Synopses of talks

"The growing sense of panic in the global North has led to climate change hurtling up the political agenda. But the demand for urgent action has of course long been made by peoples movements in the global South, the ones most impacted by the climate crisis, but has been systematically ignored by policy makers, who calculated that sacrificing people in the global South was an acceptable price of continuing business as usual.

Our response to the climate emergency cannot be done at the expense of the poorest in the world. It must at its core address both the crisis of climate & economic inequality, where the poorest 50% of the world’s population who are least responsible for the crisis are the ones most impacted, and are the same ones facing hunger, exploitation and are being denied a dignified life. It must recognise that the UK has become the 5th richest country in the world with the third highest per capita consumption in the world only because the bloody legacy of slavery, colonialism, neoliberalism and now the climate crisis.

Business as usual, tinkering around the edges is simply not an option. We must be truthful about the changes to our economy. But we must also have a vision for the world which is fairer, greener, safer and cleaner – one where it’s not the poorest in our country or in the world who are left paying the price to protect our economy. For that we need a global green deal for people that guarantees everyone the right to a dignified life. The right to housing, education, health and public services, the right to a living wage, to energy and food must be a reality for everyone and not just the citizens of the global North."

Asad Rehman is ClimateKeys Guest Speaker at Sheffield Festival of Debate 11th May 2019 with pianist Lola Perrin

“Talking about our feelings is important for our mental health. Talking about climate change is important for our planet’s health. More people now are talking about the state of the oceans and waste, but are people talking about the climate emergency? The overwhelming feelings it can trigger can lead to disavowal, rationalising or denial, so people need support to process their feelings, learn together and take action. Bridget founded Climate Museum UK to offer this support. It is an emerging mobile museum creatively stirring responses to the climate and ecological emergency. This will be an interactive talk trying out one of the Climate Museum’s activities, inviting the audience to identify the different feelings they have about climate change. It will visualise these feelings in terms of colours and words, and provide ‘data’ about the emotional temperature of the people in the room.”

Bridget McKenzie, Climate Museum UK, appears at ClimateKeys London 25th January 2019 with singer, songwriter, pianist Layman Human.

"How can we cool the planet if we fail to meet our CO2 emissions targets? Scary stuff – we need to be talking about it! We may want to cool the planet if (when) we fail to meet our CO2 emissions targets. There are "geoengineering" technologies out there almost ready to go and some sound quite scary. Many pundits question whether it is safe to meddle with the climate when we only have one Earth, but others argue that we haven't much time left before climate change runs away from us. This talk will present technologies which may be urgently required to slow down the progress of Arctic melting. One project, SPICE (Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering), proposed a small experiment but the experiment was shut down for fear of "the slippery slope". Research in geoengineering has ground to a halt. But we're short on action on all fronts. If we're too late and the arctic permafrost warms up then we may need to capture billions of tonnes of atmospheric methane. The scale of the problem is huge, and we're not well prepared."

Dr Hunt is ClimateKeys Guest Speaker in Cambridge, UK with soprano Paula Downes and pianist Clare Bullimore on 6th October 2018 and 29th October 2018

"The effects that scientists had predicted in the past would result from global climate change are now occurring. The range of published evidence indicates that the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase over time. Climate change will increase risks to businesses and economies. Thus, the main challenge is to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions to prevent unmanageable impacts and to adapt to manage unavoidable impacts. Involvement of private sector and other key players or encouraging them to take advantage of the new opportunities that may arise is among preconditions for that. In Serbia, from 2000, extreme climate and weather episodes have caused significant damages. Droughts in 2000, 2003, 2007 and 2012 caused damage over 3.5 billion, floods in 2014 over 1.5 billion and the forest fires in 2000-2009 more than 300 million Euros. These figures confirm the need for nationally wide urgent actions."

