National Geographic Magazine - UK February 2018

As New York City’s mayor from 2002 to 2013, Michael Bloomberg pushed sustainability. Now 75, the businessman and philanthropist has co-authored a book, Climate of Hope, in which he says that “cities, businesses, and citizens can save the planet.” Although I was an editor at Bloomberg News for several years, I hadn’t talked in depth with its outspoken founder until we sat down for this interview. Susan Goldberg: Roughly two-thirds of people will live in cities by 2050. There are 31 cities now that are considered megacities, with 10 million people or more; by 2030 there’ll be 41 cities of that size. Why are people flocking to cities? Michael Bloomberg: The marketplace is clearly saying this is where we want to be. Big cities provide culture; they can be much…

Travel has always been at the heart of what National Geographic does. Driven by a passion for discovery and the desire to understand the planet on a deeper level, our earliest explorers immersed themselves in new places to understand local people’s traditions, cuisine, and everyday lives. Today we offer over 80 inspirational trips designed in the same spirit, drawing out the uniqueness of each place we visit for a truly enriching discovery experience. Expedition cruises aboard our fleet of eight National Geographic-Lindblad expedition ships bring you to some of the world’s most remote and pristine places in style. You will explore alongside a dynamic expedition team—seasoned photographers, marine biologists, historians, or naturalists, as well as a National Geographic-Lindblad certified photo instructor trained to help you capture the spectacular sights and…

LAND OF THE POLAR BEARS Depart from Longyearbyen, Norway (via Oslo) onboard the ice-class National Geographic Explorer. Svalbard, a high Arctic archipelago situated between Norway and the North Pole, is a place of deep fjords, snow-capped mountains, massive sheets of ice, and magnificent polar bears. Travel under the midnight sun and experience nature in its purest form. 11 Days | Guide Price From £8030 PP GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS The Galápagos Archipelago, Darwin’s living laboratory, is home to an abundance of wildlife. Isolated from the mainland for millions of years, the animals have no instinctive fear of humans. Experience up close encounters with unique species such as blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas, and domed giant tortoises. 10 Days | Guide Price From £5495 PP FRENCH POLYNESIA: BEYOND THE POSTCARD Experience the heart and…

Back at university I became intrigued by a theory known as panopticism. In the late 18th century, social theorist Jeremy Bentham designed a prison with an observation tower in the center from which a guard might observe every inmate at once. Bentham proposed that in this prison, called a panopticon, the inmates would be unable to tell whether they were being observed or not: the mere knowledge that observation was possible would ensure their good behavior. French philosopher Michel Foucault developed his social theory of panopticism in 1975 as a metaphor for modern systems of societal control, achieved through the consciousness of constantly feeling watched. Were he alive today, I think Foucault would be shocked by the level of social surveillance that has been achieved through the advent of digital…

You have been involved in several conservation projects. Why did you become an advocate? I grew up in London as a real city girl, but then as I started to travel the world I increasingly fell in love with nature. Climate change and conservation have emerged as the biggest issues for me. They underlie everything else, including our very existence. We have a beautiful planet that deserves our care. Which projects have been the most compelling? I worked with the World Wildlife Fund for a few years, looking at wild rubber trees in the Amazon. Local farmers make economic choices on how they can feed their families. Most of those choices point them in the direction of deforestation. However, if you can provide a good income to farmers through wild…

Hong Kong Home to seven million people in just 426 square miles, Hong Kong is one of the world’s most densely populated cities. Lily Cole believes cities of the future will be smarter and more efficient, becoming “less polluted, less congested, and less noisy.” United States Handheld screens capture fireworks bursting over New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge. Alarmed by how disposable technology has become, Cole collaborated on the creation of a more sustainable smartphone. Order prints of select National Geographic photos online at NationalGeographicArt.com.…