ONE of Scotland’s leading lights in the study of Earth science is rocking up to Helensburgh later this month for the latest Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) talk.

Professor Iain Stewart, the president of RSGS, has become a regular face on our television screens, inspiring Scottish audiences with programmes on world geography and geology, including the critically-acclaimed BBC series Planet Oil: A History of Addiction.

And now the famous face will be in town to transport his audience on a journey through the making of this series and our long-held love affair with ‘black gold’.

READ MORE: World-renowned mountaineer to speak in Helensburgh.

With behind-the-scenes material from the programme, Iain, a professor of geoscience communication at Plymouth University, will trace the geological and technological tipping points that transformed oil from an unwanted waste product into a substance on which our modern world completely relies.

Using case studies from around the world – including Scotland – he will then explore the past, present and future story of our petroleum usage, and question if we really are coming to the end of the Hydrocarbon Age.

Commenting on the upcoming talk, Iain said: “From the moment we first drilled for oil, we opened a Pandora’s box that changed the world forever.

“It transformed the way we lived our lives, spawned foreign wars and turned a simple natural resource into the most powerful political weapon in the world.

“But the story of hydrocarbons is far from over. In the UK, for instance, issues such as fracking, North Sea drilling and our future energy mix are important political footballs – the implications of which are wide-ranging for us all.

“As president of RSGS, I’m delighted to be back home in Scotland to deliver this talk.

“There’s nothing more rewarding than sharing your ideas and research with interested citizens, and inspiring them to think more closely about some of the most pressing geographical issues of our time – of which energy is surely one.”

READ MORE: Music industry legend Alan McGee to host Helensburgh event.

Mike Robinson, chief executive of the RSGS, added: “Iain is a wonderful communicator whose enthusiasm is infectious.

“We’re delighted that such a high-profile speaker is travelling to Helensburgh to speak on this critical issue.”

Iain, who received an MBE for services to UK geoscience in 2013, is best known for his work as a presenter with the BBC, including Rise of the Continents and Earth: The Power of the Planet, Earth: The Climate Wars, How Earth Made Us, How To Grow A Planet and more recently, Volcano Live.

In addition he regularly publishes academic papers as well as books for the general public, the most recent of which was Plate Tectonics, a richly illustrated Ladybird Expert Book.

Tickets for the talk are available via Eventbrite or on the door.

Tickets cost £10 for visitors, £8 for Tiso Outdoor Experience Cardholders, and free for RSGS Members, students and under-18s.

Iain will be speaking in Helensburgh on Thursday, March 28 at 7.30pm at the Victoria Halls in Sinclair Street.