Month: September 2019

Dr Claire Craig: Science and Futures in Government

Governments may have less immediate power than they used to but, in matters large and small, someone somewhere often has to make a decision that will affect many lives. The Ministers making those decisions are human too, and what we know about how science and futures thinking operate in government can tell us a lot about their place in wider public debates. Making decisions today, based on evidence from the past, in order to change the future: what could possibly go wrong?

Clair Craig joins us in Kollaboratoriet in early June. Head over to youtube to follow the full lecture.

Follow our youtube channel for more clips from this lecture, and for other talks and events with the Climate Change Leadership initiative at Uppsala University.

Dr Claire Craig CBE is Chief Science Policy Officer at the Royal Society. Previously Claire led the Government Office for Science, and has worked for three UK Government Chief Scientific Advisors. She was awarded a CBE for her work on Foresight, the UK’s science-based strategic futures programme, and was a member of Faculty at the World Economic Forum. Her career includes periods at McKinsey & Co and the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit. She has been pre-Elected Provost of the Queen’s College, Oxford, taking up post in summer 2019. Her first book “How does government listen to scientists?” was published by Palgrave in August 2018, and she began life as a geophysicist.

Carbon budgets in Umeå

This week, Martin and Aaron travelled to Umeå to present several lectures on carbon budgets and meet with local government representatives and civil society groups.

Earlier this year, Fridays for Future Umeå approached the Climate Change Leadership Node requesting a carbon budget for their municipality. Until then, it had only been municipalities, regions and county boards that had commissioned a carbon budget from CCL.

Within 10 days the civil society grouped had fundraised enough money for the carbon budget which was delivered earlier this year.

On Monday Martin and Aaron lectured at various locations in the city. This culminated in a public lecture in the evening at Umeå University which was attended by over 200 members of the public.

Our most important recommendation from the presentations and associated carbon budgets is that governing bodies consider the cumulative effect of carbon dioxide emissions, pursue science-based targets and set goals accordingly.

Sustainability & Internationalisation Agendas in the University: How can they support each other?

Do you have ideas on how Uppsala University can be international and sustainable?

This workshop will be an open exploratory space for staff and students at Uppsala University that aims to understand the underlying drivers and desires for both internationalisation and sustainability, the potential sites of complementarity, and the possibility of Uppsala taking a lead in developing new and innovative practices of sustainable internationalisation. 

This workshop will be curated by the current Zennström Professor of Climate Change Leadership at Uppsala University, that will aim to understand the underlying drivers and desires for both internationalisation and sustainability, the potential sites of complementarity, and the possibility of Uppsala taking a lead in developing new and innovative practices of sustainable internationalisation. The outcome of the workshop will inform both sustainability and internationalisation strategies for the university.

Both students and staff welcome! Join us on October 28, kl 12-16:30 at Kollaboratoriet, Östra Ågatan 19. Lunch will be served.

Participation limited to 40 participants. Staff and students of Uppsala University only.  Click here to register.

Do you have examples of how other universities are already working on these issues? Tweet to @CCLUPPSALA or email Sanna Barrineau.