Oxford Martin School: Public Lectures and Seminars

Join Nathalie Seddon and Cameron Hepburn as they discuss the need for increased investment combined with rigorous evaluation of activities undertaken, using metrics which consider the complex, long-term benefits that nature-based solutions provide. Nature-based solutions (NbS) can contribute to the fight against climate change up to the end of our century. But the world must invest now in nature-based solutions that are ecologically sound, socially equitable, and designed to deliver multiple benefits to society over a century or more. Properly managed, the protection, restoration and sustainable management of our working lands could benefit many generations to come. While solutions such as community-led restoration and protection of mangroves, kelp forests, wetlands, grasslands and forests, bringing trees into working lands and nature into cities can bring multiple benefits from storing carbon and protecting us from extreme events, to supporting biodiversity and providing jobs and livelihoods, how can we engage governments, businesses and local communities in these solutions to ensure their success? The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review states that relative to other interventions, Nature-based solutions have the potential to be cost-effective and provide multiple benefits beyond climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction. So how can these economic evaluations for each solution be derived?

Join Nathalie Seddon and Cameron Hepburn as they discuss the need for increased investment combined with rigorous evaluation of activities undertaken, using metrics which consider the complex, long-term benefits that nature-based solutions provide. Nature-based solutions (NbS) can contribute to the fight against climate change up to the end of our century. But the world must invest now in nature-based solutions that are ecologically sound, socially equitable, and designed to deliver multiple benefits to society over a century or more. Properly managed, the protection, restoration and sustainable management of our working lands could benefit many generations to come. While solutions such as community-led restoration and protection of mangroves, kelp forests, wetlands, grasslands and forests, bringing trees into working lands and nature into cities can bring multiple benefits from storing carbon and protecting us from extreme events, to supporting biodiversity and providing jobs and livelihoods, how can we engage governments, businesses and local communities in these solutions to ensure their success? The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review states that relative to other interventions, Nature-based solutions have the potential to be cost-effective and provide multiple benefits beyond climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction. So how can these economic evaluations for each solution be derived?

Professor Dame Henrietta L. Moore and Professor Sir Charles Godfray discuss how we can rebuild new economies in a way that ensures global prosperity. The recently published Dasgupta Review has made a strong call for the fundamental rebuilding of economic models in ways that inherently value Nature. These are welcome findings, coming at a time when existing economic structures, extractive systems and patterns of consumption are eroding ecological resilience and exceeding planetary limits. Yet the imperative for new economies that value biodiversity and ecosystem health as foundational for human wellbeing leaves us with a host of challenges and opportunities centred on how we may best build alternative economic infrastructures in inclusive and sustainable ways. This endeavour is unavoidably bound up with questions of how different communities understand social and ecological prosperity and how this should be researched and measured. Grounded in the innovative research of the Institute for Global Prosperity at UCL, this discussion between Professor Dame Henrietta L. Moore and Professor Sir Charles Godfray takes stock of how research traditions within the social sciences that are attuned to the diversity of human livelihoods, value systems and collaborative research methods are of urgent necessity for designing new socio-natural economies and planetary prosperity for all.

Professor Dame Henrietta L. Moore and Professor Sir Charles Godfray discuss how we can rebuild new economies in a way that ensures global prosperity. The recently published Dasgupta Review has made a strong call for the fundamental rebuilding of economic models in ways that inherently value Nature. These are welcome findings, coming at a time when existing economic structures, extractive systems and patterns of consumption are eroding ecological resilience and exceeding planetary limits. Yet the imperative for new economies that value biodiversity and ecosystem health as foundational for human wellbeing leaves us with a host of challenges and opportunities centred on how we may best build alternative economic infrastructures in inclusive and sustainable ways. This endeavour is unavoidably bound up with questions of how different communities understand social and ecological prosperity and how this should be researched and measured. Grounded in the innovative research of the Institute for Global Prosperity at UCL, this discussion between Professor Dame Henrietta L. Moore and Professor Sir Charles Godfray takes stock of how research traditions within the social sciences that are attuned to the diversity of human livelihoods, value systems and collaborative research methods are of urgent necessity for designing new socio-natural economies and planetary prosperity for all.

