As London stages the Olympic and Paralympic Games the Mayor of London will be hosting four flagship debates at London House to address the major economic, demographic and technological challenges of the 21st century.
“Mayor of London 2012 Debates” are London’s intellectual contribution to the 2012 Games, they are London’s intellectual contribution to the Games. London leads the world in finding global solutions for global challenges and these debates will help define London’s vision for the next 15-20 years.
The Mayor has invited four thought leaders to join him in the debating chamber to consider London’s potential role in developing responses to these key issues globally. They are:
Jim O’Neill, Saskia Sassen, Matt Ridley and Jimmy Wales who will provoke active discussions with their audiences, as they present their responses to the questions that business and policymakers face in the coming decade.
The debates will be highly participative as we hope to capture the broadest range of views on these challenging topics. The audiences for the debates will bring together policy makers, business leaders and thinkers, who will be filmed and broadcast internationally by CNBC.
The Environment Imperative
2 August 2012, 10am – 2pm, Matt Ridley
How can London develop approaches to climate mitigation either as an economic response or in shaping the climate for investment in technological responses?
The question of the environment is often described as the most significant challenge faced by the planet today. For many the answer is that humanity must restrain itself, that economic growth must be curtailed if we are to address the cost and challenges of projected environmental concerns. But is this the case?
- Are economic growth objectives in competition with environmental concerns?
- To what extent would technological investment help combat environmental concerns and what level of investment is required to make a step-change?
- What role will London – as a home of innovation and investment play in challenging the issues of sustainability?
Keynote speaker: Matt Ridley is a renowned science writer, journalist, biologist, and businessman. His TED.com talk on “when ideas have sex” has been viewed 1.4 million times. His most recent book, The Rational Optimist was shortlisted for the 2011 BBC Samuel Johnson prize – it champions the potential of innovation to address the world’s biggest challenges such as climate change and resource scarcity.
Facilitator: Ralph Silva is a prominent broadcaster widely recognised for his work on the BBC, CNN, CNBC and Bloomberg TV. In addition to his broadcasting experience, he also presents at many industry shows including SIBOS, European Banking industry fiar, CBIT, FinExpo, and many others. He has over 24 years of global experience most of which as an investment banking professional.