Engineering and A Tale of Two Cities

The National Intelligence Council has published their 160-page assessment of what the world might look like in 2030 - the report is entitled A Tale of Two Cities.  The report, like Charles Dickens, can stir optimism and pessimism in equal measure.  All of the trends outlined in the study impact engineering.  But the trend and game changer trends of changing demographic patterns, the food-water-energy nexus, and the disruptive impacts of new technologies should be watched closely by engineers.