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, speaks to the implications of the Dasgupta Review on the Economics of Biodiversity, and how we can begin the journey to re-shape our economies, working with nature, not against it. Even as we seek to overcome the global pandemic, humanity faces three planetary crisis that threaten our future - the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis, and the pollution and waste crisis – driven by decades of relentless and unsustainable consumption and production. In an important year for multilateral governance for the environment, Ms Andersen will address how the Dasgupta Review's findings can influence the finalisation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, and open up financing for nature-based solutions, which must feature extensively in the updated and stretched Nationally Determined Contributions, to be submitted ahead of COP26 in Glasgow later this year. And finally, in this pivotal year, with countries making unprecedented investments to kick-start economies, and protect livelihoods, how can we use the Review's findings to inform global efforts to “recover better” from the pandemic?

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, speaks to the implications of the Dasgupta Review on the Economics of Biodiversity, and how we can begin the journey to re-shape our economies, working with nature, not against it. Even as we seek to overcome the global pandemic, humanity faces three planetary crisis that threaten our future - the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis, and the pollution and waste crisis – driven by decades of relentless and unsustainable consumption and production. In an important year for multilateral governance for the environment, Ms Andersen will address how the Dasgupta Review's findings can influence the finalisation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, and open up financing for nature-based solutions, which must feature extensively in the updated and stretched Nationally Determined Contributions, to be submitted ahead of COP26 in Glasgow later this year. And finally, in this pivotal year, with countries making unprecedented investments to kick-start economies, and protect livelihoods, how can we use the Review's findings to inform global efforts to “recover better” from the pandemic?

In the book launch for Rescue: From Global Crisis to a Better World, Ian Goldin, Author, and Nik Gowing, Founder at Thinking the Unthinkable, will discuss how the pandemic provides a unique opportunity to tackle today's challenges. We are at a crossroads. Covid-19 has wreaked havoc but also offers the potential for radical change. Ian Goldin explains why bouncing back to business as usual would be disastrous, leading to escalating inequality, potentially more devastating pandemics and escalating climate change. Drawing on the experience of history, Ian identifies how during the Second World War the welfare state and new world order was created to build more cohesive societies and overcome global threats. The book and this talk examines the impact of the pandemic on the future of jobs, cities, globalisation, governments and businesses. The talk provides an analysis of what is to be done, and shows how the pandemic could lead to a better world.

In the book launch for Rescue: From Global Crisis to a Better World, Ian Goldin, Author, and Nik Gowing, Founder at Thinking the Unthinkable, will discuss how the pandemic provides a unique opportunity to tackle today's challenges. We are at a crossroads. Covid-19 has wreaked havoc but also offers the potential for radical change. Ian Goldin explains why bouncing back to business as usual would be disastrous, leading to escalating inequality, potentially more devastating pandemics and escalating climate change. Drawing on the experience of history, Ian identifies how during the Second World War the welfare state and new world order was created to build more cohesive societies and overcome global threats. The book and this talk examines the impact of the pandemic on the future of jobs, cities, globalisation, governments and businesses. The talk provides an analysis of what is to be done, and shows how the pandemic could lead to a better world.

Join Professor Chris Dye, author of The Great Health Dilemma, and Professor Salim Abdool Karim, Director of CAPRISA, as they discuss ways to invest more money and effort in health promotion and prevention around the world today.

Join Professor Chris Dye, author of The Great Health Dilemma, and Professor Salim Abdool Karim, Director of CAPRISA, as they discuss ways to invest more money and effort in health promotion and prevention around the world today.

Join us for a conversation between the author of the Economics of Biodiversity Review, Sir Partha Dasgupta, and Professor Cameron Hepburn, where they will discuss the important messages from the review and the road ahead.

Join us for a conversation between the author of the Economics of Biodiversity Review, Sir Partha Dasgupta, and Professor Cameron Hepburn, where they will discuss the important messages from the review and the road ahead.

