Back to the Future, or Forward to the Past?
Each of us strives to live in the present, but it is impossible to do so without giving consideration to the past and the future. Our past moulds our personality and our future, at least our imagined and desired future. It serves as a vector for our continued growth. Is the notion of "back to the future” illogical or a fantasy? Right now, it seems to us that the past is behind us and we are moving forward into the future. A significant number of experts believe that climate change will profoundly alter life on Earth in the near future. According to their grim forecasts, within the next 30 years, there will be an acceleration of species extinction, widespread occurrence of tropical diseases, destruction of ecosystems, and the flooding of coastal cities. The ramifications of carbon pollution in the atmosphere will have a greater impact on future generations, who bear no responsibility for global warming that began in the late 20th century. By 2050, tens of millions of people will likely experience chronic hunger, while an additional 130 million could be plunged into extreme poverty. Hundreds of millions of people will be at risk from flooding and increasingly frequent storm surges. Approximately 350 million more individuals residing in urban areas will face water scarcity as a result of severe drought. Can we find ways to mitigate this crisis? What lessons can we learn from our history, and how can we shape our future? Will we listen to reason, or will we continue to go backwards?
Moderator
Maxim Safonov,
Director, Green Capital Alliance
Panellists
Arutyun Avetisyan,
Director, Ivannikov Institute for System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Aleksandr Bloshenko,
Executive Director for Advanced Projects and Science, Roskosmos State Corporation for Space Activities (online)
Dmitry Petelin,
(online)
Sergei Prokopiev,
(online)
Simon Steele,
Executive Secretary, Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (online)
Andrey Fedyaev,
Astronaut (online)
Vyacheslav Fetisov,
Goodwill Ambassador, The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); Chairman, All-Russian Society of Nature Conservation
Sergey Shvetsov,
Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Moscow Exchange Supervisory Board
Front row participant
Oleg Khorokhordin,
Head of the Altai Republic