Science

The ecologist and the eco-designer discuss our landscape, how we have formed it and how we might continue to do so, in conversation with Welsh presenter and producer Meinir Howells. Graves gives a tour of the Welsh landscape, from the ffridd (mountain pasture) to the rhos (wild moorland). He dives deep into their history and ecology in his book Tir (‘Land’) offering hope for a future with richly biodiverse landscapes, still full of humans working the land. Environmental philosopher Marshall is noted for his investigations into eco-friendly cities of the future. In Sheeplands he examines the way sheep have contributed to the making of the modern world.

Join author Gareth E Rees and academic Fiona Stafford on a journey through hidden spaces, forgotten gardens and natural and man-made phenomena that tell us about our past, present and future. Rees is author of Sunken Lands: A Journey through Flooded Kingdoms and Lost Worlds, which uncovers what our submerged past and shifting boundaries between land and water can tell us about our imminent future as rising sea levels transform our planet once more. In Time and Tide: The Long, Long Life of Landscape, Stafford combines local, literary and her own family history to look at the natural and human forces that transform places, and where we can find clues to the past.

How can you fight something if you don’t know it exists? We live under an ideology that preys on every aspect of our lives: education, employment, healthcare and leisure; our relationships and mental wellbeing; even the planet we inhabit. So pervasive has it become that it seems unavoidable. But trace it back to its roots, and we discover that neoliberalism was conceived, propagated and concealed by the powerful few. It’s time to bring it into the light – and to find an alternative worth fighting for.

Environmental campaigner George Monbiot's previous book was Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet. His latest is The Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism (& How it Came to Control Your Life).

Few are better placed to discuss how the UK can meet its climate and biodiversity obligations than Chris Skidmore, the former Energy Minister who resigned as an MP in protest at the government’s plans to expand oil and gas production in the North Sea. Skidmore, who was responsible for signing Net Zero into law and chairing Mission Zero, the largest independent engagement exercise on Net Zero conducted to date, outlines the key ways in which the UK can deliver its commitments as part of the global Net Zero strategy, highlighting not just the challenges but also the opportunities for new jobs and investment in a better way of living.

Join us for an enlightening session with acclaimed climate scientist Michael Mann. Mann’s The New Climate War, which garnered high praise in the UK, showed how fossil fuel companies have waged a thirty-year campaign to deflect blame and responsibility and delay action on climate change. In his latest book Our Fragile Moment, Mann delivers a compelling narrative outlining the urgent threat of the unfolding climate crisis. His clear and impactful message emphasises the crucial need for immediate action to avert further devastation to our planet.

The food and nutrition experts discuss eating for health and gut happiness.

Having a healthy gut is fundamental to good health, and the best way to harness the benefits of gut health is by eating plants, says the River Cottage author. He shares the know-how in How to Eat 30 Plants a Week: 100 Recipes to Boost Your Health and Energy, to help us put more plants on our plates, whether we are omnivores, vegetarians or vegans.

In Food for Life, scientist Tim Spector investigates everything from environmental impact and food fraud to allergies, ultra-processed food and deceptive labelling. He is author of Spoon-Fed and The Diet Myth, and Professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London. He also leads the ZOE Health Study, which analyses our unique gut, blood fat and blood sugar responses, so that we can improve our long-term health.

Come for a wild swim in the Wye with adventure and wild swimming specialist Angela Jones. The author of Wild Swimming the River Wye is passionate about protecting and respecting the river, its environment and wildlife. She shows how to engage in wild swimming with love and respect, testing the water for cleanliness and observing when it’s safe, before leading a guided wild swim session. Beginners and seasoned swimmers alike will gain a wealth of knowledge, including tips on acclimation, water safety, equipment, technique, reading the river and undercurrents.

You will meet Angela on the banks of the river at By the Wye Glamping Site, HR3 5RS, located just past the main bridge into Hay on the B4351
(What3Words : lifestyle.waving.cavalier).

The session starts at 10am and ends at 12pm at the river.

There is no parking at the swim site, please park in one of the designated carparks around town.

Broadcaster and author Kate Humble talks to three remarkable individuals who created leading climate projects, igniting hope and progress, all inspired by events at Hay Festival in previous years.

Film producer Franny Armstrong honed the groundbreaking 1010 Campaign with Ed Miliband on the train back from Hay Festival in 2009; Garry Charnock was inspired by an event at Hay Festival 2005 featuring Sir David King to create the first carbon neutral village, in Ashton Hayes; and Professor Ed Hawkins created the Climate Stripes, illustrating temperature change, as part of the Hay Festival Trans.MISSION project in 2018.

Come along and be inspired to create your own projects and help transform our society to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future.

