Climate Change - A clear and present danger
The Energy and Climate Change Law Institute were delighted to welcome back Lord Browne of Maddingly to deliver the Annual Clifford Chance Lecture on its tenth anniversary.
It was a thought-provoking lecture. Lord Browne emphasised the impact of climate change on every individual , explaining that climate change was "not a remote issue to be left to someone else or another generation. The dangers are profound and increasingly visible". Lord Browne was optimistic about the developments in energy supply and energy demand management and urged that "we should vigorously deploy the commercial technologies now available".
Today's renewables form only part of the solution of the full problem and resilience must be built into the current energy system. Lord Browne concluded that it was important to "educate, encourage and enable people to give solutions to climate change a real chance".
Education and encouragement are at the heart of our Institute's purpose. The subject matter is complex and the scale of response is vast. We encourage our students to work collaboratively and across disciplines to ensure a keen understanding of the challenges posed by the climate crisis. The lecture was interrupted by some protestors, an indication of the complexity of the subject and the immediate desire to find solutions. The lecture concluded with a Q&A session led by four of our distinguished alumni. Their thoughtful, measured, insightful questions gave us all reason for optimism. Education is critical to finding solutions to the challenge of climate change- a clear and present danger.