A SERIES of free lectures in Wokingham this autumn has focused on climate change and how to respond to the challenges.
Visitors to The Walter Lectures have heard experts share their perspectives and views, with speakers highlighting the current rise in the earth’s average temperature, and the likely impact this will have on our lives.
The final speaker of the series is Professor Chris Merchant.
“It’s really important that we talk about climate change,” he said.
“People need to know what’s at stake.
“Tackling it is going to require some investment and effort from us, and we owe that to future generations.
“But it also brings opportunities to create a better relationship between human activity and the natural world, and people need to know what’s possible.”
Prof Merchant hopes that a deeper understanding of what is at stake, and being informed about ways to tackle climate change, will lead people to think about their own role.
“I’ll be giving an overview of where we are with climate change, and talking about what we need to do about it,” he said.
“I’ll outline what’s coming next under different scenarios and, as this is the last talk in the series, I will allow plenty of time for questions.
“Whether this is the first lecture in the series that people attend, or whether they have come to all of them, they will have an opportunity to ask what they want to know.”
Prof Merchant would like listeners to hold a range of diverse views.
“I don’t want to be talking to those already convinced,” he said.
“I’d like to see a range of people coming, with different views in the room.
“I hope people will feel that there has been a good and open discussion about some important topics.
“And maybe everyone will be able to reconsider some of their previous points of view.
“I really want everyone who comes to be able to leave feeling that they’ve learned something, and that they have something to take away and think about.”
Prof Merchant believes that our society, and economic growth, are dependent on a sustainable natural environment.
“There’s plenty that can be done to support this on an individual level, but we also need structural changes that we collectively decide to pursue as a nation.
“These will help us all to get on board with the agenda, to think through the impacts of what we do, and to factor in the impact on the climate of our individual decisions.
“Individual behaviour changes are crucial to combating climate change.
But we need larger social and political changes to make it easier for us to live greener lives.
“Climate change is a big challenge for all of us and a serious threat to future generations.
“But it’s controversial, and we need to talk about these things.”
Christopher Merchant is Professor of Ocean and Earth Observation at the
University of Reading.
He has worked as a climate scientist for more than twenty years, and he and his team are recognised experts at measuring in detail the warming of the world over recent decades, from sensors orbiting the Earth on satellites.
Prior to joining the University of Reading, he taught at the University of Edinburgh, and before that was a research engineer in the electrical industry.
The final Walter Lecture is at All Saints Church, Wokingham on Thursday, November 23, at 7pm.
To book a free ticket, visit: www.eventbrite.co.uk and search for Our Changing Climate
For information about all the talks in the Walter Lectures series, visit: www.spauls.co.uk
