What does a high carbon world mean for humanity?

Atmospheric CO₂ levels are increasing and face humanity with pressing questions about its future in a high carbon world.

To address these challenges, researchers from the University of Southampton will join leading scientists from around the world at the 'Life In A High Carbon World' conference next week, organised by the University's Institute for Life Sciences.

Rising CO₂ levels will bring global changes in environmental conditions that affect large scale systems and cycles and subsequently, the ecosystems and human societies that depend on them. Advanced technology and interdisciplinary research will be crucial to provide the information required to understand how increased carbon levels impact on these complex systems and how we can work towards a sustainable future.

The conference aims to stimulate discussions across multiple disciplines and promote new collaborations, which will provide unprecedented insights required to develop knowledge-based strategies to lessen the negative effects of global change on all living systems.

Professor Jörg Wiedenmann, from Ocean and Earth Science at the University of Southampton and co-organiser of the conference, says: "This event is part of the interdisciplinary life science research within the University and reflects our strategy that the most pressing problems in society have solutions spanning across many academic disciplines.

"The rise of CO₂ levels and the associated global changes sharpens the reciprocal interactions between human societies, ecosystems and the abiotic (non-living) environment. We hope that this event will help to develop innovative collaborations to address pressing questions associated with global change impacts on the environment."

The conference will take place on 15 September at the National Oceanography Centre Southampton.