Sadie Creese and Jamie Saunders discuss the steps that need to be taken by technologists, businesses, government and the international community to ensure that our digital infrastructure continues to provide the level of resilience and security we need. The pandemic has accelerated digitisation across many sectors of the economy and society. It is hard to imagine how many countries could have implemented lockdown measures to control the virus without the availability of digital technology to maintain at least a degree of economic and social activity. This technology has been remarkably resilient in the face of the increased demand. While there has been a perceptible increase in criminal activity seeking to exploit our increased dependence on IT during the pandemic, overall our systems and networks have held up well. This provides some confidence that the significant investment that government and business have made in operational resilience and cybersecurity over the past 10 years have paid off. However, future technology will bring a digital world of increased complexity, pace, scale and interdependence that will overwhelm many of the risk mitigations that are currently deployed. Without interventions now, it will be difficult to maintain the integrity of and trust in the technology on which we increasingly depend. How confident can we be that the technology will prove equally resilient and secure in the event of a future major shock? In particular, is our collective approach to managing cyber risks sustainable in the face of the major technology trends taking place in the near future?

Sadie Creese and Jamie Saunders discuss the steps that need to be taken by technologists, businesses, government and the international community to ensure that our digital infrastructure continues to provide the level of resilience and security we need. The pandemic has accelerated digitisation across many sectors of the economy and society. It is hard to imagine how many countries could have implemented lockdown measures to control the virus without the availability of digital technology to maintain at least a degree of economic and social activity. This technology has been remarkably resilient in the face of the increased demand. While there has been a perceptible increase in criminal activity seeking to exploit our increased dependence on IT during the pandemic, overall our systems and networks have held up well. This provides some confidence that the significant investment that government and business have made in operational resilience and cybersecurity over the past 10 years have paid off. However, future technology will bring a digital world of increased complexity, pace, scale and interdependence that will overwhelm many of the risk mitigations that are currently deployed. Without interventions now, it will be difficult to maintain the integrity of and trust in the technology on which we increasingly depend. How confident can we be that the technology will prove equally resilient and secure in the event of a future major shock? In particular, is our collective approach to managing cyber risks sustainable in the face of the major technology trends taking place in the near future?

in most countries conservation of leopards is dependent on trans-boundary collaboration. In this talk, Dr Mohammad Farhadinia explores the critical role of mountains for biodiversity conservation amidst international political concerns.

in most countries conservation of leopards is dependent on trans-boundary collaboration. In this talk, Dr Mohammad Farhadinia explores the critical role of mountains for biodiversity conservation amidst international political concerns.

Ian Goldin, Kristalina Georgieva discuss how we can bring the Sustainable Development Goals in reach by 2030 The global pandemic has derailed progress toward the SDGs as developing countries now balance long-term investments in health, education, roads, electricity, and water with spending to protect lives and livelihoods. Bringing the SDGs within reach by 2030 will take a global effort from all stakeholders. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has run the numbers and is publishing a framework for developing countries to consider policy choices that can raise long term growth and bring in private investments in SDG projects. In this conversation with Ian Goldin, Kristalina Georgieva will look at country case studies and the kinds of reforms each can make to move towards the SDGs by 2030. Although it looks as though the building blocks of prosperity have moved just a bit farther out of reach, the roadmap for how to get there is now clearer.

Ian Goldin, Kristalina Georgieva discuss how we can bring the Sustainable Development Goals in reach by 2030 The global pandemic has derailed progress toward the SDGs as developing countries now balance long-term investments in health, education, roads, electricity, and water with spending to protect lives and livelihoods. Bringing the SDGs within reach by 2030 will take a global effort from all stakeholders. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has run the numbers and is publishing a framework for developing countries to consider policy choices that can raise long term growth and bring in private investments in SDG projects. In this conversation with Ian Goldin, Kristalina Georgieva will look at country case studies and the kinds of reforms each can make to move towards the SDGs by 2030. Although it looks as though the building blocks of prosperity have moved just a bit farther out of reach, the roadmap for how to get there is now clearer.

The speakers explore the various approaches being proposed to store and preserve CO2 in the ocean, many inspired by mechanisms known to function naturally in the past, and assess the challenges and research hurdles for their implementation in the future. The modern ocean contains an enormous (38000 GtC) reservoir of carbon in dissolved form. Recent geological history shows that the oceans have repeatedly absorbed CO2 from the atmosphere during the periodic glacial periods and released it during the warm interglacial periods. This additional capacity for CO2 storage, untapped in the modern, is on the order of 800 GtC, an amount equivalent to that which needs to be sequestered in the coming decades to attain net zero.

