Atlas of Ideas Conference
We spent most of this week working on the Atlas of Ideas Conference which took place on Wednesday and Thursday at the IET on Savoy Place. Demos had attracted an amazing array of speakers and delegates to the conference, which focused on the emerging economies of China, India and South Korea and the incredible rates at which those countries are advancing in scientific and ethical innovation. To a UK audience the best recognised names may have been Boris Johnson, Will Hutton and Professor Colin Blakemore, but I was also lucky enough to hear speakers such as RA Mashelkar, Swati Piramal, Won Soon Park and Qui Renzong elaborate on the future of collaborations between the west and the new Asian economies.
While this may not seem like a traditionally “green” event for us to have worked on, there was still a clear link between the conference and sustainability in general. It becomes very easy in the west to adopt the attitude that changes in our country will be insignificant when set against carbon emissions by “them” – China, India and other emerging nations. It becomes easy to think of these countries as massive, homogenous blocs haemmorrhaging carbon while we valiantly switch off the lightbulb when we’ve finished in the kitchen. The reality is of course, very different. As John Ashton, Special representative for Climate Change in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office pointed out, the big strides in carbon reduction are being driven, not hindered, by the new geography of science. If you want to buy a low energy washing machine, the chances are it will have been produced in China. The same goes for low emission cars and an increasing number of other energy saving products. We need to look to these new economies not as a threat but as a fantastic opportunity to build 21st century, ultra-modern, mobile societies built on sustainable principles. Otherwise we may find that while the western hare feels very pleased with its organic carrots and low energy lightbulbs, the tortoise from the east may end up putting us to shame in the “big picture” efforts towards a low carbon future. As Ashton pointed out, we have the technology and the economic wherewithal to create a low carbon future without sacrifcing our way of life – all that is needed is the political will and courage. That courage exists in the east – can we import it to the UK?
Presentations and video from the conference will be available to download from the Demos website next week.
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