piwik-script

    Chair of Bioinformatics

    Global Challenges

    In collaboration with Heiko Paeth and the chair of ecology this is a joint effort. 

    Motivation: Change the world - if you are not ready for change, you will be rolled over:)

    1. Change for Real: The risky & chaotic Megatrends for mankind:

    • Global warming & biodiversity
    • Population growth & food security (overpopulation: Africa >4bio. people by 2100)
    • Nuclear weapons - Prevention of major war (USA: 1$ Trillion over 30 yrs. for nuclear weapon)
    • Dwindeling resources
    • Internet and freedom
    • Stephen Hawking warns artificial intelligence could end mankind but also itself could do the job: BBC Interview future of mankind:

    → http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9672000/9672233.stm

    → http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30290540

    2. What can we do?

    ⇒ Principle efforts:

    • Spread the word: letters to the editor, op-eds, internet
    • Get politically involved: let elected officials know what’s important
    • Take action in an area that excites you, such as closing coal-fired power plants, tax restructuring, or ending biofuel mandates that raise food prices
    • Incentive for usage
    • Educate yourself on environmental issues

    ⇒ Act now, act rational, plan & fare well! Well fare plan of UNESCO

    But: NOT wild technologie: „Autonomous waapons”, „Nuclear bombs”, „Wild bugs”, „uncontrolled Artificial intelligence”

    ⇒ Technologies should be:

    - Transparent

    - each step and implementation planned and always controlled

    - not „alive”, „wild”, but convenient, controlled and comfortable

     ⇒ Principle information:

    • Global Challenges Foundation - The Global Challenges Foundation wants to facilitate decisions for efficient actions against the greatest global risks facing humanity, that we are unable to manage ...

     ⇒ Solutions: Three different plans

    Plan/efforts Global activities Würzburg efforts

     

    Plan A

    Bad project:  No change, business as usual ⇒ leads slowly to ultimate disaster, we have to act

     

    Plan B

    Rational: Try to influence bad Mega Trends by direct action (Decisive action for sustainment) ⇒ Evolve, adapt, transform into a sustainable, intelligent, free and creative community (in particular strong regarding sustainability)

     

    Plan C

    Improve living while protecting against desaster ⇒ super resilient technologies are needed to save population, rebuild after disaster, help the failing state, cope with elevated global temperatures or diminish them, smart measures to improve climate: dual use (local benefit)

    Figure Marine cloud: Sea-going hardware for the cloud albedo method of reversing global warming

    Figure Green house: Victoria amazonica (giant Amazon waterlilies) in a large greenhouse at the Saint Petersburg Botanical Garden, Russia. Botanical Garden V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute.jpg Public Domain

     

    Figure: Nuclear Explosion Bikini US Dept Energy public domain

    ⇒ Technology well known - Improve harvest in cold and aride areas (direct benefit for Dual use)

    ⇒ They protect against UV irradiation and sustained winter (e.g. in Ice Land)

    ⇒ maybe produced from nanocellulose (environmental freindly)

       

    • emerging technologies

    → Prof. Dandekar: light-gated information storage & proteins-programmable bacterial  membranes  pore proteins: resistors, condensators → An integrated nanocellulose chip for information storage and processing (more information see references bottom) → This technology was finalist in emerging technologies competition Royal Soc. London (2015)

    • Digital Agenda: Internet as super-resilient technology → However, preserve Freedom of communication, Prevent citizen score, control of society by nudging
    → Indights into social media and Internet by Prof. Tran-Gia

     

    • Bridging Efforts - the Würzburg way to strengthen connection between science and policy: Prof. Jörg Hacker (President of the "Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften", Honorary Member of the Faculty of Biology, University of Würzburg and German representative of the UN Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board)

    ODER

    • „Plan A” = Bad project:  No change, business as usual ⇒ leads slowly to ultimate disaster, we have to act
      Global activities Würzburg efforts
     
