Sarwant Singh  -  the author of New Mega Trends – in his Last Word says the signs are that  we can expect:  “zero breaches of security”, products with “zero defects”, cars that result in “zero accidents”, “zero fatalities” in industries, and “zero emission cars” and even “zero emails”!

President Obama created great hope in his State of the Union address when he said he will: “Direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy”. He also issued a new goal for America: “Let’s cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses”.

We get a tear-jerking reminder from Linda Uan that climate change is so real for the 100,000 inhabitants of Kiribati in the Pacific:  “We now know that we are being subjected to a gradual, creeping and insidious process: climate change. This directly threatens the future of our homeland – our people will be scattered, and the survival of our unique culture, lifestyle and even our language, may be lost forever.”

Then there’s news on electric vehicles for Netherlands, cars of tomorrow in Australia, the future of sea grass and how to put orange peel to good use. A cruise line gets a sustainability award and Rotary Clubs learn from an Indonesia rice farmer about microcredit. Solar power is taking the lead in Germany but not the US, while Asia’s is starting to adopt solar for its clean energy future.  We welcome more wise words from Amory Lovins and Giles Parkinson. And hear about a battle royal between scientists and media in the US. What’s new? -   Ken Hickson