We then get the heavy part of the book, the theory on how the geography of space will work, what will be the laws and will those laws apply to countries as well as private companies? How will wars play out, what weapons will be available? Will it be possible to get everybody to work together for the good of mankind? I found this far more interesting than I expected. The Royal Institution reserves the right to refuse you admission if, in its reasonable opinion, your admission to the venue might:

Tim Marshall signing the Cambridge Union book (Image credits: Reva Croft) Reporting on foreign affairs

Teacher/lecturer 

Last fall, while attending the AAG regional meetings, several early career physical geographers relayed to me their concerns that an unanticipated consequence of the explosive growth in the AAG annual meeting is relatively light attendance at some of the many concurrent sessions, making it more difficult for their research to receive the visibility within the discipline needed to help build their careers. Several other AAG members expressed their concern that the growing attraction of meetings of other scholarly societies, especially if these meetings provide or are perceived to provide greater visibility, further draws attendance away from individual sessions at the AAG annual meeting. These concerns were also repeatedly raised during the special session in Tampa. However, the importance of the AAG annual meeting to the viability of physical geography was also highlighted, along with the need to promote attendance at the annual meeting. Essential intellectual and social networks are disrupted when physical geographers do not participate in the annual meeting. Attendees of the special session expressed considerable support for experimenting with alternative formats to help increase the visibility of individual oral and poster presentations. Of particular interest is a format similar to that of the popular Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), with a modest number of themed oral sessions accompanied by large poster sessions. Several attendees further argued that, if themed sessions were to be adopted, keynote speakers for these sessions should be drawn from multiple disciplines, not only geography, to help attract more non-geographers to the annual meeting, and that the presentations should be peer-oriented and science intensive. Arguments made for large poster sessions include a greater potential for networking compared to an oral or poster presentation in one of multiple concurrent sessions. This is a super fun, entertaining book about serious topics. You really don’t expect to be laughing when reading about near future space age, but this author is incredibly witty and it fits! Finally, a Conversation on the Future of Physical Geography II is planned for the Chicago annual meeting to continue the thoughtful discussion from Tampa, and especially to hear more from early career scholars on how to enhance physical geography within the AAG. Please watch the AAG Geogram for information on location and time, and send along suggestions for discussion topics. And we need to understand it fast if we’re to avoid history repeating itself, because “each time humanity has ventured into a new domain it has brought war with it”. Marshall reminds us how shipbuilding and aerospace gave us warships and fighter jets. For him, the mushrooming space technology sector is unlikely to follow a different trajectory. The “battlefield” as he calls it, is beginning to take shape: “tensions are already surfacing surrounding hotspots” such as Moon bases. All electronic equipment, especially mobile phones, must be set to silent before entering the Theatre and/or any other spaces where events are taking place. Smoking

Marshall is an engaging writer, good at explaining the science as well as the politics, and with an eye for a telling fact' Lawrence Freedman, The New Statesman I highly recommend anything by Marshall. He has a gift for presenting the complex in a simple and accessible way. We don’t have the laws really governing the moon. A brief example, we, the UK are part of the Artemus Accords, which are US-led. Thought-provoking. . . . Marshall’s assessments intrigue, and he provides valuable insight into an overlooked aspect of space exploration.” — Publisher's Weekly

Accessibility

Tim Marshall is an award-winning journalist known for "Prisoners of Geography", which I liked due to its interesting insights into how geography & human nature creates and influences the world & its boundaries into what it is today. In "The Future of Geography", he takes us further beyond the Earth and launches us into space for a revealing journey about the origin and the recent development of the space race. Through ten chapters, he explains how the space race started as a byproduct of the Cold War between the US & Russia and how these countries' actions in claiming the moon as theirs for the taking began a chain of reaction amongst the other countries. Soon, China, Europe, the UK, India, UAE, and other prominent nations began to develop their own plans for space exploration beyond the moon and Mars, with the 'Big Three' (US, China & Russia) taking the lead in terms of funding and technological advancement. If you studied geography, other students at university may have joked about your degree consisting of ‘coloring in’ – but your degree will have actually provided you with strong research and analytical skills, which are highly regarded by many employers.