What Will Our Children Eat in 2050? The Future of Water, Food & Climate Adaptation

🎙️ Shirley Ben-Dak, General Partner at Mazarine Climate, joined Peter Kovacs from the Vienna Institute for Global Studies (VIGS), for an engaging conversation about water risk, climate adaptation, and the future of food security. They explore how data-driven technologies are helping communities adapt to extreme weather events, why water is the overlooked protagonist in the climate story, and what innovative solutions are emerging at the intersection of agriculture, technology, and entrepreneurship.
From childhood memories of Israel's Sea of Galilee to the realities of Cape Town's Day Zero water crisis, Shirley shares personal insights on how water scarcity shaped her career path—from her early days at event tech startup Visibl to her current role investing in climate adaptation technologies. The conversation examines why water risk affects everything from insurance claims to supply chains, and how Industry 4.0 technologies like AI, sensors, and satellite imagery are making solutions faster, better, cheaper, and safer than ever before.
The discussion challenges common misconceptions about climate tech investing, revealing why water is often invisible in climate conversations despite its critical role across industries. Shirley explains the difference between climate mitigation and adaptation, why utilities struggle with basic data governance before implementing AI, and how weather prediction technologies are already helping communities prepare for extreme events days—or even hours—in advance. From teaching children about water conservation to rethinking technology with an adaptive mindset, this episode offers a pragmatic, optimistic lens on addressing one of humanity's most pressing challenges.
🎧 The Next25 Podcast brings together leading experts to discuss the global challenges and ideas shaping the next 25 years.