Khanna (The Future Is Asian), founder of the management consulting firm FutureMap, speculates in this diffuse account on how the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, aging populations, political turmoil, and economic disruptions will affect human migration. He argues that the free movement of people across borders is an integral part of human social life and an economic boon to countries, despite the recent resurgence of populist protectionism, and that human migration will only increase in the coming years. Khanna also contends that generational identities have overtaken national consciousness, especially among young people, and predicts that climate change will make "climate-resilient zones" such as the U.S. Rust Belt and Alaska more desirable, while severe water shortages and a collapsing economy will push Egypt to the brink of collapse. Unfortunately, Khanna's frequent use of anecdotal evidence (he cites an "arthouse film" as proof of Italy's increasing acceptance of immigrants) and technocratic optimism ("We may have lost our sixth sense, but we can use our technologically assisted autoimmune fight-or-flight instinct to run inland and upland from nature's wrath") fail to convince, and the book's choppy structure makes it difficult to follow his central argument. This fitful road map to the future gets lost in speculation. Agent: Jennifer Joel, ICM Partners. (Oct.)

International relations specialist Khanna (The Second World; How To Run the World) argues that human migration is the force that will most shape the 21st century. His latest book is a narrative of global population shifts that examines immigration policy, climate change, birth rates, and the rapidly increasing global influence of nations on the Asian continent, all backed up by demographic figures and informational maps. Khanna also analyzes generational differences in economic and political attitudes (primarily contrasting today's septuagenarians with younger generations); for instance, he posits that younger people currently tend to individually identify with the world as a whole and feel less attached to specific national identities. Another of his arguments is that the nations that are most receptive to immigrants measurably benefit from the diversity of their residents' skill sets. Even as Khanna presents vast quantities of data on human migration, he maintains a conversational tone and his digressive, interdisciplinary narrative is highly readable; some readers will find it difficult to imagine impending climate catastrophe on the scale Khanna describes, which would displace hundreds of millions of people. VERDICT An engaging extrapolation of future demographics and a world transformed by current and impending human population shifts.--Jeffrey Meyer, Iowa Wesleyan Univ.

A nuanced discussion of the increasing importance of free movement across the planet. "Almost no Western democracies are prepared for the new age of mass migrations," writes Khanna, founder and managing partner of FutureMap and author of The Future Is Asian (2019) and other well-received books about global affairs. Climate change will force the evacuation of large portions of, for instance, the Indian subcontinent, and millions of people from that large region will move to places like Kazakhstan and other nations of Central Asia that may be relatively both more hospitable to agriculture and underpopulated. Realignments are likely to be regional. Residents of sweltering parts of western China will find themselves living in Russia (where, Khanna notes, Chinese settlers are already flocking to the southern shores of Lake Baikal), while residents of embattled Central American nations may bypass the U.S. for Canada, where increasing amounts of arable land are opening up thanks to the warming of the Arctic. These movements trend to the north, and while the countries most capable of receiving large numbers of migrants, particularly Canada and Russia, will meet them differently, Khanna argues that the north and its aging populace can use a shot of fresh energy. "Remember there is no zero-sum competition between local and foreign workers: A greater influx of labor itself stimulates the economy and creates greater demand for labor," he writes. Khanna's book is rich in implication: Air conditioning may have a deleterious effect on the environment, but it can be done better and more efficiently, allowing people to remain in places such as Abu Dhabi and Singapore. Regardless, he writes, we need to think our way toward "Civilization 3.0," in which seasonal movement is possible, nations spend money on water desalinization and clean energy, and the vagaries of human geography are more nimbly taken into account. Nativists will hate it, but no matter. Khanna makes an urgent, powerful argument for more open international borders. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Khanna is a strategist who makes predictions about foreign-policy trends. Here, as with The Future Is Asian (2019), he attempts to chart "human geography." Khanna uses statistics culled from history, politics, climatology, and economics to propose idealistic, even outlandish claims about where humans will be in 2050. He suggests that mobile homes are key to the future of homeownership, that people will be pushed into the Northern Hemisphere due to climate hazards, and that emigration, not immigration, will make or break a country. Khanna cites aging populations, low birth rates, and the climate crisis as determining factors to global sustainability, and argues that the crucial question is "Who will pay taxes?" He criticizes populism, nationalism, and religion, placing his bets instead on technology and open borders that favor a technocratic society. Khanna's forecasts primarily involve the Gen-Z demographic (those born between 1997 to 2012) and explore a mishmash of provocative ideas that might rile readers--or, at the very least, leave them pondering his theories and predictions.