Big Visions, Grand Challenges and Nagging Controversies: Navigating into the Anthropocene.

We live in interesting times, in a world that is rapidly changing, being altered or impacted by people who populate it.  We live in challenging times.  Two billion more people in the world by 2050.  Much of the existing population concentrated in cities near coast lines, with those areas expected to see a large share of the additional population growth.  A warming earth with melting ice caps and increasing sea levels.  Changing weather patterns with new challenges to crop production.  Two billion more people demanding food, water, shelter, education, energy, health care, jobs. 

As we look into the future we face many huge challenges.  But there are many new opportunities also.  To be able to fully exploit these opportunities we need to resolve some of the controversies regarding the impact human activities are having on our world.  From the impact of burning fossil fuels on climate and weather, to allocating water resources for the highest use, to building smart grids to more effectively utilize our energy supplies.  It is time for some big ideas, to break out of the box and look beyond the conventional.