A chemical engineer working on energy, Yasmin Ali takes us across the globe to discover solar panel farms shimmering in the desert and power stations hidden deep in the mountains. In Power Up she explains where we get our energy from, how it is moved and used around the world – and why we need to understand the whole system if we want to transition towards a clean, green future. For his new book, Intervention Earth, journalist and writer Gwynne Dyer interviewed over 50 of the world’s leading climate scientists. From fission power to fake meat, from the deep seas to the jet stream, he reveals the most creative scientific thinking on how we might still solve the most frightening problem of our age.

Naturalist Mark Cocker has always been fascinated by swifts, and in One Midsummer’s Day he sets out to discover their essence. Migrating swifts span continents and their 12-week stopover with us is the definition of summer. These birds without borders are a metaphor to express the unity of the living planet, for no creature, least of all ourselves, can live in isolation. Fellow wildlife enthusiast Hamza Yassin’s book Be a Birder is a joyful guide for beginners. The wildlife cameraman (and Strictly 2022 winner) explains how to identify birds quickly, understand bird behaviour and choose the right equipment. Born in Sudan, living in Scotland, Yassin’s first TV appearance was as Ranger Hamza on the CBeebies show Let’s Go for a Walk and he is a presenter on BBC One series Animal Park. They talk to broadcaster and author Kate Humble.

It’s a looming apocalypse, morphing beyond all human control… or it’s the dawn of a new golden age, when our lives will dramatically improve. What’s our best hope of taming the AI tiger? Writer and comedian Timandra Harkness’ latest book is Technology is not the Problem. She presents the BBC Radio 4 series FutureProofing and How to Disagree. Mark Stevenson is a ‘Reluctant Futurist’, a strategic advisor to governments, investors, NGOs and corporates, as well as a comedy writer. His books, An Optimist’s Tour of the Future and We Do Things Differently, map out proven solutions to current dilemmas. They discuss the looming AI apocalypse with environmentalist Martin Wright.

Come for a wild swim in the Wye with adventure and wild swimming specialist Angela Jones. The author of Wild Swimming the River Wye is passionate about protecting and respecting the river, its environment and wildlife. She shows how to engage in wild swimming with love and respect, testing the water for cleanliness and observing when it’s safe, before leading a guided wild swim session. Beginners and seasoned swimmers alike will gain a wealth of knowledge, including tips on acclimation, water safety, equipment, technique, reading the river and undercurrents.

You will meet Angela on the banks of the river at By the Wye Glamping Site, HR3 5RS, located just past the main bridge into Hay on the B4351
(What3Words : lifestyle.waving.cavalier).

The session starts at 2.30pm and ends at 4.30pm at the river.

There is no parking at the site, please park in one of the designated carparks around town.

Academic and broadcaster Professor Alice Roberts (Channel 4’s Time Team, BBC2’s Digging for Britain) brings us face to face with individuals who lived and died between ten and five centuries ago, giving a brilliant and unexpected portrait of modern Britain. The stories she tells in Crypt are not comforting tales; there’s a focus on pathology, on disease and injury, and the experience of human suffering in the past. Most of the dead will remain anonymous but, thrillingly, she introduces an individual whose life and bones were marked by chronic debilitating disease – and whose name might just be found in history.

Bring your best ideas to this solutions-focused workshop session. Facilitated by sustainability entrepreneur Andy Middleton and joined by key speakers to be announced, we’ll look at the key issue of the economy, discussing the scale of the issue and a range of solutions.

Speakers include remarkable individuals leading climate and biodiversity resilience projects, igniting hope and progress in their neighbourhoods and the wider community. We want you to share your ideas and to be inspired by those making a difference. Be part of the change in this two-hour thought laboratory.

It is now indisputable that we are in a climate emergency. Soaring levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, particularly methane, mean more extreme weather events at greater frequency. As tipping points are exceeded, some irreversible changes have already been triggered in our climate systems. Join us on a deep dive into the pivotal moments of the climate crisis. David King will identify the tipping points that could shape our planet’s future and in response, Ed Miliband will lay out the decisions ahead and the opportunities we have to create a sustainable, fairer future for all. Professor Sir David King is Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge, Chair of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group and Founder of the Centre for Climate Repair in the University. He was the UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser, 2000–07, and the Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative on Climate Change, 2013–17. Ed Miliband is MP for Doncaster North and Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Take a tour of the 88 constellations and explore the science, history and romanticism behind these celestial bodies with the science communicator and presenter of The Sky at Night. Maggie Aderin-Pocock considers looking up at the night sky from different cultures across the globe rather than just focusing on the Western Greek interpretation of the stars. Join her to share in the tranquil joy that is stargazing, reconnecting with both the natural world and our ancestors. You’ll learn how to identify stars, the basics of naked-eye observation, and advice on the best kit and ‘dark sky’ locations.

