In this Thinking the Unthinkable webcast, renowned Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees joins Nik Gowing and Chris Langdon to discuss humanity’s growing exposure to existential risks in an increasingly interconnected world.

Drawing on insights from his book On the Future, Lord Rees outlines how cascading risks, technological misuse, and inadequate preparedness are converging to create unprecedented global challenges.

Lord Rees identifies cascading risks—where local disruptions ripple globally—as a defining feature of today’s vulnerabilities. He points to events like the pandemic and the war in Ukraine as examples of how interconnectedness magnifies the impact of crises, from hospital overloads to spikes in global wheat prices. He stresses the rising dangers posed by technology, such as cyberattacks and bioengineering misuse, which enable even small groups or individuals to create global-scale consequences.

A key theme of the conversation is society’s denial of these risks. Rees notes that while democratic leaders are pressured to address immediate issues, long-term threats like climate change and technological empowerment receive inadequate attention. He warns that balancing liberty, privacy, and security will demand difficult trade-offs as nations grapple with governance in a “global village” where bad actors can wield outsized influence.

Rees also highlights the widening inequality between the Global North and South as a critical destabilizing factor. He urges richer nations to support sustainable development, noting that by 2050, energy use in developing regions could dwarf global efforts to reduce emissions if reliant on coal.

The conversation concludes on a cautiously optimistic note, with Lord Rees emphasizing the transformative potential of science and technology. From rapid vaccine development during COVID-19 to sustainable innovations, he argues that humanity already has the tools to ensure a better future—if only leaders and societies can muster the will to act decisively.

This timely discussion underscores the urgency for leaders to adopt “cathedral thinking,” prioritizing long-term solutions over short-term political cycles. As Rees aptly puts it, humanity must strive to be “good ancestors” for the generations to come.