WORLD FUTURE FUND: DESCRIPTION

The World Future Fund is a non-profit organization that has been set up to do research and to educate people about the need for a greater commitment to investment in the future, particularly in the field of environmental policy. We have been in business for almost 14 years.  Our work is divided into four programs, which are discussed below.  Our research has created a set of almost 300 global indicators that can track future trends. See here for complete list.  These indicators include environmental factors, such as the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere as well as economic factors, such as business investment in the world's economic future.  Unlike most similar programs our system of indicators combines statistics about world problems with specific budget indicators for major governments, particularly the American government.  We also link people to civic organizations of different points of view so that concerned citizens can participate more effectively in the democratic process.  See here for example.

We link the study of world indicators to documentary material relating to global religion and philosophy, particularly as it relates to the study and the use of political philosophy.  Today's problems have direct implications in terms of ethics and political theory.  If there is not greater international cooperation,  it will not be possible to meet the challenges of  the future.  We are living in an inter-connected world. Problems cannot be solved at the local level. They require centralized government power and international cooperation.

We are committed to operating in a multi-lingual world and have already placed certain key part of our web site into Chinese and Japanese.  We want to continue to expand efforts to translate our web into key foreign languages.  We are also very committed to the idea of the internet as a means of education for the people of  the less-developed world.  We deliberately do not use frames on our web and keep graphics to a minimum so that people in the developing world who do not have the money for high speed internet access will be able to read our site.

The World Future Fund is certified by the Internal Revenue Service as a non-profit corporation. All contributions are tax deductible.

Beyond our active programs we plan to create a large endowment fund to finance a global network of future watch studies concentrating on the number one issue of the future, the security of the biological foundations of life.  Never before in history have the biological foundations of life been so severely threatened. We are living in the most dangerous period in planetary history since the Ice Age. In fact, the current period may be far more dangerous than the Ice Age due to the large number of  poisonous and destructive ecological events created by human beings.

Our web site now prints out to over 2000 pages and is organized so that so it can be used in an efficient manner.  We have links to over 4000 other internet sites.

NUMBER ONE SEARCH ENGINE POSITIONS

Many of our pages have hit number one positions in the world's leading internet search engines.  (Click here for number one positions and here for top ten positions.)  Our web site contains much high quality documentary material that cannot be found anyplace else.

GLOBAL FUTURE WATCH INDICATORS PROJECT:
A BIPARTISAN EDUCATIONAL PLAN
FOR PUBLIC DEBATE ABOUT THE FUTURE

A major project of the World Future Fund is its global indicators system.  We have built one of the most sophisticated systems of future watch indicators in the world, covering over 300 indicators.  A Summary list can be seen here and some key charts can be seen here.

There are some radical differences between our system and most other indicators systems.  Our system is directly connected to the tracking of government policies.  In energy, for example, we do not simply track energy trends but also track government research and tax policies.  Thus, it is relevant that American taxes on gasoline are a tiny fraction of European taxes.  Meanwhile, American funding for renewable energy research is down 75% since 1980.

Unlike most other indicators systems, our plan is designed from the ground up to be interactive and to be used on the internet.  For certain specific indicators, we list the key government agencies and public interest organizations that are working on related matters. Most major issues require national and international government action. They cannot be solved at the local or state level. Thus, it is crucial to show citizens how to find out what the government is doing about specific problems. By listing web sites from different points of view, we can provide educational material that can help people make up their minds about how to participate in public affairs in a responsible manner.

Too much of the political debate is connected to bitter ideological disputes. Our goal is to improve the value of the public debate by creating greater public awareness of some key indicators based on sources that are respected by all, such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Health Organization, and  the U.S. government. We believe it is crucial to try to bring people together in a bipartisan manner.  As a part of that plan we have created a non-partisan, educational citizen action guide to show people how to participate in the political process.

Incredibly, the U.S. government has no coherent system to track future global environmental trends in terms of government policy.  We want to see the "State of  the Nation" address be required to discuss progress or failure each year on key indicators.  American national security planning needs to take future environmental problems into consideration.

We  need money to publish our indicators system in book form as well as on the Internet. We need money to see to it that these indicators are brought to the attention of world leaders. We want to expand our actions to study programs of major foreign governments and to highlight areas of research where inadequate information exists.

GLOBAL POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY, CULTURE AND RELIGION  PROJECTS

What is particularly important about the World Future Fund is that its research is not restricted to the indicators system alone. We also explore the relationship between the physical dimensions of the world's current self destructive policies and global ethical world outlooks in terms of religion and philosophy.

Global reform cannot take place in a vacuum. The seriousness of the current crisis mandates an awareness of common values in world religions and philosophies if a political critical mass is to be reached that will be able to reverse current global policies.  All the great philosophers and world religions demand a level of self sacrifice for future generations. There are differences in world religions. These are serious. However, current global environmental policies are a complete contradiction of any kind of ethical vision.