Is AI something we need to be terrified of, or something that will provide an answer to all our ills? The truth is somewhere in the middle, as our panel of experts tells author and scholar Carl Miller. Hear about how AI will affect humans: take a look at the past, present and future potential of the technology, as well as how and where we live alongside AI, and where and how we resist its presence.

Miller speaks to Madhumita Murgia, the first artificial intelligence editor for the Financial Times; David Runciman, professor of politics at Cambridge University; Stuart Russell, director of the Center for Human Compatible Artificial Intelligence at the University of California, Berkeley; and Carissa Véliz, an associate professor at the Faculty of Philosophy and the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford.

For hundreds of thousands of years our ability – and willingness – to move over vast distances has allowed humans to escape existential threats and thrive as a species. Yet human mobility today faces ever stronger barriers that not only harm the lives of potential migrants, but also threaten our own societies. The migration impulse is a core facet of the human condition: in attempting to suppress it, governments are sacrificing the future of humanity for the sake of short-term political gain. Visionary thinker Ian Goldin tells the millennia-spanning story of the movement of peoples, offering a powerful set of tools to understand the present as well as the past. Goldin is Oxford Professor of Globalisation and Development. His books include Terra Incognita, Age of Discovery and Age of the City.

Bring your best ideas to this solutions-focused workshop session. Facilitated by sustainability entrepreneur Andy Middleton and joined by key speakers to be announced, we’ll look at the key issue of food production, discussing the scale of the issue and a range of solutions.

Speakers include remarkable individuals leading climate and biodiversity resilience projects, igniting hope and progress in their neighbourhoods and the wider community. We want you to share your ideas and to be inspired by those making a difference. Be part of the change in this two-hour thought laboratory.

Our connection to nature is essential both for our own health and the health of the environment. Author and naturalist Mark Cocker and Right to Roam’s Nick Hayes and Nadia Shaikh join Green MP Caroline Lucas to explore the interconnections that underpin the natural world and explore a new moral framework for relating to nature, putting belonging before ownership and co-dependence above competition. Lucas is a Hay Festival 2024 Thinker in Residence, questioning norms, finding new perspectives and challenging us to action.

Christopher Haworth, Associate Professor in Music at the University of Birmingham, discusses the moral, ontological and aesthetic issues that are stirred by the proliferation of so-called deepfakes in twenty-first century popular music. Typically viewed as a form of audio clickbait, cases such as ghostwriter’s fusion of Drake and The Weeknd prompt us to ask what happens when music produced by deepfakes is aesthetically and culturally valuable. How will the legal and moral issues of ‘voice theft’ be resolved if the results are in the public interest?

Agronomist Jonathon Harrington and vet Barney Sampson lead a tour of Trevithel Court, David and Catherine James’ traditional mixed farm with orchards supplying apples for Bulmers, Westons and other cider producers in Herefordshire and Wales. Walk among the apple trees and learn about cider production; look inside a beehive and learn how bees make honey and store it for the winter, and why they are so essential for pollination. You can sample some of the cider and honey produced on the farm. See the quality beef cattle fed with the grass and arable crops grown on the farm and the machinery used for crop production and harvesting. Trevithel Court is run by David James in partnership with his son Will James, the fourth generation of the family to farm here.

Come for a wild swim in the Wye with adventure and wild swimming specialist Angela Jones. The author of Wild Swimming the River Wye is passionate about protecting and respecting the river, its environment and wildlife. She shows how to engage in wild swimming with love and respect, testing the water for cleanliness and observing when it’s safe, before leading a guided wild swim session. Beginners and seasoned swimmers alike will gain a wealth of knowledge, including tips on acclimation, water safety, equipment, technique, reading the river and undercurrents.

You will meet Angela on the banks of the river at By the Wye Glamping Site, HR3 5RS, located just past the main bridge into Hay on the B4351
(What3Words : lifestyle.waving.cavalier).

The session starts at 10am and ends at 12pm at the river.

There is no parking at the swim site, please park in one of the designated carparks around town.

Join our expert panel as they delve into the pressing issues surrounding the surge in flooding incidents driven by climate change and their profound effects on communities, agriculture and our landscapes. From exploring the current challenges faced by farmers to discussing innovative strategies for future preparedness, this discussion aims to help us cultivate resilience.

Ali Capper is a fruit and hops grower in Worcestershire. She is director of the British Hop Association, member of the Hop Industry Committee and chair of British Apples and Pears. Ian Maddock is Professor of River Science, Geography, Environmental Management and Sustainability at the University of Worcester. David Throup was Environment Agency Area Manager in Worcester for 22 years and is an expert on flooding. They talk to Nicola Goodwin from BBC Midlands Investigations...

