From climate science to climate policy in a world of changing geopolitics

Piers Forster is founding Director of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures and Professor of Physical Climate Change at the University of Leeds.

He is recognised as a highly cited climate scientist with over 30 years of experience researching the causes and impacts of climate change, as well as mitigation and adaptation approaches and their connection to national and international climate policy.  He Leads the Indicators of Global Climate Change Project,  an international independent initiative to provide annual updates of key climate indicators to policymakers.  

He was made a fellow of the American Geophysical Union in 2019 and has played leading roles authoring Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, including its Special Report on 1.5°C and its latest IPCC 6^th Assessment Report. He has sat on the UK Government’s Climate Change Committee since 2018 and has served as the Committee’s Chair for 2023-2025.

Who Should Attend?

This talk is for anyone who wants to understand the UK’s response to the climate emergency, including:

• Professionals in healthcare, science, education, law, finance, and policy, who may be grappling with the implications in their own fields.
• Students and young people, who will live longest with the consequences.
• Community leaders, business owners, and decision-makers.
• Anyone interested in the intersection of government, science, society, and survival.

Questions to Reflect On

• Why did warnings about climate change go unheeded for so long?
• What does a world at >4.2°C of warming really mean for our society and citizens, not just ecosystems?
• How do issues of policy, economy, and national security intersect with climate change?
• What practical actions can individuals and communities take now to make a meaningful difference to government policy?
• Is there still time to change course, and what does “immediate action” actually look like in the UK?