It was over half a century ago that humanity’s view of itself was transformed by the breath-taking photographs of earth taken from outer space. They brought home to us not only earth’s ethereal beauty but also its fragility in the vast expanse of the cosmos.

Twenty years on, world leaders put their heads together to highlight “Our Common Future” and to assert that sustainable development was a human imperative. However, in the decades that have followed, there has been little course correction, and instead only acceleration towards peril.

The scientific evidence is unambiguous that all of humanity will bear the brunt of the catastrophic environmental impacts that a small minority has caused. Tech fixes are necessary but far from sufficient. While we do not need to wait for more science, we do need action now. The call for help is urgent and clear: but are we listening?

Prof. Prajval Shastri (Vice Chair of the IYBSSD Steering and Advisory Committee and Adjunct Professor at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research) will give a free public lecture at The University of Western Australia. Her lecture will explicitly focus on the role of basic sciences and their role in sustainable development, with the goal of providing public education to a broad audience.