2011

The Royal Society of Arts gathered a high-profile panel of speakers to explore the hidden agendas behind our values and attitudes toward the place of ‘the human’ in today’s societies, and debate what must now be a key issue for the 21st century.

According to research, the British think they bin almost 10% of their weekly shop.  With 8% wasting as much as a quarter of the food regularly bought, the research identified six types of people, each of whom wastes food in a different way.

The future of global power is likely to include more South-to-South development strategies, new issues in territory and sovereignty, and the potential for the collapse of states.

For example, imagine a world with a strong China reshaping Asia; India confidently extending its reach from Africa to Indonesia; Islam spreading its influence; a Europe replete with crises of legitimacy; sovereign city-states holding wealth and driving innovation; and private mercenary armies, religious radicals and humanitarian bodies playing by their own rules as they compete for hearts, minds and wallets.

A new study into food security called for urgent action to avert global hunger, claiming that the current system is unsustainable and will fail to end hunger unless radically redesigned.