Sir David King, BA President, urges a rise to the challenges of the 21st century
Embargo: 00.01 Monday 8 September 2008
Sir David King, BA President, urges a rise to the challenges of the 21st century
Sir David King, President of the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science), today called for the best scientific minds to be redirected towards solutions to 21st-century problems.
‘It is really astonishing that we are better able to land a spacecraft on Mars… than we are able to deal with millions of deaths each year from HIV-AIDS, and malaria, and poor nutrition; or develop renewable, CO2-free, energy sources for all our economies,’ he said.
Speaking about the role of young people in the future of science he acknowledged that British science is currently ‘in an exceptionally strong position, second in the world only to the US’ and that ‘There has never been a more apposite time for a career in science and technology… to address the huge demands of the 21st century’.
Sir David said that the major twenty-first century challenges are very largely determined by population growth, with an increasing demand for wellbeing and prosperity for all. The global population is expected to reach around 9 billion by the middle of the century.
He identified several challenges:
• On food, he criticised the western world’s move toward organic farming and against agricultural technology in general and GM in particular
• On climate change and energy, he called for decarbonising to be mainstreamed into economic thinking
• On free markets, he criticised the view that free market economies, managed through monetarism, will automatically deliver all the outcomes that society needs. ‘The earth’s atmosphere is shared by all nations. Managing it demands a massive collective response which cannot be delivered by an unfettered free market system,’ he said.
• On cultural changes, he called for an emphasis on global rather than national preoccupations.
Sir David identifies these challenges as part of his Presidential Address at the BA Festival of Science in Liverpool. Sir David said he believed that, with unprecedented levels of international cooperation, we can rise to these challenges, but that global leadership is key.
The BA President, who is also Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University and Director of Research (Chemical Physics) at Cambridge University has identified the incoming US President, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, and the head of state of one or more of China, India or Brazil as crucial in providing global leadership.
The BA Festival of Science will take place in Liverpool from 6-11 September bringing over 350 of the UK’s top scientists and engineers to discuss the latest developments in science with the public. In addition to talks and debates at the University of Liverpool, there will be a host of events happening throughout the city as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations.
For more information about the BA Festival of Science, including an online programme, visit www.the-ba.net/festivalofscience.
This year’s BA Festival of Science is organised by the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) in partnership with the University of Liverpool. It is supported by the Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills, the Liverpool Culture Company and the Northwest Regional Development Agency.
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Lisa Hendry, Press Officer, the BA
Tel: 020 7019 4946
Email: lisa.hendry@the-ba.net
Jessica Griggs, Press Assistant, the BA
Tel: 020 7019 4950
Email: jessica.griggs@the-ba.net
Notes for editors
1. To register for access to press papers or to the Press Centre at the BA Festival of Science, visit www.the-ba.net/pressregister.
2. Sir David King KB ScD FRS
Sir David is Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University and Director of Research (Chemical Physics) at Cambridge University. He served as the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the Office of Science and Technology from October 2000 until December 2007.
After an early career at the University of Witwatersrand, Imperial College and the University of East Anglia, he became the Brunner Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Liverpool in 1974. From 1988-2005 he held the position of 1920 Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Cambridge and was Head of the University Chemistry Department from 1993-2000. He was also Master of Downing College from 1995 until January 2000.
Sir David chairs a number of committees including: the Chief Scientific Adviser's Committee (CSAC); the Global Science and Innovation Forum (GSIF); and co-chaired the Energy Research Partnership (ERP) and the Council for Science and Technology. He was heavily involved in producing the UK's ten-year Science and Innovation Framework, 2004-2014. He ran the Government's Foresight Programme, which aims to provide challenging visions of the future, to ensure effective strategies now.
Sir David has published over 450 papers in scientific journals. In 2002 he delivered the Ninth Zuckerman Lecture, on "The Science of Climate Change: Adapt, Mitigate or Ignore?" at The Royal Society. He subsequently delivered the Greenpeace Business Lecture "Global Warming, the science of climate change - the imperatives for action" in 2004 and the Magna Carta Lecture to the Australian Parliament in 2005.
He published "The Scientific Impact of Nations" in Nature 430, 311 (2004) and "Climate Change: the science and the policy" in the Journal of Applied Ecology 42, 779-783 (2005).
