Global challenges

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In collaboration with Prof. Dr. Phuoc Tran-Gia (Vice president for internationalisation, information Technology, alumni and public relations)

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 - Global Futures Studies: Global Challenges for Humanity - excerpt from 2009 State of the Future. The 15 Global Challenges ...

• 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

ODER

• „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)

(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

• Ecosystem Management → Zoologie III (Prof. Steffan-Dewenter)

• Zoologie III: Frauke Fischer → PLANET 3.0 – Klima. Leben. Zukunft

• Dept. of Anorganic Chemistry (Prof. Braunschweig)

• Mobility analysis and energy audit (Prof. Dandekar: FET open award)

• Würzburg is a wine region: Adaption to climate change (Prof. Heiko Päth)

• 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

• Microsatellites from Prof. Schilling
• Cancer research vaccinia viruses: coll. Prof. Szalay, UCSD and Prof. Thomas Dandekar
• Tissue regeneration: Prof. Heike Walles and US partners
• Safe artifical intelligence: Prof. Puppe
• New functionalized carbon materials based on diamonds and multishell fullerenes may protect against global warming: Prof. Anke Krüger
• Global Networking: BIOFAB course of studies Würzburg
• SmartCity Würzburg

• 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”

• Has the Earth’s sixth mass extinction already arrived?
• Paris agreement

⇒ „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”

• storage glass technology
• Sustainable desalicuation of water
• Has the Earth’s sixth mass extinction already arrived?
• Climate and Smoke: An Appraisal of Nuclear Winter
• Digitale Demokratie statt Datendiktatur
• Mobility analysis
• Energy audit
• global ocean plastic cleaning project: Stephen Salter, Graham Sortino, John Latham: Sea-going hardware for the cloud albedo method of reversing global warming
  
• "Albedo Yachts" and Marine Clouds: A Cure for Climate Change?

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

• Marine cloud brightening

• green line „Sansibar”

• Theory: Green houses against nuclear winter or climate change or Ozone shield breakdown

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)