Our focus in this field is the same as in our indicators field.  We believe in using the power of the internet to bring vital documentary material to the reader's attention.  We are have already posted reading lists on global religion, philosophy and political theory on the WFF web site.    We also placing key works philosophy and history on the web site and linking to others.  In this way, the WFF web site can serve as a true virtual university.  A person will not have to go to a library and spend hours searching for books.  The poorest person can get educated if they can get internet access.

Eventually, these reading lists could be expanded to be a basis for college courses on world religion and political theory.

A key part of the reading list on political philosophy will educate people about the importance of the centralized power of the national state as the key  instrument for reform. Global environmental problems cannot be solved without a centralization of state power. There are few things more dangerous than the current efforts to attack the centralization of power in our world.

Man is not an island. He is not an isolated individual. Man exists in the context of community. The term "community" in today's world needs to be understood as the planet. A case study of what it should not be limited to is the "local" community. "Community" means participation in the affairs of the national state. It is through the power of the national state that global political power can be created that will be strong enough to deal with today's global problems.  Here are our key programs:
 

OUR GLOBAL EDUCATION PROJECT ON POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION
LOOKING BEYOND A "WEST IS BEST" VIEW OF HISTORY

The major problems of today's world require international cooperation.  Pollution from China ends up in America.  The "lungs of the planet", the world's rain forests, are almost exclusively in Third World nations.  Without international understanding and cooperation there is no hope.

The key question is how that understanding is reached.  We believe that a precondition of international understanding is education.  People need to learn about other cultures.  This is why we have translation sites listed on our web.  This is why we have launched this project.  This is why we feel that the study of history from a global point of view is vital.  Click here for a description of this project.

GLOBAL TOTALITARIANISM RESEARCH PROJECT

The deepening global environmental crisis is going to have serious political implications.  At the moment we living in a state of political paralysis.  The data shows a continuing downtrend in just about every area.  However, we have political structures that seem unable to reform themselves.  A key point of our indicators project to try to get people to work for nonviolent, peaceful change so that democratic reform can take place.

However, the magnitude of the problems and the dismal performance of  the present political order make it only prudent to look at what will happen if things do not turn around.  We need to understand the political forces that are likely to come to power.

The term totalitarianism was invented by Mussolini but the philosophy it represents is actually thousands of years old.   Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it.  Unlike any other study that we know of, our study looks back into ancient history in the east and the west to analyze political trends that may emerge in the future.  Click here for a description of  this project.

GLOBAL MEDIA AND POPULAR CULTURE PROJECT

It has been said that the indirect message can sometimes be far more powerful than the direct message.  Film, art and music can influence the subconscious part of the mind.  This is why are studying both global pop culture and the use of art in politics.  We have created detailed links to the media around the world.  Via our site you can see waht is on the air in Tokyo or New Dehli.  A particular concern of ours is to show low income people how to get started in the music business using the power of computers via our WFF Home Recording Guide. We also plan to communicate with key people in the media and entertainment industries worldwide to see how positive messages can be placed into artistic projects.  Click here for a description of  this project.
 

COMMITMENT TO A MULTI-LINGUAL WORLD
TRANSLATIONS OF KEY MATERIAL
MAKING OUR WEB SITE AVAILABLE TO THE LESS DEVELOPED AREAS OF THE WORLD

A major part of our plans is the translation of key material so that people all over the world can more clearly understand each others' culture. If possible, the Fund will create mirror sites in the world's main languages.  We plan to monitor technology closely here.  We make information available via translation web sites and software.  This software allows people to use Windows XP to write in foreign scripts, like Japanese and Chinese. We also monitor scanning software for turning older intellectual works into digital form.  For example, we shall try to monitor software for scanning in the old prewar Gothic German print fonts and Japanese and Chinese characters.

Some examples of our commitment to providing documentary sources and reference materials in languages other than English include our pages on China: Past and Present (in English and Chinese) and on Japan: Past and Present (in English and Japanese).  We have published key historical documents, as well, such as the only copy on a western web site of the Book of Lord Shang, a key legalist text (in Chinese), and the Chinese government’s Official 1981 Condemnation of Some of Mao's Crimes (In Chinese).

We are very committed to the idea of the internet as a means of education for the people of  the less-developed world.  We deliberately do not use frames on our web and keep graphics to a minimum so that people in the developing world who do not have the money for high speed internet access will be able to read our site.   Almost all of our site is designed to be accessible at a speed of 28K.   This is particularly important since the speed of access slows down as viewers get farther away or are in countries that do not have modern telecommunications networks.  Via the internet the world's poor will be able to get  access to libraries that they could not hope to reach otherwise.

WORLD FUTURE FUND LIBRARY
A FOUNDATION OF RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS

A key part of the organization is the World Future Fund Library. This contains books on history from all over the world. It also receives key newspapers and magazines. Via cable TV it  monitors news and educational programs. All this is connected to the use of the Internet and various online services for research and educational purposes.