3. The BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) is the UK's nationwide, open membership organisation that exists to advance the public understanding, accessibility and accountability of the sciences and engineering. Established in 1831, the BA organises major initiatives across the UK, including National Science and Engineering Week, the annual BA Festival of Science, programmes of regional and local events, and an extensive programme for young people in schools and colleges. The BA also organises specific activities for the science communication community in the UK through its Science in Society programme. For more information, please visit www.the-ba.net.
4. The University of Liverpool is a member of the Russell Group of leading research-intensive institutions in the UK. It attracts collaborative and contract research commissions from a wide range of national and international organisations valued at more than £108 million annually. For more information visit www.liv.ac.uk.
5. The Liverpool Culture Company was established by Liverpool City Council in 2000 to lead the city’s bid to be European Capital of Culture 2008. In June 2003, following a two-year nationwide competition featuring 12 cities, Liverpool was chosen as the UK’s representative for 2008. The programme for 2008 includes more than 350 events and festivals – many of which are free – delivered in collaboration with major cultural institutions, artists, performers and venues throughout Liverpool and beyond. For more information visit www.liverpool08.com.
6. The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) leads the economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and is responsible for: supporting business growth and encouraging investment; matching skills provision to employer needs; creating the conditions for economic growth; connecting the region through effective transport and communication infrastructure; and promoting the region’s outstanding quality of life. For further information and to view previous press releases visit us at www.nwda.co.uk.
7. The Northwest Science Strategy 2007 – 2010, developed by the Northwest Science Council, which brings together businesses, universities and other science partners in the region, aims to have the greatest impact over the medium term (4-5 years). It will help to shape the growth of existing companies and the formation of new ones, and help to meet the science and technology needs of regional businesses through co-ordinated efforts across the science base. The strategy focuses on three underpinning ‘foundations’ (SKILLS; EXPLOITATION OF SCIENCE; and INTERNATIONALLY EXCELLENT SCIENCE BASE) and six strategic ‘pillars’ (AEROSPACE; BIOHEALTH; CHEMICALS; NUCLEAR; EMERGING OPPORTUNITIES; AND STRATEGIC SCIENCE SITES). The foundations of our Science Strategy are the building blocks for the generation and application of new scientific insights. They help to create the climate in which globally competitive, sustainable and successful businesses can emerge and prosper. www.northwestscience.co.uk.
Sir David King, BA President, urges a rise to the challenges of the 21st century
Sir David King, President of the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science), today called for the best scientific minds to be redirected towards solutions to 21st-century problems.
‘It is really astonishing that we are better able to land a spacecraft on Mars… than we are able to deal with millions of deaths each year from HIV-AIDS, and malaria, and poor nutrition; or develop renewable, CO2-free, energy sources for all our economies,’ he said.
Speaking about the role of young people in the future of science he acknowledged that British science is currently ‘in an exceptionally strong position, second in the world only to the US’ and that ‘There has never been a more apposite time for a career in science and technology… to address the huge demands of the 21st century’.
Sir David said that the major twenty-first century challenges are very largely determined by population growth, with an increasing demand for wellbeing and prosperity for all. The global population is expected to reach around 9 billion by the middle of the century.
He identified several challenges:
• On food, he criticised the western world’s move toward organic farming and against agricultural technology in general and GM in particular
• On climate change and energy, he called for decarbonising to be mainstreamed into economic thinking
• On free markets, he criticised the view that free market economies, managed through monetarism, will automatically deliver all the outcomes that society needs. ‘The earth’s atmosphere is shared by all nations. Managing it demands a massive collective response which cannot be delivered by an unfettered free market system,’ he said.
• On cultural changes, he called for an emphasis on global rather than national preoccupations.
Sir David identifies these challenges as part of his Presidential Address at the BA Festival of Science in Liverpool. Sir David said he believed that, with unprecedented levels of international cooperation, we can rise to these challenges, but that global leadership is key.
The BA President, who is also Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University and Director of Research (Chemical Physics) at Cambridge University has identified the incoming US President, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, and the head of state of one or more of China, India or Brazil as crucial in providing global leadership.
The BA Festival of Science will take place in Liverpool from 6-11 September bringing over 350 of the UK’s top scientists and engineers to discuss the latest developments in science with the public. In addition to talks and debates at the University of Liverpool, there will be a host of events happening throughout the city as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations.
For more information about the BA Festival of Science, including an online programme, visit www.the-ba.net/festivalofscience.
