At the Hay Festival, BBC Future assembled three thinkers from the worlds of philosophy, politics and science to discuss one of the most pressing questions of our time: how to tackle society’s habit of “short-termism” - and what it might take to lengthen our perspective and reconsider the well-being of future generations.
This includes Martin Rees, author of the book On The Future and co-founder of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk; Sophie Howe, the future generations commissioner for Wales; and philosopher Roman Krznaric.
What will our descendants make of how we acted in 2019? The world faces multi-generational challenges like climate change, poverty or antibiotic overuse. But for much of the time, our eyes remain locked on the present. Each news cycle brings a moment or event that consumes all of our attention, even if its effects are ultimately transient.
