Future-Ready Geography: Goals, Problems and Challenges (Key Challenges in Geography)

This book presents research on how geography as a science, as a university degree and as a school subject can get ready for the “future.” Today's world is in a state of permanent and radical change which is affecting society, science and the economy in equal measure. The concurrent processes of globalisation, digitisation, and integration shape and constantly modify the development factors and generate multidirectional social changes. Growing global issues related to climate change, food security, depletion of conventional energy sources, conflicts and wars, refugee crisis and pandemic open up new issues for geographic investigations as well as reinforce the need to examine old research topics covering a variety of subdisciplines. That is why the term “future-ready” is being more frequently used in discourses on geographic research. In particular, geographic education at schools should be subject to discussion and reflection as this is where our learners are primed to understand the world around them.

The chapters of this book spread the knowledge about the role of geography in preparing the society for the future. The book responds to environmental, socio-economic, and political issues of global, regional and local impact. It provides methods, techniques and tools of data collection and analysis which efficiently support geographers in future-oriented research and help in forecasting environmental and social changes. Finally, this volume also discusses how to reinforce the position of geography as science and school subject today and in the future.