The speakers explore the various approaches being proposed to store and preserve CO2 in the ocean, many inspired by mechanisms known to function naturally in the past, and assess the challenges and research hurdles for their implementation in the future. The modern ocean contains an enormous (38000 GtC) reservoir of carbon in dissolved form. Recent geological history shows that the oceans have repeatedly absorbed CO2 from the atmosphere during the periodic glacial periods and released it during the warm interglacial periods. This additional capacity for CO2 storage, untapped in the modern, is on the order of 800 GtC, an amount equivalent to that which needs to be sequestered in the coming decades to attain net zero.

Net zero targets are proliferating across the world, covering not only countries but also business, investors, cities, states and provinces, universities, and many others. But are these targets credible? And how can we ensure they lead to change? A new report sheds light on both the scope and, critically, the quality of the groundswell of net zero targets globally. Join Professor Thomas Hale, Blavatnik School of Government, Dr Aoife Brophy, Saïd Business School & Dr Steve Smith, Net Zero Initiative, in the ninth talk of the Oxford net zero: climate in the balance series of discussions.

Net zero targets are proliferating across the world, covering not only countries but also business, investors, cities, states and provinces, universities, and many others. But are these targets credible? And how can we ensure they lead to change? A new report sheds light on both the scope and, critically, the quality of the groundswell of net zero targets globally. Join Professor Thomas Hale, Blavatnik School of Government, Dr Aoife Brophy, Saïd Business School & Dr Steve Smith, Net Zero Initiative, in the ninth talk of the Oxford net zero: climate in the balance series of discussions.

The cycle of carbon between the Earth's surface and its deep interior is a key component of our goldilocks planet. In this discussion Professor Mike Kendall, Professor Joe Cartwright and Dr Tom Kettlety will discuss CO2 storage in geologic reservoirs.

The cycle of carbon between the Earth’s surface and its deep interior is a key component of our goldilocks planet. In this discussion Professor Mike Kendall, Professor Joe Cartwright and Dr Tom Kettlety will discuss CO2 storage in geologic reservoirs.

In this conversation, Sir John Armitt, who is chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, joins Professor Jim Hall to explore the vision and practicalities of providing infrastructure systems that meets society's goals.

In this conversation, Sir John Armitt, who is chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, joins Professor Jim Hall to explore the vision and practicalities of providing infrastructure systems that meets society’s goals.

What are the different ways to remove carbon dioxide from air? How much potential do they have, and how can we scale them up? Perhaps most importantly, will negative emissions be a vital addition to action on emissions or a costly distraction? Join Tim Kruger, Programme Manager of the Oxford Geoegineering Programme, in discussion with Dr Steve Smith, Executive Director of Oxford Net Zero, in this fifth instalment of the Oxford Net Zero series.

What are the different ways to remove carbon dioxide from air? How much potential do they have, and how can we scale them up? Perhaps most importantly, will negative emissions be a vital addition to action on emissions or a costly distraction? Join Tim Kruger, Programme Manager of the Oxford Geoegineering Programme, in discussion with Dr Steve Smith, Executive Director of Oxford Net Zero, in this fifth instalment of the Oxford Net Zero series.

In this presentation, Professor John Vucetich & Professor David MacDonald, will examine how the terms “ecosystem health” and “endangered species” are underdetermined to the point of being increasingly problematic for advancing real-world conservation Many real-world conservation issues are also treated as negotiations between those who are for and against conservation, where the effort is either discovering a win-win outcome or the assertion of political power for some particular win-lose outcome. These hyper-political environments distract from steep ethical trade-offs that rise from the inevitable conflicts about four basic goals: conservation, social justice, animal welfare, and increased agricultural production. The best outcomes almost certainly require that more of society's leaders become more facile with the ethical dimensions of these trade-offs.

In this presentation, Professor John Vucetich & Professor David MacDonald, will examine how the terms “ecosystem health” and “endangered species” are underdetermined to the point of being increasingly problematic for advancing real-world conservation Many real-world conservation issues are also treated as negotiations between those who are for and against conservation, where the effort is either discovering a win-win outcome or the assertion of political power for some particular win-lose outcome. These hyper-political environments distract from steep ethical trade-offs that rise from the inevitable conflicts about four basic goals: conservation, social justice, animal welfare, and increased agricultural production. The best outcomes almost certainly require that more of society’s leaders become more facile with the ethical dimensions of these trade-offs.

