Bath MP Announces Full Line Up For Climate Crisis Conference

1 July 2019

Bath MP Wera Hobhouse will host a Climate Crisis Conference here in Bath on Saturday 13th July, and the full line up of speakers has just been release.

Free and open to all, the conference aims to set out what we as a city can do in the fight to tackle the climate crisis.

Wera said: “Following the Climate Emergency declarations, I wanted to know what we should be doing as citizens, as business owners and as a city. So often when confronted with the enormity of the Climate Crisis it can seem overwhelming, but each of us can make a difference. Following our recent briefing from Dr Jo House, I wanted to gather speakers who can help us by guiding us through some of the changes we need to make.”

The keynote speakers are Green MEP and economist Molly Scott Cato, and Paul Allen from the Centre for Alternative Technology, who leads their Zero Carbon Britain project. They will be followed by a series of speakers who have expertise in related fields.

Wera continued: “I wanted to hear from B&NES Council. Whilst our national government has consistently resisted any efforts to deliver on carbon reduction, our Council has already taken some very positive steps. So we have Jane Wildblood, the Council’s Sustainability Manager, to tell us how they are changing the way they do things. She will be followed by Hugh Knowles from Friends of the Earth, to show how urgency is bringing communities together, allowing people to work with others who are trying to bring about positive change in their lives.”

“Then, just before lunch, we have Professor Marcelle McManus, from the University of Bath, who will help us to make more informed choices about energy supply, by looking at the carbon footprints of different sources of energy. She will be followed by Simon James Lewis from Neighbourhood Construction CIC, a community interest company seeking to bring in agreed standards for building renovation. We have a lot of old buildings here in Bath. Insulating and heating them presents huge challenges, but all the regulations are around new builds.”

“After lunch, I wanted to bring together a collection of local groups who are already doing amazing things, and who offer us as residents and business owners the opportunity to make a difference locally. So we have Peter Capener from Bath and West Community Energy, Amy Coulthard from Avon Wildlife Trust, Jessica Johannesson from Extinction Rebellion, Vipul Patel from Change Makers, and speakers from the Youth Climate Alliance and More Trees for B&NES.”

The conference will be held at The Edge, at the University of Bath on Saturday 13th July. It is due to start at 9.30 am, with doors open from 9am. The conference is being held on a Saturday in order to make it accessible to residents of all ages.