Oxford University to host global climate and human rights summit launch event
A panel of speakers from global climate leadership has been announced for a launch event in Oxford ahead of a climate summit.
The University of Oxford will host the launch of the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit 2025 at the Sheldonian Theatre on Wednesday, June 4.
Featuring keynote speeches, panel discussions, and performances, the event will bring together leading voices from policy, activism, business, and academia to explore the relationship between climate change and human rights.
The launch event will take place ahead of a 24-hour global online plenary extending into World Environment Day on June 5.
The evening will begin with introductory remarks from Professor Irene Tracey, vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford, and Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Professor Irene Tracey, vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford (Image: Contributed) The event will be hosted by Justin Rowlatt, climate editor at the BBC, and will include a rotation of speakers discussing how climate change impacts human rights and how these rights can inform responses to the climate crisis.
The panel of speakers will include Lord Alok Sharma, a former COP26 president known for leading international negotiations resulting in the Glasgow Climate Pact.
Vanessa Nakate, a climate justice activist and founder of the Rise Up Movement, who advocates for equitable climate solutions focusing on African communities, will also speak.
Kate Raworth, an economist and co-founder of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab, whose work explores sustainable development within planetary boundaries, and Paul Polman, a business leader and former CEO of Unilever, known for championing responsible corporate climate action, will speak too.
The audience will also hear from Professor Lavanya Rajamani, professor of international environmental law at Oxford, whose research and legal work supports climate-vulnerable nations in international negotiations, Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive of the Climate Change Committee, who leads the UK's independent advisory body on reaching net zero, and Dr Omnia El Omrani, a medical doctor and climate-health policy advocate, who has represented youth voices at recent UN climate summits and focuses on the health impacts of climate change.
The event will be livestreamed and will conclude with a handover to partners at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji to begin the global programme at 10pm.
The 24-hour plenary will include contributions from university hubs around the world, partners at UN Human Rights, and the International Universities Climate Alliance.
The Oxford Mail and Oxford City Council are looking to find Oxford's climate heroes with this year's Oxford Climate Awards.
Rose Hill and Iffley Low Carbon at the Oxford Climate Awards 2024 (Image: Joe Baker) They are looking for individuals or groups who champion environmental sustainability across categories including innovation in climate action, sustainable business, and green transport.
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