In conversation with Chris Dye, Sally Davies will explore the major challenge of anti-microbial resistance and discuss whether people's greater appreciation of medical risk due to the pandemic will help the development of effective countermeasures. Date 11 February 2021, 5:00pm - 6:00pm Location Online Event Recording: Since their widespread deployment in the mid-20th century, effective antibiotics have been at the forefront of medicine saving countless lives. But the last two decades have seen an alarming rise in pathogens resistant to antibiotics (anti-microbial resistance or AMR), while there are fewer novel antibiotics in the research and development pipeline. During her time as the UK's Chief Medical Officer, and since leaving that position in 2019, Dame Sally Davies, the UK Special Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance, has been tireless in pointing out the great dangers of AMR to health throughout the world and suggesting what needs to be done.

In conversation with Chris Dye, Sally Davies will explore the major challenge of anti-microbial resistance and discuss whether people’s greater appreciation of medical risk due to the pandemic will help the development of effective countermeasures. Date 11 February 2021, 5:00pm - 6:00pm Location Online Event Recording: Since their widespread deployment in the mid-20th century, effective antibiotics have been at the forefront of medicine saving countless lives. But the last two decades have seen an alarming rise in pathogens resistant to antibiotics (anti-microbial resistance or AMR), while there are fewer novel antibiotics in the research and development pipeline. During her time as the UK’s Chief Medical Officer, and since leaving that position in 2019, Dame Sally Davies, the UK Special Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance, has been tireless in pointing out the great dangers of AMR to health throughout the world and suggesting what needs to be done.

In conversation with Charles Godfray, Martin Rees will explore how the global experience of the COVID-19 pandemic might change the way societies and policymakers grapple with the major challenges of the 21st century.

In conversation with Charles Godfray, Martin Rees will explore how the global experience of the COVID-19 pandemic might change the way societies and policymakers grapple with the major challenges of the 21st century.

Economists Paul Collier and John Kay discuss their book, Greed is Dead, with Sir Charles Godfray Throughout history, successful societies have created institutions which channel both competition and co-operation to achieve complex goals of general benefit. These institutions make the difference between societies that thrive and those paralysed by discord, the difference between prosperous and poor economies. In their 2020 book, Greed is Dead, the leading economists Paul Collier and John Kay argue that extreme individualism has today weakened co-operation and polarised our politics, and call for a reaffirmation of the values of mutuality across the social, political and business spheres. In conversation with Charles Godfray, the authors will develop this argument and explore how the experience of the global pandemic may affect how societies and policymakers view the balance between individualism and mutuality.

Economists Paul Collier and John Kay discuss their book, Greed is Dead, with Sir Charles Godfray Throughout history, successful societies have created institutions which channel both competition and co-operation to achieve complex goals of general benefit. These institutions make the difference between societies that thrive and those paralysed by discord, the difference between prosperous and poor economies. In their 2020 book, Greed is Dead, the leading economists Paul Collier and John Kay argue that extreme individualism has today weakened co-operation and polarised our politics, and call for a reaffirmation of the values of mutuality across the social, political and business spheres. In conversation with Charles Godfray, the authors will develop this argument and explore how the experience of the global pandemic may affect how societies and policymakers view the balance between individualism and mutuality.

Join Nick Eyre and Steve Smith for a discussion on a renewable energy, energy efficiency and carbon emissions. The combustion of fossil fuels is responsible for the most greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in industrialised countries. Systemic change in energy systems is therefore a critical component of any net-zero agenda. It is a huge global challenge, but recent developments give cause for optimism that a Green Industrial Revolution is possible. Join Professor Nick Eyre, Lead Researcher, Oxford Martin Programme on Integrating Renewable Energy, where he will discuss with Dr Steve Smith, Executive Director of Oxford Net Zero, how the declining costs of renewable electricity mean they can provide cheap mitigation, as well as enabling major improvements in energy efficiency, so that the total amount of energy that will need to be decarbonised is much lower than often projected.

