Professor Grayling joins us today, having recently published his book, For the Good of the World,

Is Global Agreement on Global Challenges Possible, a copy of which I have here.

In this, he discusses the most urgent challenges facing the world today, and he asks,

can human beings work together to confront the threats facing the planet, or will we simply continue

with our disagreements as we encounter greater problems and even our possible extinction?

There can be a few bigger questions facing us today, and I look forward to exploring this as we go along.

Professor Grayling has agreed to offer some introductory comments for 10 or 12 minutes or so to set the scene.

I'll then maybe pose a few questions on the back of that and then throw it open to you the audience.

I'd be grateful. We'll be passing

around mics, I think. I'd be grateful if you could introduce who you are. If you're here

representing a particular organisation, please feel free to name drop them as well. I'd be grateful

if you could keep the questions or comments as brief as possible so we can allow as many

people as possible to contribute. But with that, I will hand the floor to Professor Grayley.

Thank you very much indeed. And thank you so much for the invitation to come up.

I have to say, by the way, right at the outset that looking at the program for this

Festival of Politics, I think it is absolutely superb.

The range of tropics, the importance of them, the fact that they are being discussed here,

it is a refreshment to the soul to find that there is somewhere on the face of the planet

and even in these islands where civilization continues to exist.

And people are still thinking.

Well, as you see, I've been limited to 10 or 12 even minutes when what I like, of course, is to have breakfast organized

for the following morning so we can really get into things.

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