    •   „Plan B” = Rational: Try to influence bad Mega Trends by direct action (Decisive action for sustainment) ⇒ Evolve, adapt, transform into a sustainable, intelligent, free and creative community (in particular strong regarding sustainability)
      Global activities Würzburg efforts

     
    • „Plan C” = Improve living while protecting against desaster ⇒ super resilient technologies are needed to save population, rebuild after disaster, help the failing state, cope with elevated global temperatures or diminish them, smart measures to improve climate: dual use (local benefit)
      Global activities Würzburg efforts

     

    Figure Marine cloud: Sea-going hardware for the cloud albedo method of reversing global warming

    Figure Green house: Victoria amazonica (giant Amazon waterlilies) in a large greenhouse at the Saint Petersburg Botanical Garden, Russia. Botanical Garden V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute.jpg Public Domain

     

    Figure: Nuclear Explosion Bikini US Dept Energy public domain

    ⇒ Technology well known - Improve harvest in cold and aride areas (direct benefit for Dual use)

    ⇒ They protect against UV irradiation and sustained winter (e.g. in Ice Land)

    ⇒ maybe produced from nanocellulose (environmental freindly)

       

    • emerging technologies

    → Prof. Dandekar: light-gated information storage & proteins-programmable bacterial  membranes  pore proteins: resistors, condensators → An integrated nanocellulose chip for information storage and processing (more information see references bottom) → This technology was finalist in emerging technologies competition Royal Soc. London (2015)

    • Digital Agenda: Internet as super-resilient technology → However, preserve Freedom of communication, Prevent citizen score, control of society by nudging
    → Indights into social media and Internet by Prof. Tran-Gia

     

    • Bridging Efforts - the Würzburg way to strengthen connection between science and policy: Prof. Jörg Hacker (President of the "Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften", Honorary Member of the Faculty of Biology, University of Würzburg and German representative of the UN Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board)

    (OLD without TABLE)

    4. Würzburg efforts for global challenges (divided into B and C strategies):

    - „Plan B”: Transformation of society and industy into a sustainable economy,
    preservation of ecosystems and resources

    • Mobility analysis and energy audit (Prof. Dandekar: FET open award)
    • electrifying cars: Brose company


    - „Plan C”:

    • Super-resilient technologies to cope with system break down, e.g. emerging technologies in Molecular biology, Chemistry, Nanotechnology, Computing:

          Global

    1. Prof. Dandekar: light-gated information storage & proteins-programmable bacterial  membranes  pore proteins: resistors, condensators → An integrated nanocellulose chip for information storage and processing (more information see references bottom) → This technology was finalist in emerging technologies competition Royal Soc. London (2015)
    • Digital Agenda: Internet as super-resilient technology → However, preserve Freedom of communication, Prevent citizen score, control of society by nudging:
    1.  Insights into social media and Internet by Prof. Tran-Gia
    • Bridging Efforts - the Würzburg way to strengthen connection between science and policy: Prof. Jörg Hacker (President of the "Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften", Honorary Member of the Faculty of Biology, University of Würzburg and German representative of the UN Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board)

    5. Global efforts (including global networks):

     ⇒ „Plan A”

    ⇒ „Plan B”

    • Lester Brown: Providing a Plan to Save Civilication:

    → The Great Transition: Shifting from Fossil Fuels to Solar and Wind Energy

    → Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization

    • global plastic cleaning project

    ⇒ „Plan C”

    Figure Marine cloud: Sea-going hardware for the cloud albedo method of reversing global warming

    • green line „Sansibar”

    Figure Green house: Victoria amazonica (giant Amazon waterlilies) in a large greenhouse at the Saint Petersburg Botanical Garden, Russia. Botanical Garden V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute.jpg Public Domain

    Figure: Nuclear Explosion Bikini US Dept Energy public domain

    ⇒ Technology well known - Improve harvest in cold and aride areas (direct benefit for Dual use)

    ⇒ They protect against UV irradiation and sustained winter (e.g. in Ice Land)

    ⇒ maybe produced from nanocellulose (environmental friendly)