Come for a wild swim in the Wye with adventure and wild swimming specialist Angela Jones. The author of Wild Swimming the River Wye is passionate about protecting and respecting the river, its environment and wildlife. She shows how to engage in wild swimming with love and respect, testing the water for cleanliness and observing when it’s safe, before leading a guided wild swim session. Beginners and seasoned swimmers alike will gain a wealth of knowledge, including tips on acclimation, water safety, equipment, technique, reading the river and undercurrents.

You will meet Angela on the banks of the river at By the Wye Glamping Site, HR3 5RS, located just past the main bridge into Hay on the B4351
(What3Words : lifestyle.waving.cavalier).

The session starts at 2.30pm and ends at 4.30pm at the river.

There is no parking at the swim site, please park in one of the designated carparks around town.

Dive deep with physicist Helen Czerski and marine biologist Helen Scales as they speak to the Festival’s Sustainability Director Andy Fryers about our vast oceans. Czerski’s The Blue Machine illuminates the murky depths of the ocean engine, examining the messengers, passengers and voyagers that live in it, travel over it, and survive because of it. Scales’ What the Wild Sea Can Be is an optimistic view of the future of the ocean, looking at how fish populations and giant kelp and seagrass forests are being regenerated and expanded.

Bring your best ideas to this solutions-focused workshop session. Facilitated by sustainability entrepreneur Andy Middleton and joined by key speakers to be announced, we’ll look at the key issue of transport, discussing the scale of the issue and a range of solutions.

Speakers include remarkable individuals leading climate and biodiversity resilience projects, igniting hope and progress in their neighbourhoods and the wider community. We want you to share your ideas and to be inspired by those making a difference. Be part of the change in this two-hour thought laboratory.

Does a wilder landscape come at the expense of food self-sufficiency? Rewilding has become immensely popular, holding out the promise of a restored, wildlife-rich landscape as well as a way to help us meet our Net Zero targets. But with the UK now producing less than two-thirds of our food needs, and only half of our fresh vegetables, can we afford to transform yet more precious acres into a cross between nature reserves and wildlife theme parks? Or are the two in fact compatible: a network of rewilded zones helping to conserve vital pollinators and soil, soak up carbon and safeguard us from floods?

Minette Batters, former president of the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales, the Knepp Estate’s Molly Biddell and economist Dieter Helm talk to the Director of Positive News UK Martin Wright about effective rewilding and a future strategy for food production.

‘The Singularity’ is how Silicon Valley likes to describe the ultimate break point in human history: when we will come face to face with machines that have minds of their own. But what if this has already happened? Hundred of years ago, human beings started building the artificial entities that now rule our world. They are called states and corporations: immensely powerful robots, able to take decisions and act for themselves. They have made us richer, safer, healthier and more capable – and they may yet destroy us. David Runciman distils for us over 300 years of thinking about how to live with artificial agency in The Handover: How We Gave Control of Our Lives to Corporations, States and AIs. Runciman is Professor of Politics at Cambridge University and host of the Past Present Future podcast.

The rewilder and the ecologist discuss the rival demands of reintroducing extinct species and of managing invasive ones. Britain’s favourite maverick rewilder Gow (Bringing Back the Beaver) has played a significant role in the reintroduction of the Eurasian beaver, the water vole and the white stork in England. He’s currently working on a reintroduction project for the wildcat, and in Hunt for the Shadow Wolf makes the case for the return of the wolf. Ecologist and environmental writer Warwick is well-known for his role as spokesperson for the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. In Cull of the Wild he investigates the ethical and practical challenges of one of the greatest threats to biodiversity: invasive species, which the UN Convention on Biological Diversity ranks as a major threat on a par with habitat loss, climate change and pollution. In conversation with Nicola Cutcher, investigative journalist, documentary maker, and freelance writer.

Fungi can change our minds, heal our bodies – and help us avoid environmental disaster. They are key players in most of nature’s processes. Biologist Merlin Sheldrake, author of the award-winning Entangled Life, takes us on a mind-altering journey into their spectacular world, and reveals how these extraordinary organisms transform our understanding of our planet and life itself. Sheldrake is a research associate of Vrije University, Amsterdam, and sits on the advisory board of the Fungi Foundation and the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks.

Want to grow your own food but have no idea where to start? Or perhaps you think you don’t have enough space? Whatever your concern, this panel will help you take the first steps in your journey to become more self-sufficient. Chef Sam Cooper and gardener Huw Richards share practical advice on growing your own, discussing DIY projects, growing skills and ideas for how to make the most of homegrown fruit and vegetables. Peter Wohlleben draws on his experiences of moving with his wife, Miriam, from the city to a remote forest lodge in the early 1990s, where they learnt how to plant and rotate crops and tend to the needs of their animals and environment. Their experiences are recounted in their book Our Little Farm.