For some key indicators we produce educational reports. Some of these reports may be short but other may be major studies, in cases where we feel that inadequate information is currently unavailable.  Indoor air safety, for example, is considered one of the most important dangers to America by the EPA but there is little organized coverage of this issue.  We have one of  the best reports available on this subject.   We also have special reports on U.S. government policy and renewable energy, NATO in today's world and state of U.S. environmental movement.

In other cases we may produce short reports.  Average citizens do not have time to read long books and reports. Also, We our web site serves as a means to link to educational position papers by other organizations.  Above all we do not want to duplicate work by other organizations.

EDUCATING THE PUBLIC VIA THE MEDIA

The World Future Fund seeks to provide relevant and useful information to the media. The indicators plan is a key part of this.  The WFF is considering how to take some its work into either cable or public TV.

EDUCATING OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

In coordination with plans to help educate and distribute relevant information via the media, the WFF will also seek to assist other public interest 501 c 3 organizations in understanding the need for more investment in the future and how this relates to them. Again, the web site will be used. Efforts to share information and avoid duplication of work will be explored in a careful manner.

THE WORLD FUTURE FUND AS A VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY
CREATING MODEL COURSES

The Internet will enable the World Future Fund to serve as a virtual university.    It could create model courses that any visitor to the web site could take.   These courses could also serve as models for university courses.  Our current reading and links lists are designed from the ground up to be a basis for this.

GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS OF WFF ACTIVITIES

Our primary focus is the United States of America. America is the number one world power, with a level of global dominance without parallel in history. Our indicators  focus on American government actions. Beyond America we are concentrating on four other key areas of the world, the European Union, China, Japan and India.  This enables us to focus on five major governments: USA, the EU, Japan, China and India.  Ultimately, however, we intend to expand our coverage to other areas of the world.

GRANTS PROGRAM

On a selective basis we do provide grants to other non-profits in areas where we feel we can use a grant to influence another non-profit to take action that we might not.  There are few things more foolish that having nonprofit organizations duplicate each others' work.  In some cases we feel it is better for us to make grants to other organizations than to take action ourselves.  We are particularly interesting in funding organizations in the Third World.

We have already made a number or grants in the field of inter-religious dialogue trying to encourage real communications and nonviolent solutions to serious conflicts

SCHOLARS NETWORK

Our web is designed to be a clearing house for information and a guide to scholars who wish to study various fields.  We want to guide people to original source material and encourage the study of matters that are not getting adequate attention.  Our reading lists are a starting point in this area.

We do not make grants to individuals.  However, we do have a program to hire scholars on a consultant basis.  We can also make grants to universities for use by a specific scholar.

PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS STRUCTURE
AND FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY

The nonprofit world demands professional experience as well as good intentions.   We have hired major firms of the highest professional standing for legal, accounting and investment services.   We try to follow the most strict principles of law and accounting so that our contributors can know that their money is being well spent.  This costs time and money but we believe it is the cornerstone of building a strong base for future growth.

MANAGEMENT TEAM

The World Future Fund is run by a professional management team with many years experience in the non-profit world.  It is backed up by a global network of expert consultants with critical foreign language and research skills.  Details on the senior management of the organization can be accessed clicking here.

In order to gain maximum impact as a means of educating leaders and the public we shall focus on the internet as a key means of communication. By means of the internet, we shall be able to reach people all over the world, 24 hours a day.

Our web site contains basic information about world future trends. It serves as a means to link to a whole series of key websites. We intend to serve as a kind of guide to the internet for our fields of interest.

Over the long term, we plan to create mirror web sites in foreign languages.

The internet today is becoming a vital part of the world's central nervous system for political communications. By showing people how to use the internet, we are showing people how to understand how the world works.

The Internet is one of the most powerful inventions in world communications history. Never before has it been possible to make available huge amounts of information at a small cost.

CONCLUSION

In short, the World Future Fund has a carefully organized set of programs to educate people and leaders about the specific problems we face.  We connect documentary material about these problems to documentary material about the ethical and political implications of these problems.  All this is done in a way that helps busy people find relevant  material in a timely manner in spite of the act that our web site has grown to almost1000 pages.

The World Future Fund is designed from the ground up to expand in the modern world internet communications. Due to the huge economies of scale created by the internet, the World Future Fund will be able to create an intellectual vision visible to the rulers of the world..

Today's World Future Fund is to be like an acorn. Inside the small acorn is the genetic blueprint for a giant oak tree.

The World Future Fund pays close attention to the day to day realities of conducting business. However, it also follows a plan for growth on a quantum scale. This growth is to take place in the context of a networked world. The World Future Fund, by influencing and educating other people and organization, can multiply its power thousands of times.

It is very important now that the World Future Fund raise the financial capital for expansion. People can donate appreciated stock to get valuable tax deductions. We are looking for large individual contributions to build up a base for expansion. Those interested in helping should contact us.  More details about how to contribute are on our contributions page.