Modern Life - Under Pressure

Sport is often considered harmless, a fun environment where you can learn new skills and socialise. However, there are increasing reports of abuse and poor practice in sport across the globe. Many reports focus on elite sport, but these practices take place at all levels. This presentation gives examples of how abusive and poor practices are deeply, but often subtly rooted in grassroots (youth) sport. By doing so, I hope audience members, particularly those who take part in sport, have (grand)children who do sport or coaches, might be able to better identify and challenge these practices.

The cows that made the milk that went into your tea or your cereal this morning might well be housed all year round, never grazing. The image of cows in fields peacefully munching green grass in an idyllic rural setting is not always the case. Is year round housing cruel, or a legitimate practice for the dairy industry? What does animal welfare mean? Orla Shortall argues that science alone doesn’t provide the answer. It is ultimately a question of values – specifically, why and how we value agriculture.

Water is a precious and vital resource – it has no substitutes. But all over the world it is under pressure – from over-use and from pollution. A third of the global population have no safe water to drink, and two thirds have no sanitation. But water is a cross-cutting issue linked to health, food, climate, energy and development – including here in Scotland. Sarah Hendry will look at management of water resources (our rivers and lochs); at the delivery of water services (our drinking water and wastewater); and at what we can all do to help our water environment.