Danijela Božanić is ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 31st July 2018 Belgrade, Serbia with pianists Nada Kolundzija, Joanna Wicherek and others

"Pope Francis issued an urgent call to humanity to tackle the ecological crisis we are facing and care for our common home, the Planet. His encyclical letter Laudato Si' is a beautiful and profound message addressed to every person of goodwill, which frames the ecological challenge in moral terms rather than scientific or technical terms. Pope Francis stresses the huge urgency and the unjust nature of the crisis, while emphasizing that there is room for hope. This message couldn't be more important at a time when world governments and the wider human family are still struggling to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change."

Tomás Insua is ClimateKeys Guest Speaker, Rome, with concert pianist Natalie Gabrielli, date to be confirmed

"Already in 1988 a conference of climate experts called for immediate reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; by 2001 all the world’s governments agreed that dangerous climate change was underway. Yet emissions are climbing exponentially. The scientific frontier has shifted from predicting the extent of future warming (which depends mainly on what policies we undertake) to describing and explaining the impacts. It is now too late to prevent damage. Damage is already widespread, as predicted or worse. It is not too late to prevent catastrophic damage—to our economy, our environment, and our society. But safety will require radical steps. Individuals can reduce their personal contribution to emissions: every bit helps. That is no substitute for collective action to demand change from corporations and from governments at all levels. The obstacles are political tribalism, blind materialism, and short-term thinking; finding ways to reduce these will bring many other benefits."

Spencer Weart is ClimateKeys Guest Speaker New York City, date to be confirmed.

"We need to reduce our carbon emissions and reach zero carbon well before the end of the century. We need radical changes at small scale and at large scale. The key is to address many challenges at all aspects of society. Although the science is compelling that the situation is extremely grave, the game is not up. There are many opportunities to solve this, and we can do it through addressing health and lifestyle. For example, cycling as a form of transport has multiple benefits. Similarly, on a wider scale, there are multiple benefits to low carbon and its improvement to life. Cambridge is very strong on low carbon innovation with many new technologies currently being developed. The ultimate challenge of addressing global warming will be addressed through improving so much else throughout society. Each of us should step up and take responsibility both collectively and individually." Dr Emily Shuckburgh is ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 14th May 2018, Cambridge UK, with The Cantabrigians

"On 25th September 2015, the United Nations approved the Global Agenda for the sustainable development, where the judgment was clear about the unsustainability of the actual development model, not only on environmental level, but also economical and social, definitely overcoming the idea that the sustainability is exclusively an environment issue, and declaring a unified vision of different dimensions of development. The problematics connected to climate changes and global warming, are nothing but one of the many aspects of environmental unsustainability of our economic model: we continue to pursue an infinite growth on a planet that is finished with the capacity of producing resources and garbage disposal. In this scenario Val d’Orcia represents an exceptional example of how the natural paysage was redesigned since the Renaissance to reflect the ideals of the good governance and to create a pleasant esthetical look. This is an expression of marvelous natural characteristics, but also a testimony of how much weight had the presence or absence of human interference and his awareness of depending on surrounding ambient resources, and using them in nondestructive way. But today, Val d’Orcia has to deal with exploitation of an important resource present in the territory: the geothermal energy. Such energy source, that has always been considered clean and renewable, and its exploitation, affects both the natural balance and the "ancient pact" between man and nature, imposing a careful and reasoned reflection upon the perspectives of this outstanding territory."

Prof Giorgio Sacchi is ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 5 June 2018, Italy, with musicians Melinda Ligeti, Kristijan Simic & Norman Baiocchi.

“The evidence that a 2020 climate turning point is within our grasp is growing every day. Global CO2 emissions have already plateaued, and are expected to remain flat over the coming years thanks, in no small part, to China’s economic transformation, as well as the exponential growth in renewables worldwide. There are many signs that an irreversible direction of travel has been set: investment shifts, technology breakthroughs and cost reductions, a deepening understanding of eco-system services, resilient business and government leadership, as well as a staggering upsurge of citizen activism - all indicate that change is inevitable. But when it comes to climate, timing is everything and we need to step-up the pace of change, accelerating a rapid drawdown in global emissions by 2020. Our shared mission is to ensure 6 critical milestones are met by 2020: 1. Renewables outcompete fossil fuels, Zero emissions transport is the preferred form of all new mobility, deforestation is replaced with restoration, Heavy industry commits to being Paris compliant, cities implementing policies to fully decarbonize infrastructure and Investment in climate action is beyond USD $1 trillion per year.”

