Yorkshire Philosophical Society

Event Information

A lecture by Sir John Beddington

The last half of the 20^th Century comprised five decades of exponential growth and achievement in scientific progress.  Technological and medical innovation coupled with disease and poverty alleviation led to acceleration in GDP growth, massive global population growth, large-scale exploitation of natural resources, and acceleration in greenhouse gas emissions.   In key ways, the early 21^st Century is already determined: the global community will have to contend with a number of significant challenges. Demographic momentum will result in an extra billion people by 2025, urbanisation will see 55% of the world’s population living in cities by 2025; and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere now will drive changes in weather up to 2030.   Projections showing radically increased demand for water, energy and food will, in the context of unavoidable climate change, form a ‘perfect storm’.  Challenges and opportunities abound in each of these areas, and we are more scientifically empowered than ever before.

Read the presentation here (pdf): Sir John Beddington York Lecture January 2016

Member’s report

In 1950, there was no space travel, no knowledge of DNA and a world population of 3 billion; in 2000, world population was 6 billion and factors such as increasing life expectancy and reduced infant mortality continue to produce improved human wellbeing for many. These improvements provide challenges in three key areas: population, urbanisation and climate change.

Extrapolating current population increases means potentially 10 billion people by 2055, which creates a perfect storm of in terms of providing sufficient water, food and energy. There has been an increase in floods, drought and storms with, for example, a 20% increase in flooding in England and Wales. The next 15 years are critical for making changes, including those agreed at the recent Climate Change Conference in Paris. It is Imperative to improve water management efficiency and use biotechnology in food supply, for example, obtaining Omega-3 from plants rather than fish. Migration, currently driven by conflict, could in future be caused by lack of food, water and energy. Super computers are providing big data: the Met Office, for instance, provides essential weather predictions. We will need to use our knowledge to provide solutions to all these challenges.

Catherine Brophy