30 April 2015

SCI Public Evening Lecture: Prof Myles Allen - How we will eventually solve the climate change problem - and why UN conferences are largely irrelevant

Organised by:

SCI's Membership Affairs Committee

SCI, London, UK

Registration Closed

This event is no longer available for registration.

Synopsis

Professor Allen will present some of the key scientific findings of the IPCC 5th Assessment Report, which demonstrate that climate change is best considered as a stock problem: how to limit the total amount of carbon dioxide emitted over the entire industrial epoch. Unfortunately, UK and EU climate policy, and the whole United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process, are still largely premised on treating it as a flow problem: how to reduce the rate of emissions in 2030 or 2050. So many of the measures being promoted in the name of climate change mitigation, such as carbon taxes, emission permits and subsidies for renewable energy, are only marginally relevant to the main problem, which is what we are going to do with the vast reserves of fossil carbon that we cannot afford to dump into the atmosphere. Thinking about the problem as Mother Nature, as opposed to a climate negotiator, thinks about it, reveals the pivotal role of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in any feasible solution, a role confirmed by the IPCC's economic modelling. Tragically, CCS currently gets a very low priority, because it is not the most cost-effective way of getting emissions down in the short term. The result is an entirely unnecessary risk of significant collectivisation of the global energy economy sometime in the 2040s, with unpredictable geopolitical consequences.

About the speaker

Myles Allen is Professor of Geosystem Science in the Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment and Department of Physics, University of Oxford, and Director of the Oxford Martin Programme on Resource Stewardship. His research focuses on how human and natural influences on climate contribute to observed climate change and extreme weather events. In 2009 he co-authored two papers identifying the cumulative impact of carbon dioxide emissions. He has served on the 3rd, 4th and 5th Scientific Assessments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and in 2010 was awarded the Appleton Medal from the Institute of Physics.

“This event will be recorded and will be posted on the SCI website. Please note: some members of the audience may be in view during the questions and answers session at the end of the lecture”


Programme
Accessibility Grants

SCI accessibility grants are available to support SCI members with disabilities, long term health conditions, those who require a carer, and members who are nursing parents to attend SCI events. Download an application form to apply for a grant.


Venue and Contact

Society of Chemical Industry

14/15 Belgrave Square 
London
SW1X 8PS

Conference Team

Tel: +44 (0)20 7598 1561

Email: conferences@soci.org


Fees

Join SCI for its Public Evening Lecture series which are free and open to all.

Become an SCI Member and save on this and future events

See Membership Options

Sign up as an Event Member to join this event. SCI Full or Student Members receive discounts on event registrations


Booking Process/Deadlines

To book for this event, please scroll down page to "Book Me On Event" button below or alternatively you can email conferences@soci.org with “Evening lecture - Prof Myles Allen - Thursday 30 April” as the subject line.


CPD Info

SCI Members attending this meeting are able to claim CPD points.

Accredited cpd Centre - The CPD Standards Office - CPD Provider 41057 - www.cpdstandards.com


Additional Info
Exhibition and Sponsorship

An exhibition will take place alongside the conference for companies and related organisations who may wish to exhibit. Please email conferences@soci.org for further information and prices. Spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.