As global leaders meet for COP26, we’ve been thinking about climate change and what is needed for a sustainable future. We’ve turned to the Three Horizons model as a useful model to think about critical junctures and moving into a new future.

As we’re heading into our summer holidays we know this is a perfect time to sit back and catch up on some reading, and if you’re feeling like something a bit more enriching than your typical beach read here’s our list of summer reading material. In typical Corset Economy fashion they’re all interesting and thought-provoking subjects, but easy and engaging enough to relax with on your holiday. Let us know what you think!

Credit: UNESCO https://en.unesco.org/futuresliteracy/about

Human beings spend 1 out of every 8 waking hours imagining the future – either predicting, dreaming or fearing what is to come. Becoming more futures literate means harnessing these involuntary thoughts in a way that is both useful and practical, so that you can see the world from different vantage points, and use these insights to respond more adaptively.

Photo by Krissana Porto

Human beings are by nature future thinkers. As the American philosopher Dennett described, the human brain is “an anticipation machine” and “making future” is the most important thing it does. Planning for the future gives us a sense of agency and control in an uncertain world, but not all future planning is created equally.