About this day
Climate change impacts just about every aspect of our lives and will determine the societies of the future. Using the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as a blueprint for how we want the world to look, we will welcome experts to not only discuss the impact of climate change, but to show us the options for developing a more sustainable world. We will explore economics, science, infrastructure and society as we look to the future and discover the ways the next generation can enact real change.
Join us for a wide-ranging and fascinating half-day programme and discover how the world could look in 2050 with your input!
Programme & speakers
How Do Natural Processes Influence the Earth's Climate and How Do We Know? Chris Jackson, University of Manchester
Geoscientist Chris Jackson guides us through the geological record of climate change, and the implications this has for the Earth’s future climate and habitability.
About Chris Jackson
Professor Christopher Jackson is Chair in Sustainable Geoscience at the University of Manchester. When not studying rocks and the ways in which they deform, Chris gives geoscience lectures to the general public and in schools. Chris is actively engaged in efforts to improve equality, diversity, and inclusivity in Earth Science in particular, and Higher Education in general.
Change your diet: the easiest way to help reduce your climate impact Sarah Bridle, University of Manchester
Food currently causes about a quarter of all climate change, and this is set to rise. However, different foods cause very different climate impacts, for example a steak dinner causes over twenty times the impact of a beans and potato dinner. Sarah Bridle, author of Food and Climate Change – Without the Hot Air, talks about how different food choices contribute to climate change and what you can do about it.
About Sarah Bridle
A Professor at the University of Manchester, Sarah diversified from cosmology into agriculture and food research, motivated by the need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Sarah leads Take a Bite out of Climate Change providing free resources to help understand the climate impacts of food.
Building smart sustainable cities from the bottom up Jaideep Gupte, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex
Can we build cities that are sustainable and inclusive? Increasing urbanisation seems inevitable, but with inequalities becoming entrenched and climate change accelerating, a rethink of our cities is in order. Join Jaideep Gupte to discover how smart cities can use data and technology to grow sustainably in a way that works for all members of the population.
About Jaideep Gupte
Dr Jaideep Gupte is a Fellow of the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex where his research interrogates urban violence and well-being. He also leads the Cities and Sustainable Infrastructure portfolio of the Global Challenges Research Fund.
Good COP, bad COP? What does success at the COP26 climate conference look like? David Saddington
Six years after the Paris Agreement with temperatures still rising and the world being reshaped by the global pandemic, the stage is set for the UN COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow. David will outline how this moment needs to be a great step forward, offering an insight into the priorities for Glasgow and how we can all help accelerate action in this critical year.
About David Saddington
David is an environmentalist, presenter and policy maker. He has pioneered climate change education around the world, presented on the TED stage and worked with Governments, businesses and the UN to put the Paris Climate Agreement into action.