Join Nick Eyre and Steve Smith for a discussion on a renewable energy, energy efficiency and carbon emissions. The combustion of fossil fuels is responsible for the most greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in industrialised countries. Systemic change in energy systems is therefore a critical component of any net-zero agenda. It is a huge global challenge, but recent developments give cause for optimism that a Green Industrial Revolution is possible. Join Professor Nick Eyre, Lead Researcher, Oxford Martin Programme on Integrating Renewable Energy, where he will discuss with Dr Steve Smith, Executive Director of Oxford Net Zero, how the declining costs of renewable electricity mean they can provide cheap mitigation, as well as enabling major improvements in energy efficiency, so that the total amount of energy that will need to be decarbonised is much lower than often projected.

The first discussion in the Oxford Net Zero Series, hosted by the Oxford Martin School, hones in on the fundamental motivation of the research programme: ‘Why net zero? Join the Oxford Net Zero Initiative’s Research Director, Professor Sam Fankhauser; Director, Professor Myles Allen; Net Zero Policy Engagement Fellow, Kaya Axelsson as they discuss with the Chair, Executive Director. Dr Steve Smith, the meaning of the word ‘net’ in net zero, reviewing what is needed to mitigate global warming, as and before we fully phase out activities that generate greenhouse gas emissions. The discussion will explore the framing opportunities and challenges that the term ‘net-zero’ offers for science, policy, and advocacy informing effective climate action, as well as the innovation required at scale to achieve the global goal.

Professor Gina Neff discusses artificial intelligence and data work, and the ethical and social implications of integrating these tools into organisations. What happens when new artificial intelligence (AI) tools are integrated into organisations around the world? For example, digital medicine promises to combine emerging and novel sources of data and new analysis techniques like AI and machine learning to improve diagnosis, care delivery and condition management. But healthcare workers find themselves at the frontlines of figuring out new ways to care for patients through, with - and sometimes despite - their data. Paradoxically, new data-intensive tasks required to make AI work are often seen as of secondary importance. Gina calls these tasks data work, and her team studied how data work is changing in Danish & US hospitals (Moller, Bossen, Pine, Nielsen and Neff, forthcoming ACM Interactions). Based on critical data studies and organisational ethnography, this talk will argue that while advances in AI have sparked scholarly and public attention to the challenges of the ethical design of technologies, less attention has been focused on the requirements for their ethical use. Unfortunately, this means that the hidden talents and secret logics that fuel successful AI projects are undervalued and successful AI projects continue to be seen as technological, not social, accomplishments. In this talk Professor Gina Neff, Oxford Internet Institute and Professor Ian Goldin, Oxford Martin School, will examine publicly known “failures” of AI systems to show how this gap between design and use creates dangerous oversights and to develop a framework to predict where and how these oversights emerge. The resulting framework can help scholars and practitioners to query AI tools to show who and whose goals are being achieved or promised through, what structured performance using what division of labour, under whose control and at whose expense. In this way, data work becomes an analytical lens on the power of social institutions for shaping technologies-in-practice.

Professor Gina Neff discusses artificial intelligence and data work, and the ethical and social implications of integrating these tools into organisations. What happens when new artificial intelligence (AI) tools are integrated into organisations around the world? For example, digital medicine promises to combine emerging and novel sources of data and new analysis techniques like AI and machine learning to improve diagnosis, care delivery and condition management. But healthcare workers find themselves at the frontlines of figuring out new ways to care for patients through, with - and sometimes despite - their data. Paradoxically, new data-intensive tasks required to make AI work are often seen as of secondary importance. Gina calls these tasks data work, and her team studied how data work is changing in Danish & US hospitals (Moller, Bossen, Pine, Nielsen and Neff, forthcoming ACM Interactions). Based on critical data studies and organisational ethnography, this talk will argue that while advances in AI have sparked scholarly and public attention to the challenges of the ethical design of technologies, less attention has been focused on the requirements for their ethical use. Unfortunately, this means that the hidden talents and secret logics that fuel successful AI projects are undervalued and successful AI projects continue to be seen as technological, not social, accomplishments. In this talk Professor Gina Neff, Oxford Internet Institute and Professor Ian Goldin, Oxford Martin School, will examine publicly known “failures” of AI systems to show how this gap between design and use creates dangerous oversights and to develop a framework to predict where and how these oversights emerge. The resulting framework can help scholars and practitioners to query AI tools to show who and whose goals are being achieved or promised through, what structured performance using what division of labour, under whose control and at whose expense. In this way, data work becomes an analytical lens on the power of social institutions for shaping technologies-in-practice.