Andrew Higham is ClimateKeys Guest Speaker in Bonn 4th May 2018 with pianist Robbin Reza

“Climate change is already having far-reaching consequences. Impacts are accelerating and will worsen as the climate continues to change and effects will be significant. So many people like to ask what is more important – mitigation or adaptation. The answer is we need both. As we already know, climate change will continue even if we eliminate fossil fuels from our economy, which means that continuous adaptation to change is inevitable. Climate change adaptation refers simply to actions aimed at reducing vulnerability. Adaptation to climate change is therefore no longer a question of choice, but of the ‘how’. Ecosystem-based adaptation is the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of an overall adaptation strategy to help people to adapt. Ecosystems do play an important role in increasing our resilience by providing diverse services to human beings thus contributing to sustainability of our societies. Restoration and protection of natural ecosystems ensures economic benefits. As individuals, we can greatly contribute by making lifestyle changes and reducing our own ecological footprint. You might think your contribution is small, but together our collective action is powerful.”

Duška Dimović is ClimateKeys Guest Speaker. Details forthcoming

'Fossil Fuels, Developing Countries and Leapfrogging'

"Developing countries already bear the brunt of climate change and global warming. They currently are at a crossroad and face a defining conundrum between doing business as usual – by basically replicating the same development strategies of the last two centuries – or by doing things differently. Doing things differently means not relying exclusively on fossil fuels to power their electric grids, to run their public transport systems or to kick-off their water pipes – everything that the rest of the world has been taking advantage from over the last two centuries and counting. Is it fair to ask such sacrifices from countries that already face numerous budgetary and financial constraints while simultaneously required to meet the seventeen 2030 Sustainable Development Goals? Are fossil fuels the tickets for developing countries to end hunger, combat diseases and banish grounding poverty? And could leapfrogging represent a credible alternative in these countries to all fossil fuels?"

Ibrahima S. Kaba is ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 19th April 2018 in Maastricht with various Conservatorium musicians

"Climate change is already devastating people’s lives and wrecking economies through more intense and frequent wildfires, hurricanes, floods and droughts. Warmer oceans are driving more frequent and powerful extreme events like typhoons as well as exacerbating coral bleaching. Slower, but equally life threatening, climate impacts include sea level rise and ocean acidification. Women, children, the elderly and the poor will be hit the hardest. Over 140 million people will be forced to migrate within countries by 2050. We need everyone to take to action to reduce pollution and also to stand in solidarity with those bearing the brunt of climate change. Powerful elites and vested interests have colluded to delay regulation by spending millions on lobbying and campaign contributions. We must call out and challenge these vested interests, especially, transnational coal, gas and oil companies, who continue to receive trillions of taxpayer dollars in fossil fuel subsidies whilst avoiding their climate liabilities. Starting tomorrow, each of us can change our diets, lifestyles, energy suppliers, banks and pension providers to reflect better climate choices."

Farhana Yamin is ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 17 April 2018 with Jacobson-Brown Duo in London

The power of law for addressing climate change

"Law has a lot of potential for the urgent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Firstly, in our democratic societies law gives governments various tools to steer the behavior of companies and citizens towards a low carbon society. Governments can use their regulatory competences for phasing out fossil fuels, limiting emissions from farming, protecting forests, and promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency. While governments are legally required to adopt decisions carefully, thereby investigating and balancing interests that may be affected, there is ample room for effective regulatory action. Secondly, courts may be helpful in case governments fall short in their climate change regulations. Many court cases develop in various jurisdictions across the world. Nonetheless, the extent of which courts can really turn the tide is not clear yet. This means that history books from next centuries will teach: was it juristocracy rather than democracy that could set down emissions reduction interventions in our society?"

