On the sustainability of the Anthroposphere: life, growth, and death from organisms to cities

09:00-10:30, Jan 09 2025, Beijing Time; 18:00-19:30, Jan 08 2025, Santa Fe Time

Please register here.
 

Prof. Geoffrey West is Distinguished Professor and former President of the Santa Fe Institute and visiting Professor at the Center for Environmental Policy at Imperial College, London. West is a theoretical physicist who has worked across the physical, biological and social sciences ranging from quarks to cells and cities, and from growth and mortality to innovation. Most recently, he is best known for his work on scaling laws and as an originator of the metabolic theory of ecology and of the science of cities and companies. West has lectured at high profile events including TED and Davos and his work featured in many publications, podcasts and TV productions. He is the author of the best-selling book Scale and was named to Time magazine's list of 100 in 2007.
 

Abstract

Why do cities keep growing while the pace of life continues to accelerate, whereas companies and people stop growing and die? How are these related to innovation, wealth creation, social networks, urbanisation and long-term sustainability? Is open-ended growth, fueled by innovation and wealth creation, sustainable, or does it lead to inevitable collapse? These are among the questions addressed in this lecture. Almost all characteristics of living systems, including metabolism, growth, lifespans, infrastructure, innovation and disease, obey surprisingly simple scaling laws which constrain organisation and dynamics whether cells, mammals or cities. They originate in generic properties of social, infrastructural and transport networks and have dramatic implications for growth and sustainability, including potential singularities and tipping points.