This year’s BA Festival of Science is organised by the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) in partnership with the University of Liverpool. It is supported by the Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills, the Liverpool Culture Company and the Northwest Regional Development Agency.
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Lisa Hendry, Press Officer, the BA
Tel: 020 7019 4946
Email: lisa.hendry@the-ba.net
Jessica Griggs, Press Assistant, the BA
Tel: 020 7019 4950
Email: jessica.griggs@the-ba.net
Notes for editors
1. To register for access to press papers or to the Press Centre at the BA Festival of Science, visit www.the-ba.net/pressregister.
2. Sir David King KB ScD FRS
Sir David is Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University and Director of Research (Chemical Physics) at Cambridge University. He served as the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the Office of Science and Technology from October 2000 until December 2007.
After an early career at the University of Witwatersrand, Imperial College and the University of East Anglia, he became the Brunner Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Liverpool in 1974. From 1988-2005 he held the position of 1920 Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Cambridge and was Head of the University Chemistry Department from 1993-2000. He was also Master of Downing College from 1995 until January 2000.
Sir David chairs a number of committees including: the Chief Scientific Adviser's Committee (CSAC); the Global Science and Innovation Forum (GSIF); and co-chaired the Energy Research Partnership (ERP) and the Council for Science and Technology. He was heavily involved in producing the UK's ten-year Science and Innovation Framework, 2004-2014. He ran the Government's Foresight Programme, which aims to provide challenging visions of the future, to ensure effective strategies now.
Sir David has published over 450 papers in scientific journals. In 2002 he delivered the Ninth Zuckerman Lecture, on "The Science of Climate Change: Adapt, Mitigate or Ignore?" at The Royal Society. He subsequently delivered the Greenpeace Business Lecture "Global Warming, the science of climate change - the imperatives for action" in 2004 and the Magna Carta Lecture to the Australian Parliament in 2005.
He published "The Scientific Impact of Nations" in Nature 430, 311 (2004) and "Climate Change: the science and the policy" in the Journal of Applied Ecology 42, 779-783 (2005).
3. The BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) is the UK's nationwide, open membership organisation that exists to advance the public understanding, accessibility and accountability of the sciences and engineering. Established in 1831, the BA organises major initiatives across the UK, including National Science and Engineering Week, the annual BA Festival of Science, programmes of regional and local events, and an extensive programme for young people in schools and colleges. The BA also organises specific activities for the science communication community in the UK through its Science in Society programme. For more information, please visit www.the-ba.net.
4. The University of Liverpool is a member of the Russell Group of leading research-intensive institutions in the UK. It attracts collaborative and contract research commissions from a wide range of national and international organisations valued at more than £108 million annually. For more information visit www.liv.ac.uk.
5. The Liverpool Culture Company was established by Liverpool City Council in 2000 to lead the city’s bid to be European Capital of Culture 2008. In June 2003, following a two-year nationwide competition featuring 12 cities, Liverpool was chosen as the UK’s representative for 2008. The programme for 2008 includes more than 350 events and festivals – many of which are free – delivered in collaboration with major cultural institutions, artists, performers and venues throughout Liverpool and beyond. For more information visit www.liverpool08.com.
6. The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) leads the economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and is responsible for: supporting business growth and encouraging investment; matching skills provision to employer needs; creating the conditions for economic growth; connecting the region through effective transport and communication infrastructure; and promoting the region’s outstanding quality of life. For further information and to view previous press releases visit us at www.nwda.co.uk.
7. The Northwest Science Strategy 2007 – 2010, developed by the Northwest Science Council, which brings together businesses, universities and other science partners in the region, aims to have the greatest impact over the medium term (4-5 years). It will help to shape the growth of existing companies and the formation of new ones, and help to meet the science and technology needs of regional businesses through co-ordinated efforts across the science base. The strategy focuses on three underpinning ‘foundations’ (SKILLS; EXPLOITATION OF SCIENCE; and INTERNATIONALLY EXCELLENT SCIENCE BASE) and six strategic ‘pillars’ (AEROSPACE; BIOHEALTH; CHEMICALS; NUCLEAR; EMERGING OPPORTUNITIES; AND STRATEGIC SCIENCE SITES). The foundations of our Science Strategy are the building blocks for the generation and application of new scientific insights. They help to create the climate in which globally competitive, sustainable and successful businesses can emerge and prosper. www.northwestscience.co.uk.
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