17-04-2007 (16.88 MB) (42:04)

Professor Sachs, in the first of the 2007 Reith Lecture Series held at the Royal Society in London, sets the scene by describing an over-populated world on the brink of devastating change, a world that, as the title of the lecture says, is bursting at the seams. In future lectures he will outline his propositions to cope with the challenges of the 21st century. With global co-operation he believes our resources can be harnessed to create a more equal and harmonious world. If we cannot achieve this, he says, we will face catastrophe; we'll simply be overwhelmed by disease, hunger, pollution, and the clash of civilisations.

Jeffrey D. Sachs is the Director of The Earth Institute, Professor of Sustainable Development, and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University. From 2002 to 2006 he was also Director of the UN Millennium Project and Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the Millennium Development Goals. Sachs is also President and Co-Founder of Millennium Promise Alliance, a non-profit organization aimed at ending extreme global poverty.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/reith2007/