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Seminar 6
“Crossroads for Planet Earth”
Convened April 7–8, 2006 | Foundation For the Future Building,
Bellevue, Washington
Summary
 Human
population, extreme and widespread poverty, biodiversity, energy and
environment, public health, world economies, global priorities – in
so many arenas, humanity has reached a crossroads where decisions of
monumental consequence will be made, either proactively or by default.
In September 2005, Scientific American ran a series of articles
by experts in these fields, followed in October by a one-day forum
involving those experts as speakers. For two days in April 2006, the
Foundation For the Future brought together Scientific American scholars
with additional voices from the United States and abroad to carry the
conversation forward.
“Crossroads for Planet Earth” was conducted as a workshop
of the Humanity 3000 Program, which regularly reviews historical, cultural,
scientific, and technological trends along with today’s emerging
technologies to consider the question: Where does
humanity go from here? “The mandate we’ve given ourselves
is not how do we get to an idealized future,” said Bob Citron,
Executive Director of the Foundation, “but rather, what do the
best minds of our current generation see as probable pathways for humanity
in the long-term future?”
The April workshop included two keynote addresses: "Facing Bifurcation: Crossroads in Context" by David Wasdell and "Crossroads for Planet Earth: Harnessing Science and Technology for Reconciling Human Security and Environmental Protection" by P.C. Kesavan. Seven papers were delivered, including: "The Climax of Humanity," by George Musser; "When Climate Flips, Will Civilization Bounce Back?" by William H. Calvin; "Biosphere Futures," by Natarajan Ishwaran; "The Big Potential of Small Farms," by Paul Polak; "How Should We Set Priorities?" by W. Wayt Gibbs; "Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations," by David R. Montgomery; and "Nanotech Manufacturing: Driving Toward a Crossroads – and a Crisis," by
Michael A. Treder. The keynotes and papers provided context for face-to-face
dialogues in both small-group and plenary sessions.
Proceedings (16
MB PDF) of this
seminar, including transcripts of all dialogic sessions, available
for download.
Participants
William H. Calvin
Affiliate Professor Emeritus
University of Washington School of Medicine
Seattle, WA USA
W. Wayt Gibbs
Senior Writer
Scientific American
Pittsburgh, PA USA
Natarajan Ishwaran
Director, Ecological and Earth Sciences
UNESCO
Paris, France
P.C. Kesavan
Homi Bhabha Professor
M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation
Chennai, Tamilnadu India
David R. Montgomery
Professor
University of Washington
Seattle, WA USA
George Musser
Editor
Scientific American
New York, NY USA
Paul Polak
Founder and President
International Development Enterprises
Lakewood, CO USA
Michael A. Treder
Executive Director
Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN)
Brooklyn, NY USA
David Wasdell
Director
Meridan Programme
London, England UK
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