This weekend more than 400 students from around the world will gather in Oxford to take part in the Oxford Climate Forum (OCF). The event is designed to help create a network of informed students who have a sophisticated understanding of the issues surrounding climate change. This will be the second year that the Oxford Martin School has supported the event, providing programme advice and a number of the speakers taking part, including Tim Kruger from the School’s Oxford Geoengineering Programme.
Tim Kruger said:
“Geoengineering is a controversial new research field which needs clear communication. The Oxford Climate Forum is an excellent opportunity to start dialogue around the contentious issues that geoengineering inevitably creates.”
Like last year, the event is being attended by students who are beginning to make their mark in the climate debate, as well as student representatives from universities around the country. Alongside them will be a number of journalists, academics and industry professionals also interested in joining the debate. While OCF continues to be an opportunity to influence and promote student activism on environmental issues, it is now becoming a realistic objective of the Forum, that with increasing media interest, opinions expressed at the OCF could influence the national consensus and begin to drive policy.
Taking place in the Oxford Union’s Debating Chamber, the Forum will offer the audience the chance to hear the thoughts and opinions of some of the leading thinkers on climate change. They will be able to discuss the key environmental issues facing our global community and engage with the speakers through panel debates, workshops and key-note presentations.
Although there is now widespread interest in climate change, moving to a sustainable, low carbon society requires political, commercial and intellectual efforts of an unprecedented level. Scaling the movement for wide-reaching transformational change will require strong connections to be made across organisations and sectors, now and into the future. Students not only have a crucial part to play in this transformation, but they also stand to lose most if current emission levels are not cut.
Organisers will be making a short film about the event for submission to the UN.