GA Conference 1977

A report by Sheila Jones

There was also a lecture by Lord Nathan... a connection with the past, as he had been GA President over twenty years earlier.

The Macmillan Education Lecture Energy and the environment was given by the Rt Hon. Lord Nathan, Chairman of the Working Party which produced a report under the same title in 1975. His lecture assessed the balance of energy needs and potential related to the consequent damage inflicted upon the environment, reminding the audience that there is a limit to the capacity of the environment to absorb waste. Of all forms of energy, Lord Nathan seemed to favour solar energy as it does not cause pollution, does not create new heat and is not restricted to certain locations. It is especially suitable for developing countries. He concluded that the solution to prob lems of conflict between environmental conservation and the demands for energy could only be found by a multi-disciplinary team to which geographers made a full contribution.

On the last day, at the Annual General Meeting, the constitutional changes were approved and the new structure of the Association has now become a fact rather than a blueprint. It is hoped that this structure will mean that there will be an improved servicing of the membership and also that it will, as Prof. Wise hopes, be easier to make our voices heard in present and future educational debate.

Source:

Jones, Sheila M. “Report: Education and Economic Geography at the Geographical Association.” Area, vol. 9, no. 3, 1977, pp. 214–15. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20001238. Accessed 16 Sept. 2023.