Dr Marjan Peeters is ClimateKeys guest speaker with Kalika and Freya 6th March 2018 in Maastricht

"The climate crisis goes to the heart of our economic system. The health of our societies is measured by expansion, which in all countries rest on a principle so fundamental we tend to overlook its signifiance: the principle of commodity production. This feedback loop of production and consumption is synonymous with and foundational to our economic system. Political and economic decisionmakers are incentivised to keep the commodity wheel turning at any cost – ecological or otherwise – because any contraction of the industrial system would threaten jobs, communities and livelihoods. This means runaway extraction and climate chaos. Disrupting the commodity system can, we hope, to scale back industrialism to a level where widespread implementation of sustainable technologies is possible before humanity reaches the point of no return. Automation is poised to undermine this consumer economy on an increasingly large scale, but this is not inevitable: it means concerted social action." Nolan MacGregor appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker with Fran & Flora 30 November 2017 in London

As the eminent psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton states at the beginning of his recent book, ‘it is the ultimate absurdity that if we do nothing but what we’re doing now -- just go on using fossil fuels -- we will do ourselves in as a civilization by the end of this century. Nothing could be more absurd than that.’ But, he goes on to say that ‘at least we have a beginning shift in mindset that allows us to take reasonable action.’ (DemocracyNow! ‘Apocalyptic Twins of Nuclear and Climate Threats & Reflections on Survival’, Oct.13, 2017)

As an academic, a writer, a broadcaster and a grandfather, I humbly feel that it is my utmost duty to ‘take arms against a sea of troubles’ and fight with this ‘ultimate absurdity’ to the end. This is the demand which originates from the responsibility of the intellectual.

In sum, we have to take action, and take it now.”

Ömer Madra appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 14 November 2018 with Pianist Birsen Ulucan in Istanbul

"Climate change and increased frequency and intensity of extreme climate events have caused increased pressure in the sectors of agriculture, water management, health, forestry and tourism. There was an increase in variability and intensity of extreme weather conditions (heat waves, intensive rainfall, windstorms, days with hail, etc.). In the last five years, Bosnia and Herzegovina has been facing with several significant extreme climate and weather episodes that have caused substantial material and financial deficits, as well as casualties. The two most important events are drought during 2012 and flooding during 2014. Is There Hope? Yes, of course. It's all in our hands. By joint forces and actions, we can fulfill the obligations of the Paris Climate Agreement, but also make a step further. This will ensure a safer, better and more beautiful future for us, our children and our beautiful planet Earth."

Prof Goran Trbic apprears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 25th October 2017 in Banja Luka with Pianist Biljana Jasic Radovanovic

“Climate change is a somber song. In our greed, we used up the planet's annual allowance of renewable resources by 8 August 2016. Human activity is leading to increasing temperatures, decreasing ice and snow cover, and extreme weather events. More than one million species are now facing potential extinction. By 2030, global flooding may triple. And the UN expects 250 million persons to be displaced by climate change impacts in the next three decades. Yet this need not be the end. Human creativity holds the power to radically alter reality. In Morocco, local communities harvest fog to empower women in drought-ridden indigenous villages. In Kuwait, a team of scuba divers monitor global warming through coral reef preservation. In China, a floating solar farm powers 15,000 homes. In Wales, abandoned coal mines serve as hydropower storage systems. It's time to tell and hear these stories. It's time to change the music. Together, we can be makers - rather than victims - of global change.”

Rebecca L. Farnum appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker November 16th 2017, Jordans -UK, with Pianist Esther Cavett.

“In 2017 Climate change got real: fish swimming the streets of Miami, super storms and hurricanes in the Northeast, drought and “rain bombs” in the rest of the USA. Climate change is here.

As a scientist, I work objectively to interpret data. Facts demonstrate that climate change is real and that it is caused by our industrial behavior. Objective methodologies create recommendations for changing our collective behaviors to keep our families, streets, and communities strong. As a physician, subjective efforts are key; behavior modification is essential for preventing and curing disease. We have many subjective methods in medicine to help patients change behaviors to improve health. Some of those tools might be used to fight the cancer of our world: climate change. Art is sublime and a therapeutic modality to help us understand and improve the health of ourselves, our communities, and our world. In collaboration with the Piano Duo Gastesi-Bezerra, we will share our concerns and solutions using art to alleviate the consequences of climate change. The Norton Museum will host a special exhibition “Earth Works” forming the center of our conversation.”

