Tuesday's inaugural speaker in Penn College’s 2016-17 Technology & Society Colloquia Series posed a vital question during his engaging hourlong talk – “Can We Nourish 9.7 Billion People in 2050?” – and, honoring the format's conversational tradition, he floated a number of solutions for audience consideration. The stepping-off point for Gary A. Sojka's lecture is that the planet's population will rise by more than 2 "billion with a 'b'" in three decades or so. While the growth will not be uniform across the globe, and while the former Bucknell University president believes the world has plenty of food for everyone, the Earth's carrying capacity (the maximum sustainable population, provided that water and other resources remain constant) could be compromised. Sojka cited a number of potential answers, ranging from waste reduction and urban agriculture to eating more seasonably and introducing insects and other heretofore-untried items to the dinner table. But he said the main limitation is not technological or biological, but the need for improved statecraft and cooperation among governments; a "moral obligation to do better." Physics professor David S. Richards will deliver the next address in the series: "Manipulating Time Using Science, Technology, and Literature," set for 7 p.m. Nov. 1.
The complete presentation by Sojka, active in various professional associations relating to sustainable agriculture and livestock conservancy, has been added to the Penn College YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DNcnlDSf9A
First four photos by Tia G. La, student photographer
The complete presentation by Sojka, active in various professional associations relating to sustainable agriculture and livestock conservancy, has been added to the Penn College YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DNcnlDSf9A
First four photos by Tia G. La, student photographer