless you look at least at Germany-like sized country. Overall, interesting read.

[Ian Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some fascinating and beautiful maps and diagrams and lots and lots of information. It's a very solid heavy book. So why only 3 stars? There are too many typos - very off-putting and unacceptable for an expensive professional book. And for me it fails on the Very Short Introduction vs full treatment balance. A *lot* of *very* short sections. Some of which I'll go back to, perhaps.

[Chris Aylott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating collection of maps and facts full of things I didn't know. Despite the brave face that the authors put on the data, though, it's hard not to see that the growing light down the tunnel is the (presumably four-car) Train of the Apocalypse.

[Rodrigo Pinto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good contents! I had classes with Prof Ian at University of Oxford and he used the book as textbook. Great book!

[Keith Maynard · Rating 5 out of 5]

.A Must Read

We face a predictable future unless we seek solutions, together. A thought provoking book. We each have a role to play.

[Steven Beningo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good review of a wide variety of major trends impacting the world today.