Which global issues have the most impact on our lives at the beginning of the 21st century? What's the relationship between developments in politics, ecology, the economy, security, and systems of global government, and how do we as individuals address the problems that they raise in an increasingly globalized world? Global Trends and Global Governance offers answers to these questions. It is a concise and practical guide that explains the key political, economic, ecological and social factors that shape the process of globalization, and the way that they affect the lives of all people around the world. Written in a clear and accessible style, it is an indispensable handbook for activists, civil servants, policy researchers, and anyone interested in getting involved in political action. Covering each of the subject areas chapter by chapter, and drawing on information from UN reports, the book is packed with useful facts and figures that elucidate these complex ideas. It includes analysis of the US economy and US foreign policy as part of a wider critique of UN-unilaterlism, revealing the need to establish more cooperative and inclusive forms of global politics. Public action, such as the organized protests in Seattle and Prague, and the demonstrations at the environment summit at the Hague, are now having an impact on the way that the world is governed. Addressing this changing situation, and the implications that it holds for human security, the contributors analyse ways in which we can evolve new ways of working together to cope with problems of a transnational nature.