The role played by the emerging superpower of China in global climate change will be examined by former Deputy Prime Minister the Rt Hon John Prescott MP, when he delivers a special lecture at The University of Nottingham next week.
Part of the University’s Energy and Climate Change Special Lecture Series, Mr Prescott’s address will draw on his extensive experience of forging closer links between the UK and China and influencing Government policy on climate change.
His engaging talk will include insight from his time as Deputy Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007, when he played a key role in the Kyoto climate change negotiations, working closely with US Vice-President Al Gore to secure a deal and his role as co-chair of the UK-China Task Force, established to deepen relations and foster cooperation with The People’s Republic.
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During his visit on Tuesday March 30, Mr Prescott will also be inaugurated as Honorary Patron of the China Policy Institute, a think tank set up by the University to expand the West’s knowledge and understanding of contemporary China and its global influence.
Mr Prescott will begin his visit on the University’s Jubilee Campus at the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies and the China Policy Institute before travelling to the main University Park campus for a briefing session, during which he will hear about the University’s China-related research projects and receive an update on developments at The University of Nottingham’s Ningbo campus near Shanghai..
Professor Chris Rudd, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Knowledge Transfer and Business Engagement, will outline the University’s strategy on China and energy and its involvement in the next World Exhibition, Shanghai Expo 2010, where it will showcase its world-leading research into sustainability.
The official inauguration of Mr Prescott as Honorary Patron of the China Policy Institute will take place during a special reception of invited guests including University staff and representatives from the local community and Nottingham City Council.
Mr Prescott’s lecture on China and Climate Change will take place on Tuesday March 30 from 5.30pm to 6.30pm in the Senate Chamber of Trent Building on University Park Campus. Doors open from 5pm. Admission is free and open to members of the general public, staff and students but the event is likely to be extremely popular so people are advised to arrive early to avoid disappointment.
It is the latest in the Energy and Climate Change Special Lecture Series, being run by The University of Nottingham as part of its commitment to educate and disseminate information on pressing global issues. It follows the National Geographic Live! event earlier this week at which Executive Editor Dennis Dimick used a sweeping visual journey to share highlights of the US magazine’s coverage and the most recent scientific reports documenting climate change in his lecture Changing Climate: Where Energy and Global Warming Meet.
Previous speakers have included Dr Paul Golby, Chief Executive of E.ON UK plc, and Dr John Francis – known as the Planetwalker. Interviews with all can be seen at: