SubReddit's are like bower bird's mating grounds. Glittery things are laid out in the hope of attracting a mate. It's a pity that the moderators of this particular subReddit don't take a more structured approach in order to correct this.

This guidance note is particularly worrying (and symptomatic) of this. It sees the future entirely in terms of technology, plus a few vague arm-waves. It speaks only to a fantasy future that resembles a 1950s concept city, all smiling pedestrians and gleaming buildings. The alternative put forward is a populist nonsense which ignores the majority of the world and focuses only on how the disadvantaged of the rich world will be preyed upon by the usual suspects of American populism - corporations, rich people, probably Canadians.

There is nothing here about the key drivers of the future, which consist chiefly of demographics and education, the institutions and trends in politics and social change, the engine drivers of economics, regulation and commerce. But no: "vertical farming" is it. The lack of insight into the emerging economies is stunning, yet think what has happened with China between 1995 (when it was seen as a quaint, backward place) and today. There are 1.2 bn in China. The other emerging economies together make about 2.5-3 bn. Nothing is said about these, except by the solar panel lobby. There is ten times as much said about Australia (pop 24-odd million) than India, with its 1,2 bn. There is nothing here about coherent alternatives, different ways in which the world might develop.