Passion For The Planet Secures Exclusive Interview Series With The Government’s Former Chief Scientific Advisor

A series of exclusive interviews with Professor Sir David King, the former Government Chief Scientist, has been secured by leading environmental radio station Passion for the Planet.

The interviews, to be aired during July, will cover a wide range of environmental and social issues including;

• The case for nuclear energy in the UK
• How the oceans are the lung of our planet and why we’re killing them, and us
• The importance of educating and empowering women and how this can help stabilise the global population
• His work with the President of Rwanda helping him empower the people for a more sustainable future
• Biofuels – why they shouldn’t be dismissed
• GM farming - why we need it
• Why we should all eat less beef

Professor Sir David King is the Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment and the broadcasts coincide with the Smith School’s first World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment from July 5-7 sponsored by The Times.

Sir David was the UK Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the Government Office of Science from October 2000 to December 2007. In that time, he raised the profile of the need for governments to act on climate change and was instrumental in creating the new £1 billion Energy Technologies Institute.

In 2008 he co-authored The Hot Topic (Bloomsbury) on this subject and has advised government on issues including the foot-and-mouth disease epidemic of 2001, post-9/11 risks to the UK, GM foods, energy provision, and innovation and wealth creation.

Sir David said: “Passion for the Planet has an important role to play in the most critical period that our civilization has had to face. We have to raise awareness of what we are unwittingly doing to future generations by the wanton use of the planet’s scarce resources.”

Chantal Cooke, Managing Director of Passion for the Planet said: “Sir David is exactly the calibre of guest we feature on Passion for the Planet. He’s a respected expert in his field and his views and in depth knowledge make for great listening. They are intriguing and inspirational – the perfect combination for Passion for the Planet’s educated, forward thinking audience,” says

Passion for the Planet is the UK’s leading group of radio stations focused on health and environmental issues and helps provide listeners with solutions for a green and healthy lifestyle. The radio station also plays music from all over the world. It has been broadcasting for seven years and has attracted many high profile experts including the late Anita Roddick (Body Shop Founder), Professor Ian Swingland (founder of Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology), and Professor Eddie Ayensu (Chairman of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Ghana, President of the Pan-African Union for Science and Technology, Member of the Advisory Panel on Privatisation for the World Intellectual Property Organization, and former Director of Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.) and Professor Ameenah Gurib-Fakim (Pro Vice Chancellor for the University of Mauritius, fellow of the Linnean Society of London and advisor to the International Foundation of Science of Sweden. Laureate for the L’Oreal-UNESCO ‘Women in Science’ for Africa and author of several international publications).

The interviews will be aired between Monday 6th July and Sunday 2nd August 2009 and a selection will also be made available, on demand, via Passion for the Planet’s web site; http://www.passionfortheplanet.com/pftp1052-SirDavidKing.htm