Welcome to the World of Tomorrow

The message from climate scientists about the effects a future climate will have on us have been plastered across newspapers and social media with increasing intensity of late. But where do scientists get their predictions from? And why do we trust them? This talk gives an insight into the fascinating world of climate modelling, looking at how models have been built, tested and improved over the past decades, along with how they’re being used to provide predictions of the future of our planet.

We are on track for an “Ecological Armageddon” as we continue to lose biodiversity at an alarming rate due to pressures such as climate change and agricultural intensification. Despite numerous efforts to conserve our much-loved wildlife and restore landscapes back to their former glory we have not managed to halt biodiversity loss. So why does biodiversity continue to decline? And what can we do to help? This talk will cover the reasons behind biodiversity loss and the improvements we can make to give a reminder that the future for our wildlife is not all doom and gloom!

Increasing populations and a growing demand for resources is putting unprecedented pressure on land, water and other natural assets. To meet the food demands projected by 2050, it is thought that we will need extensive increases in agricultural outputs that will almost certainly reduce the available land for biodiversity. Interactions between such land use changes and future climate change could affect our ecosystems in a way we currently don’t understand. So, what does this mean for biodiversity and how do we juggle our need for agriculture and the vital natural systems it is set to disrupt?