Prof Susan Jebb and Sir Charles Godfray discuss the possible implications of the pandemic on health policy and tackling obesity. The current covid-19 pandemic has focussed attention on the variability in personal risk of serious illness. After age and ethnicity, one of the most important factors associated with developing serious covid complications, requiring admission to hospital or ICU, is being overweight. Excess weight has long been known to be a risk factor for ill-health, though governments have rarely encouraged weight loss, and have even been cautious about interventions which may help to prevent obesity developing, for fear of accusations of ‘nannying’ or because of opposition by the food industry. However covid-19 seems to have sparked a notable change. In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister, who acknowledges he is overweight, suffered complications from covid-19, and since his recovery has launched a new government plan to tackle obesity. This offers more support to people trying to lose weight and promises much greater action to curb unhealthy eating habits. Professor Susan Jebb is a nutrition scientist with a special interest in designing and testing public health interventions to prevent and treat obesity. In this conversation, we shall explore the policy options available to governments and other bodies to tackle obesity and ask whether, as we emerge from the pandemic, there will be a new focus on the benefits of a healthy body weight.

Professor Jeff Sachs discusses his new book 'The Ages of Globalization' with Professor Ian Goldin. We are justified to say that we are living through a new age of globalisation, which Professor Jeff Sachs calls the Digital Age. The hugely disruptive changes were already with us before Covid-19, but now we’ve been hurled head-first into the new age. It is marked by enormous geopolitical, technological, and environmental disruptions, posing great risks as well as opportunities. To understand the Digital Age better, it is enormously valuable to gain a historical perspective. Professor Jeff Sachs' new book The Ages of Globalization and this talk, explores the interactions of technology, geography, and institutions throughout human history, describing seven ages of globalisation and the nature of societal change from one age to the next.

Christophe Fraser of Oxford’s Big Data Institute, who advises the UK’s NHS COVID-19 Tracing app, and Prof Oliver Pybus discuss the opportunities and challenges of successfully applying new technologies to pandemics past, present, and future. The COVID-19 pandemic has become a defining event of the 21st century. New technologies such as ubiquitous smartphones and virus genome sequencing offer powerful new ways to understand virus transmission and to tackle the problem of epidemic spread. But can those new tools be deployed fast enough to make a real difference to public health? And can we balance the need for privacy with the life-saving benefits of understanding how transmission occurs?

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented disruptions to urban mobility systems across the globe yet also presented unique opportunities for people to drive less, walk/cycle more and reduce carbon emissions. Join Professor Tim Schwanen (Director of the Transport Studies Unit and Lead Researcher on the Oxford Martin Programme on Informal Cities), Dr Jennie Middleton (Senior Research Fellow in Mobilities and Human Geography in the Transport Studies Unit, University of Oxford) and Professor Jim Hall (Professor of Climate and Environmental Risk, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford) as they discuss post-pandemic mobility futures in relation to the re-imagining of transport systems across different geographical scales and contexts.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented disruptions to urban mobility systems across the globe yet also presented unique opportunities for people to drive less, walk/cycle more and reduce carbon emissions. Join Professor Tim Schwanen (Director of the Transport Studies Unit and Lead Researcher on the Oxford Martin Programme on Informal Cities), Dr Jennie Middleton (Senior Research Fellow in Mobilities and Human Geography in the Transport Studies Unit, University of Oxford) and Professor Jim Hall (Professor of Climate and Environmental Risk, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford) as they discuss post-pandemic mobility futures in relation to the re-imagining of transport systems across different geographical scales and contexts.

