A “perfect storm” of food, energy and water shortages could hit by 2030, the UK government’s chief scientific advisor is warning.

John Beddington told the Sustainable Development UK 09 conference in London, that the world’s growing population could push up demand for food and energy by 50% and water by 30 to 40% in 11 years (BBC, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph).

“It’s a perfect storm. There’s not going to be a complete collapse, but things will start getting really worrying if we don’t tackle these problems,” he says.

There is still hope though, says Beddington. “The reason for actually raising this issue now is that now is the time to think very seriously about how we address this combination of problems,” he told the BBC.

Image: I couldn’t find a photo of Beddington, so here’s Nostradamus, via Wikipedia