World. Planet earth, global model isolated on white background. Elements of this image furnished by NASA Photograph: Patra Kongsirimongkolchai/Getty Images/EyeEm
How much impact have humans had on the planet, really? What are the key things that need to change to tackle the climate crisis, and can we actually make a difference by introducing small changes into our lives?
Gaining an understanding of the state of our natural world can feel overwhelming, especially as so much of it is underwritten with doom. In this three-week class, hosted by Mark Maslin, the professor of Earth System Science at University College London, you will get to the core of the biggest issues facing the planet, including where they’ve come from, why they are so difficult to reverse, and how we can try.
In each of these three fascinating sessions, Mark will deliver an opening keynote and then hand over to our special guest speakers, as they delve into a specific topic and answer your questions. Hear from the Guardian’s journalists, environmental activists and scientific experts on the state of the climate crisis, and – crucially – how things might change for the better.
Week one: The history of the planet and observing the current state of our world
Mark will discuss how human societies have evolved over time, and what role we have played in altering our natural environment throughout the course of history. Following this will be Steve Trent, the CEO and founder of the Environmental Justice Foundation, who will share their work with communities around the world who are facing the true brunt of the climate crisis.
Week two: The greater scientific, economic and environmental issues
What does the latest scientific research tell us? Mark begins by digging into reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and will discuss the pertinence of tipping points. Then, the Guardian’s environment correspondent Fiona Harvey will talk about the big issues and what must change – from deeply-rooted issues within our society, to how our economy needs to evolve to become more sustainable.
Week three: Individual and collective action that can equate to big changes
The practical actions you can take now in order to reduce your negative impact on our planet, with Mark. After, Sacha Wright, the research and curriculum coordinator for Force of Nature, will share data-led insights into how young people are responding to the climate crisis. Lastly, the Guardian’s writer Damien Gayle, who has reported on the ground with Extinction Rebellion, will discuss the rise of collective movements and the power of protest.
This course is for …
Anyone and everyone with an interest in the climate crisis, who wants to protect and ensure the longevity of our planet
Tutor profile
Mark A. Maslin is Professor of Earth System Science at University College London and a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit scholar. He is a world leading expert on climate change and has published over 175 scientific papers and 10 books. His book The Cradle of Humanity Professor Brian Cox called ‘exhilarating’,while Bill McKibben called his book with Prof. Simon Lewis The Human Planet ‘remarkable’. His latest book How to Save Our Planet: The Facts is the ultimate handbook of irrefutable facts for saving the planet and ourselves. John Simpson suggests ‘‘everyone should read it and absorb its contents’.
Guest speakers
Steve Trent is CEO and Founder of Environmental Justice Foundation. For the past three decades, he has been a passionate defender of our natural world. As the Campaigns Director for the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and now as CEO of EJF, he has led investigations documenting the corrupt, brutal and devastating practices that have damaged wildlife populations and natural ecosystems across Asia, Africa and South America. With a determination to amplify the voice of the communities that live alongside some of the world’s most threatened ecosystems, Steve devised an activist training programme to provide training, essential equipment, and support to environmental defenders. He is committed to protecting the rights of those people who are most dependent upon the conservation of the natural world and to bringing ignored issues into the spotlight.
Fiona Harvey is an award-winning journalist who has covered the environment since 2004, at the Financial Times and subsequently for the Guardian newspaper. She has written extensively on every environmental issue, from air pollution and biodiversity to ocean plastic and climate change. Her assignments have taken her as far afield as the Arctic and the Amazon, and she has attended almost every UNFCCC Cop since 2004, including reporting live from the 2015 Paris conference. The long list of major world figures she has interviewed includes Antonio Guterres, Ban Ki-moon, Tony Blair, Jose Manuel Barroso, Noam Chomsky, Mikhail Gorbachev and Sir David Attenborough. Among numerous awards and recognitions, she has twice won the Foreign Press Association award for Environment Story of the Year, the British Environment and Media Awards journalist of the year, and in 2020 she was named in the Woman’s Hour Power List of 30 top UK women, focusing on Our Planet.
Sacha Wright is the Research and Curriculum Coordinator at Force of Nature, a youth nonprofit organisation that exists to mobilise mindsets for climate action. She works alongside researchers, psychologists, youth activists and climate experts to deliver the most impactful and genuine services to young people contending with climate distress. In her first year at Force of Nature, she sat with over 500 young people from over 50 countries to discuss the toll that climate change was having on their well-being. Her passion lies in dismantling inequality in the climate health space, and ensuring impactful and inclusive solutions.
Damien Gayle is a reporter at the Guardian whose work focuses on environment, social justice, crime and policing, home affairs and protest. He has worked at the Guardian since 2015.
Details
Date: Three consecutive Tuesdays: 14, 21 and 28 June 2022
Time: 6.30pm-8.30pm BST
Price: £129 (plus £6.48 booking fee); or £136.63 (plus £6.83 booking fee) with a copy of Mark’s book How To Save Our Planet: The Facts; or £49 (plus £2.83 booking fee) per class
This masterclass is available globally. If you are joining us from outside the United Kingdom, please use this time zone converter to check your local live streaming time.
6.30pm BST | 7.30pm CEST | 10.30am PDT | 1.30pm EDT
You will be sent a link to the webinar 24 hours and 2 hours before the start time of 6.30pm (BST)
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Returns policy
Once a purchase is complete we will not be able to refund you where you do not attend or if you cancel your event booking. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.
