The UK’s Chief Scientist, Sir John Beddington, will visit Australia later this month to share his insights on scientific policy in the UK.

 

During his four-day visit to Australia, Sir John will visit Canberra and Melbourne to discuss the science behind a range of topics, including climate change, food security and agriculture.

 

 Sir John has served as Chief Scientific Advisor since 2008, advising the UK Government on the swine flu outbreak, the 2010 volcanic ash incident and the emergency at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011.

 

Famous for rising the concept of the “Perfect Storm” of food, enenrgy and water security and scarcity in the context of climate change, Sir John has warned that food shortages, scarce water and insufficient energy resources could lead to public unrest, conflicts and mass migration.

 

He has said that this “Perfect Storm” could come to a head as early as 2030 if key issues were not addressed.

 

During his Australian visit, Sir John will give two lectures that are open to the public.

 

The first will be held in Canberra on 10 October at the Australian Academy of Science. During this address, Sir John will discuss Bringing science to the forefront of government policy; addressing today's challenges.

 

He will then address the University of Melbourne on 11 October, where he will focus on the inescapable challenges of the early 21st Century.