Abstract
In this seminar, Gary will outline two recent projects that have used futures thinking tools, such as scenarios to explore plausible futures and their implications for the environment. The projects that will be outlined are the 2011 UK National Ecosystem Assessment, the 2015 European Environment Agency Global Megatrends, and the 2016 European Nature Outlook. Gary will outline their origins, purposes, methods and findings and discuss how they have been used. Gary will draw on these projects to explore how futures thinking might be of more help in the shaping and delivery of environmental policy in the face of an increasingly uncertain future. he will end by looking ahead to the next State of the Environment Report from the EEA that will take a novel approach to focus on socio-technical systems transitions for sustainability.
About the Speaker
Gary Kass is an environmental scientist and policy adviser who started his career in the private sector before joining the public sector in 1995 as head of the environment and energy programme at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.
In 2004, Gary worked as a policy-maker in the Science and Society Directorate of the Office of Science and Innovation in the (then) DTI where he led a programme to engage members of the public in constructive dialogue on new and emerging areas of science and technology.
Gary joined Natural England in 2007and is now Deputy Chief Scientist and Principal Specialist in Strategic Futures. He helps drive leadership in science and evidence across the organisation and leads a programme of futures-oriented analysis and synthesis on a range of issues that could affect the future of England’s natural environment. Gary has played key roles in the National Ecosystem Assessment and the formulation of the Natural Environment White Paper. He was a member of the scientific review group for the European Nature Outlook project.
Last year, Gary was on secondment to Defra as Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser, where he led the team to enable the department to access the evidence, expertise and scientific advice it needs to support policy development and delivery.
Gary is a Chartered Scientist, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Fellow and Vice-Chair the Institution of Environmental Sciences.
About the Series
The Grantham Changing Planet seminar series is run by students and staff on the Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet (SSCP) Doctoral Training Program. The aim is to complement the diversity of environmental research here at Imperial College London and promote links to the broader community in UK and beyond. It offers the chance to hear the latest in understanding, adapting to and mitigating environmental problems.