Humanity is heading toward “a very dark and unpleasant future,” warns Mike Berners-Lee, one of the world’s leading climate change researchers. In an interview with TA NEA, the Lancaster University professor and fellow of the Institute for Social Futures says urgent systemic change is the only way to avoid catastrophe.
“If we keep going as we are, within the next 20 years Europeans could face conditions as grim as those endured by our ancestors in World War II,” says Berners-Lee, who is also the brother of Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web.
A Global “Polycrisis”
At 61, Berners-Lee has spent decades studying what he calls the world’s “polycrisis.” In simple terms: “Too many things are going wrong at once.”
- Climate and energy crises are intensifying.
- Global population is rising, along with food insecurity.
- Soil fertility is declining.
- Biodiversity is collapsing.
- Pollution is spreading.
- The threat of pandemics is growing.
“We don’t know exactly how or when collapse will hit,” he cautions. “But if humanity carries on like nothing’s wrong for another 20 years, I’ll be surprised if we get away with it.”
The tipping point, he warns, could be the thawing of permafrost in Siberia, releasing vast amounts of methane—a potent greenhouse gas—fueling fires and accelerating global heating.
Plastics, Fertility, and Hidden Risks
Beyond climate, Berners-Lee points to another silent danger: plastic. “Plastic production is growing about 5% every year. It contains 16,000 chemicals, many of which disrupt our hormones and cause cancers.”
Research suggests these toxins could drastically lower fertility rates worldwide. “We don’t know when the situation might spiral out of control—when hundreds of millions suddenly migrate, or when we can no longer feed everyone,” he warns.
But he is clear: “It isn’t irreversible. Yet if we don’t wake up in time, disaster is certain. We must act urgently, and we must treat climate change as just one symptom of a much wider crisis facing humanity.”
Welcome to the Anthropocene
In his new book A Climate of Truth (Cambridge University Press), Berners-Lee argues that despite having the tools to solve climate change, humanity is accelerating toward breakdown: food insecurity, biodiversity loss, pollution, and inequality.
“We have entered a new era some call the Anthropocene—the age in which humans are the dominant force shaping Earth’s systems. If we don’t make the transition, we’re heading for a bleak future,” he says.
The professor notes that for at least 30 years the world has known the severity of the climate crisis. Since then, 29 UN Climate Conferences (COPs) have been held. “There is not the slightest evidence that any COP has made a difference. Emissions from fossil fuels keep rising. We are still wrecking the climate—until one day we’re on our deathbed saying: ‘I told you so.’”
Who Is to Blame?
“It’s not technology that stops us from fixing this,” Berners-Lee insists. “It’s inequality, and the corrupt triangle of politics, business, and the media. Each drags the others down. Corporations corrupt politics and the press; the media, in turn, corrupt politics.”
He is scathing about Donald Trump: “The current US administration drags us back into climate denial. Right now, a dangerous experiment with post-truth politics is underway across the Atlantic.”
If a politician deliberately misleads, he says, “we must stop trusting them altogether. Nor can we trust their colleagues who stayed silent while knowing the truth. Deception in politics, media, and business should be treated as abuse.”
Three Values for Survival
For humanity to endure the Anthropocene, Berners-Lee argues, three values must be embraced:
- Respect for the fragile environment.
- Respect for all people. “Some in the US government believe decisions should be left to white men because they are supposedly superior. This thinking is toxic.”
- Respect for truth. “Every bad climate decision has been the product of deliberate deception—by fossil fuel lobbies, dishonest think tanks, and corrupted institutions.”
Is There Hope?
“Yes,” Berners-Lee insists. “Social change can happen very fast—if we reset our priorities. But we must do it now.”
