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Backcasting start with defining the future and then works backwards to identify policies and programs that will connect that imagined vision of success to the present.
It literally starts with the end in mind, moving backwards from the vision to the present, and then moving back step by step towards that vision.
The fundamental question of backcasting asks: “If we want to attain a certain goal, what actions must we take to get there?”

Whereas forecasting is the process of predicting the future based on current trend analysis, backcasting thus approaches the challenge of discussing the future from the opposite direction.

Backcasting is a key component of the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD), also known as “the Natural Step”.
Backcasting from Sustainability Principles or System Conditions of Sustainability started by Karl-­‐Henrik Robèrt, the founder of the Natural Step.

More information on: http://www.naturalstep.org/

More resources on Backcasting on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Natural_Step#Framework
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/