From the blog of Marta Fischer, Professor of Zoology and Behavioral Ecology and Environmental and Institutional Bioethics for the Postgraduate Program in Bioethics at the Blue University PUCPR – Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Brazil:
Future Potter shows up unannounced at the cultural event… and calls for an important mission!!!!
The cultural welcome event at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR), held on March 11, 2026, featured an unexpected and symbolic presence: Van Rensselaer Potter himself, directly “from the future.” In a creative intervention inspired by the trajectory of the scientist who formulated the concept of global bioethics, Potter appeared as a visitor from the year 2080 to reunite with old university friends and, above all, to extend an invitation to new students beginning their academic journey. In the narrative presented to the freshmen, Potter described a future in which humanity has neglected its relationship with water and natural systems. From the far reaches of 2080, he arrives carrying a transparent cylinder of recyclable plastic where he preserves the last tree on the planet—the only source of oxygen available in a world where the last drop of water has already disappeared. The scenario is symbolic, but the warning is real: planetary survival depends on the choices made by future generations.
Read the blog of Marta Fischer in Brazilian Portuguese or in Google English
