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Dubai: Experts highlight challenges facing humanity at Great Narrative Meeting

'Every responsible scientist tells us that we have soil enough only for another 80,200 crops. This means 45 to 60 years'

Global thought leaders, experts and specialists stressed on the importance of promoting global cooperation between governments for the good of humanity and to overcome future challenges, on the sidelines of the Great Narrative Meeting.

Sadhguru, founder of Isha Foundation, said: “The greatest challenge, I would say, is ecological. In this ecological narrative, the most important and most dreadful challenge that we have is soil extinction. Every responsible scientist is telling us that we have soil enough only for another 80,200 crops. This means 45 to 60 years.”

Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist and futurist at City College of New York, said that the greatest challenge was survival, “because for all the technology that we have we realise it could boomerang on us. The first challenge is global warming. The earth is heating up and we think a lot of it is due to human activity.”

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On the other hand Jagjit Singh Srai, head of the Centre for International Manufacturing University of Cambridge, said communities who don’t feel part of the previous wave of the fourth industrial revolution are the challenge. “We need to make technology, education, and access as available to as many people as possible,” he said.

Landry Signé, senior gellow, Global Economy and Development Programme and Africa Growth Initiative, said agile governance is the solution if we want to create a better future. “The main challenge is how to involve numerous actors and various stakeholders in developing any sector, whether in public, private, or among citizens.

Great future narratives

The Great Narrative Meeting hosted a number of interactive sessions and intensive workshops with the participation of global thought leaders, scholars, experts, and UAE ministers, who discussed designing future trends in vital, future, human-centered sectors.

Participants discussed designing future trends while studying how they can be reflected on global policies. The workshops focused on building future narratives, exploring alternatives and directions for developing a common future and launching an effective global action to face global challenges.