In his 2018 book, On the Future, Martin Rees argued that humanity has reached a critical moment.

Our world is unsettled and rapidly changing, and we face existential risks over the next century. Various outcomes - good and bad - are possible. Yet our approach to the future is characterised by short-term thinking, polarising debates, alarmist rhetoric, and pessimism. Achieving the best prospects for humanity will depend on our taking a very different approach to planning for tomorrow than we do at present.

In conversation with Charles Godfray, Martin Rees will explore how the global experience of the COVID-19 pandemic might change the way societies and policymakers grapple with the major challenges of the 21st century.

Lord Martin Rees and Prof Sir Charles Godfray in conversation: “Thinking again about the future and prospects for humanity”