43rd TB Macaulay Lecture: in conversation with Christiana Figueres

“This year, at this make-or-break time, Christiana Figueres will focus on the urgent need to shift from rhetoric to action in a bid to survive the climate crisis and shape the approach to our shared future. We expect an empowering, challenging and committed debate to follow.”

After a year’s break in 2020, the Macaulay Development Trust and the James Hutton Institute are delighted to host the 43rd TB Macaulay Lecture. Coinciding this year with the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, the lecture will be delivered on Tuesday November 2nd (19:00 UK time) by Christiana Figueres, an internationally recognised leader on global climate change, in conversation with BBC broadcaster Laura Goodwin.

Held traditionally as an in-person event in Edinburgh, this year the lecture will move to Glasgow to take place alongside COP26. It will be delivered with an in-person audience from Strathclyde University’s Technology and Innovation Centre and streamed live around the world from a bespoke event platform.

Christiana Figueres has been credited with forging a new brand of collaborative diplomacy. She was Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from 2010 to 2016. Assuming responsibility for the international climate change negotiations and after the unsuccessful Copenhagen conference of 2009, she was determined to lead the process to a universally agreed regulatory framework. Building toward that goal, she directed the successful Conferences of the Parties in Cancun 2010, Durban 2011, Doha 2012, Warsaw 2013, and Lima 2014, which culminated her efforts in the historical Paris Agreement of 2015.

Fran van Dijk, Macaulay Development Trust chair, said: “The timing of Ms Figueres’ Macaulay Lecture couldn’t be more significant. Science shows us that we are standing at the edge of a precipice, and we have the rest of this decade to avert climate catastrophe. If there’s one person who can help us work together to build momentum for the systemic change we need, it’s Christiana Figueres.”

Professor Colin Campbell, Chief Executive of the James Hutton Institute, commented: “For decades, the TB Macaulay Lecture has offered expert insight into the interplay between sustainable land use, science, the economy and communities to inspire debate at all levels, from policy makers to youth representatives.

“This year, at this make-or-break time, Christiana Figueres will focus on the urgent need to shift from rhetoric to action in a bid to survive the climate crisis and shape the approach to our shared future. We expect an empowering, challenging and committed debate to follow.”

As details for the event are finalised, keep an eye on the lecture’s website for updates and announcements of the line-up of special guests that will join Ms Figueres. Follow the Macaulay Development Trust @MacaulayDvTrust and the James Hutton Institute @JamesHuttonInst on Twitter for more information about the lecture – you can also use the hashtag #TBMacLecture. In-person attendance will be by invitation only but if you are interested in being present, please email tbmlecture@yourgb.co.uk.