The first Erasmus Seminar of the academic year will be given by Lord Rees of Ludlow OM FRS. An Honorary Fellow of Darwin College, Lord Rees was Astronomer Royal for 30 years until this July. He is the co-founder of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at Cambridge, and was the 38th Master of Trinity College and 60th President of the Royal Society. He is the author of If Science is to Save Us, and ten other books.
The World in 2050 and Beyond
Our Earth has existed for 45 million centuries. But this century is special; it’s the first when one species — ours – can determine the fate of our entire biosphere. We are vulnerable to environmental threats from a growing and more demanding human population, and the misuse of powerful new technologies can have catastrophic consequences that cascade globally.
The seminar will explore these issues and conclude by venturing an astronomical perspective and a longer time-horizon. How special is Earth in a cosmic context? What prospects might the far-future hold?
Lord Rees will give a 40-minute talk, beginning at 6pm, following which there will be a Q/A session.
Register here.