Looking Glass

What will the future hold? In the series finale, IOP Deputy Chief Executive Rachel Youngman and host Gemma Milne reflect on the ideas covered in Looking Glass and look ahead to 2030 and beyond. What can scientific organisations like the IOP do to support climate solutions – and ensure those solutions benefit everyone?  

Every year, wildfires ravage the planet, burning homes, killing wildlife and scorching the earth. Can the physics of how fire spreads give us the answers to stop it? And can we use fire to our advantage? With Professor Martin Wooster and Tercia Strydom.

Much of our planet could become uninhabitable – so how can physics help protect our soil, enable farmers to continue farming and allow communities to survive? Featuring Professor Sacha Mooney and Dr Jacqueline Hannam.

As the earth dries up, towns and countries face their very own day zero crises – while other communities risk rising sea levels obliterating their homes. How can physics help keep water where we want it, and in a form we can access? Featuring Professor Kevin McGuigan and Dr Ana Mijic.

Our third series opens by exploring the relationship between activism and climate policy. Host Gemma Milne is joined by climate scientist and outgoing IOP Chief Executive Paul Hardaker and climate activist and director of Green New Deal UK Fatima Ibrahim as they discuss how climate activism is changing – and the role physics and organisations such as the IOP should play in it.

In the series so far, we’ve heard about the visions and potential pathways for a new green economy from some of the people working to make it happen. But what role do physicists have to play? Gemma talks to two physicists at very different stages in their careers to get their perspectives. Featuring Professor Martin Freer and Luke Wheeler.

We need a new, green economy – and fast. So what would it look like? And what needs to change to make it possible? In the series so far we’ve looked at the importance of greener energy and the impact of consumer choices – but what about the global structures that are going to have to change? Featuring Ann Pettifor and Farhana Yamin. 

Rapidly evolving economies need people with the right skills to propel them. We’ve heard about the work that needs to be done to deliver a new green economy – but who will actually do it? Who can build and maintain the technology? How long will those people be necessary in a world of AI? And with diversity and inclusion at the heart of this conversation, how do we make sure that every worker is valued? Featuring Grace Suh and Warda Heetun.