What is the chance of the human race surviving the 21st century? There are many dangers – climate change for example, or nuclear war, or a pandemic, or planet Earth being hit by a giant asteroid.

Around the world a number of research centres have sprung up to investigate and mitigate what’s called existential risk. How precarious is our civilisation and can we all play a part in preventing global catastrophe?

Contributors

Anders Sandberg, Future of Humanity Institute.Phil Torres, Future of Life Institute.Karin Kuhlemann, University College London.Simon Beard, Centre for Existential Risk.Lalitha Sundaram, Centre for Existential Risk.Seth Baum, Global Catastrophic Risk Institute.

Film clip: Armageddon, Touchstone Pictures (1998), Directed by Michael Bay.

Presented (cheerily) by David Edmonds. Producer: Diane Richardson