Coping with the demand on energy, water and food systems from a more prosperous global population

With the world's energy, water and food systems tightly linked, how will these vital resources cope in the coming decades from a growing and more prosperous global population?

This is the focus of the latest in the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)'s flagship 21st Century Challenges discussion series.

‘The Energy, Water, Food Stress Nexus', will take place on Wednesday 12 December, 7pm, at the Society's London headquarters.

The international panel of speakers will include Tim Brown, the President and CEO of IDEO, a global innovation and design firm, Peter Voser, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell and Professor Kevin Noone, of the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

Ranked independently among the twenty most innovative companies in the world, IDEO is a design consultancy that contributed to such standard-setting innovations as the first mouse for Apple, the Palm V, and the Bank of America's "Keep the Change" service.

As CEO, Tim Brown's work also addresses emerging themes such as sustainability, the design of communities, health and wellness, and enterprise for people in the world's lower income groups. Tim will discuss the power of design and narrative to influence the behaviour of individuals and inspire collective movements of ‘doing'.

Peter Voser became CEO of Royal Dutch Shell in 2009, after almost 30 years with the company. Since 2010 he has been a director of Catalyst, a non-profit organisation which works to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women and business.

In March 2011 Peter was appointed to the Board of Directors of Roche and is an active member of the Business Council. Peter will talk about international business collaborations and the influence and action they can bring on tackling the stress nexus.

Commenting ahead of the event, he said: “We understand the fundamental links between energy, water and food, and the urgent need to address the challenges created by increasing global demand for all three. I am delighted to be taking part in this event and look forward to the opportunity to discuss these vitally important issues at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). "

Professor Noone brings vast experience to this discussion as Director of the Swedish Secretariat for Environmental Earth System Sciences at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. He is also a Professor of Meteorology at the Department of Applied Environmental Science and currently chairs the European Academies Science Advisory Council's Environment Steering Panel. Professor Noone will discuss the risks of ignoring ‘planetary boundaries', a safe planetary operating space that will allow humanity to continue to develop and thrive for generations to come.

Tickets cost £7 for RGS-IBG members and £10 for non-members.

To book: call (0) 20 7591 3100, email: events@rgs.org or online www.rgs.org/21cc