Facing the Challenges of the 21st Century – Prince Charles

Prince Charles of Wales opened the Google Zeitgest Forum in 2009 posing the fundamental question for our species – How Will We Face the Challenges of the 21st Century?

A mere 4-5 degree rise in global temperatures over the next hundred years will cause massive collapses of crop yields, rivers drying up and billions of people being forced to leave their homes, resulting in extended social conflict, disruption and war over several decades.

The challenge is how to move forward, by learning from the wisdom of the past and moving towards a truly sustainable future. At the heart of this future is a society living in balance and harmony with nature.

“We find ourselves in a perfect storm of environmental, economical and social challenges which threatens the very fabric of our way of life, and our continual survival as a species on the planet.”

Charles Phillip Arthur George, Prince of Wales