All over the world, telecoms and cable companies are fighting to provide people's houses with a broadband pipe that can pump in a high-speed Internet feed and the whole digital future.

ECONOMIST: Communications in Britain

If high speed rail can effectively feed into long haul air networks and take over short haul routes, it won't just connect the dots in Europe but build alliances with airlines as well.

CNN: Can Europe get its high-speed rail network together?

When the federal government tried to speed up cuts in the feed-in tariff for solar power, several states put up a fight, forcing a partial retreat.

ECONOMIST: Germany��s energy transformation

Given these strains, and the political ramifications of food, efforts to feed the 9 billion will sharpen geopolitical conflicts and speed up shifts that are happening anyway.

ECONOMIST: A prospect of plenty