Professor Ian Goldin, Professor of Globalisation and Development at Oxford University, discusses his new book 'Terra Incognita: 100 Maps to Survive the Next 100 Years' Expert in globalisation and development, Professor Ian Goldin uses state-of-the-art maps to show humanity’s impact on the planet and demonstrate how we can save it and thrive as a species. He has traced the paths of peoples, cities, wars, climates and technologies on a global scale in his new book Terra Incognita: 100 Maps to Survive the Next 100 Years, which he co-authored with Robert Muggah. In this book talk he will demonstrate the impact of climate change and rises in sea level on cities around the world, the truth about immigration, the future of population growth, trends in health and education, and the realities of inequality and how to end it.

Professor Ian Goldin, Professor of Globalisation and Development at Oxford University, discusses his new book 'Terra Incognita: 100 Maps to Survive the Next 100 Years' Expert in globalisation and development, Professor Ian Goldin uses state-of-the-art maps to show humanity’s impact on the planet and demonstrate how we can save it and thrive as a species. He has traced the paths of peoples, cities, wars, climates and technologies on a global scale in his new book Terra Incognita: 100 Maps to Survive the Next 100 Years, which he co-authored with Robert Muggah. In this book talk he will demonstrate the impact of climate change and rises in sea level on cities around the world, the truth about immigration, the future of population growth, trends in health and education, and the realities of inequality and how to end it.

Dr Julia Giese, Bank of England, discusses the impact of Covid-19 on the financial system and how banks can play their part in economic recovery. Date 14 October 2020, 12:30pm - 1:30pm Location Online Event Recording: COVID-19 has caused a global collapse in activity and loss of jobs that is probably unprecedented in its scale and speed. Small and large businesses across every country in the world have had to close their doors to customers and employees. The sharp accompanying decrease in firms’ revenues and households’ incomes will result in the first global recession since 2009. It will also present the global financial system with its largest stress event since at least the global financial crisis. Dr Julia Giese, Bank of England, and Professor Cameron Hepburn, INET Oxford, will discuss that banks are now part of the solution, rather than part of the problem, thanks to regulatory and institutional reforms over the past decade. Heeding the lessons from the Global Financial Crisis has paid dividends. They will outline some early lessons from the COVID-19 crisis for the financial system going forward. This talk is in conjunction with The Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford and the Oxford Review of Economic Policy.

Dr Julia Giese, Bank of England, discusses the impact of Covid-19 on the financial system and how banks can play their part in economic recovery. Date 14 October 2020, 12:30pm - 1:30pm Location Online Event Recording: COVID-19 has caused a global collapse in activity and loss of jobs that is probably unprecedented in its scale and speed. Small and large businesses across every country in the world have had to close their doors to customers and employees. The sharp accompanying decrease in firms’ revenues and households’ incomes will result in the first global recession since 2009. It will also present the global financial system with its largest stress event since at least the global financial crisis. Dr Julia Giese, Bank of England, and Professor Cameron Hepburn, INET Oxford, will discuss that banks are now part of the solution, rather than part of the problem, thanks to regulatory and institutional reforms over the past decade. Heeding the lessons from the Global Financial Crisis has paid dividends. They will outline some early lessons from the COVID-19 crisis for the financial system going forward. This talk is in conjunction with The Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford and the Oxford Review of Economic Policy.

Professor Sarah Smith, Professor Almudena Sevilla and Professor Cameron Hepburn discuss the gender division of childcare during the covid-19 pandemic, and the impact of this on welfare and employment. The nature and scale of the shocks to the demand for, and the supply of, home childcare during the COVID-19 pandemic provide a unique opportunity to increase our understanding of the division of home labour and the determinants of specialisation within the household. Real-time data was collected on daily lives to document the impact of measures to control COVID-19 on UK families with children under the age of 12. This documented that these families have been doing the equivalent of a working week in childcare, with mothers bearing most of the burden. The additional hours of childcare done by women are less sensitive to their employment than they are for men, leaving many women juggling work and (a lot more) childcare, with likely adverse effects on their mental health and future careers. However, some households, those in which men have not been working, have taken greater steps towards an equal allocation, offering the prospect of sharing the burden of childcare more equally in the future. Join Professor Sarah Smith, Professor of Economics from the University of Bristol, Professor Almudena Sevilla, Professor in Economics and Public Policy at UCL, and Professor Cameron Hepburn where they will discuss the implications of these findings and what the future will hold. This talk is in conjunction with The Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford and the Oxford Review of Economic Policy.