Dr. Strasswimmer appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 19th November with Piano Duo Gastesi-Bezerra in West Palm Beach

“Talking about a world that has risen to the challenge of climate change is an exciting opportunity.” (Paul Allen, Zero Carbon Britain)

"Many of us feel helpless facing the challenge of climate change: what can we do at our level while the needed efforts are so huge, the obstacles too numerous and the unwilling voices louder? Easier to put the blame on politicians, multinational companies, finances... In short, the others. I don’t think the solutions will come either from them or from us, they will come from everyone, from many sectors. For example, the digital sector brings new objects and uses in our everyday life - think about how our lives change with smartphones! These innovations are not climate-friendly per se, yet some of them can help to find new solutions to reduce our wastes, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. My talk will give some insights on how digital can help ecological transition."

Laura Brimont appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 15 November 2017, Fontainebleau, with Jean Pierre Schmitt and Pianist Axel Lenarduzzi

"While we have been happy about the Paris COP21 agreement that intends to hold the increase of global average temperatures well below 2°C, we need to be aware that temperatures will increase regionally by much higher magnitudes. For the Alpine Space we expect increases more than twice as much the global averages. How will our climate change regionally in detail? Will there be more or less rain? Floods? Droughts? To address this challenge requires the development and application of complex computer models that are able to describe not only all atmospheric processes, but also many details of the land surface including vegetation. Results from newest very high resolution regional climate projections will be shown for Germany and the Alpine Space, but also for West Africa, one of the poorest region on earth where changing flood- and drought risks mean changing famine risks for the rural livelihoods."

Prof. Dr. Kunstman is ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 7 November 2017 with Pianist Josef Ressle

Our generation is the most powerful in history. We have the power to decide about the well-being and suffering of the next generations. We will also be judged by the future generations how we used this unprecedented power.

In few areas will our action or inaction be more consequential for the future generations than in the area of climate change. The greenhouse gas emissions that each of us contribute to currently, will increase the temperature, strengthen the hurricanes, prolong the droughts and worsen the floods that will be experienced by our children, grandchildren and grand grandchildren. The sea level rise will continue for up to 10.000 years after we have dealt with the issue of climate change – or were decimated by it.

But our generation is facing a special responsibility for dealing with climate change not only because of the damage it may cause by following the established path of burning all it can dig out of the ground, but also because it has the tools to change this path. Only since the beginning of this decade the costs of wind energy decreased by two thirds and the costs of solar energy by 85%. Costs decrease for batteries is gaining momentum and offering new opportunities for carbon neutral transport. Energy efficiency is decreasing energy consumption despite economic growth.

While attempting to decrease the negative repercussions of our addiction to fossil fuels on the future generations, we should also use the opportunity to make the world a better place not only for them – but also for us. Fight against climate change offers us the chance to stop financing the dictators and autocrats playing the role of drug dealers satisfying our fossil addiction. Instead of subsidizing international energy companies, which have been ignoring the issue for so long clearly knowing the stakes, we can send the money to our farmers producing the energy in energy cooperatives, or produce the power on our roofs. Finally, freeing ourselves from the custom of burning fossil fuels will save the lives millions people, sometime also our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters and sons and daughters, who die every year due to air pollution coming from our cars and chimneys.

The stakes have never been higher. And it’s our turn.

Andrzej Ancygier appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 15 November 2015, Berlin, with Pianist Neslihan Schmidt

"Climate change - so what? Why should we be concerned about drought in the African Sahel, rising sea-level in Vietnam, bush fires in Australia? By far the biggest CO2 emitter is China, so why should it be our problem? And anyway, hasn’t climate always been variable? Looking at the worldwide climate data record, examining the basic physics of climate change, and the economy of CO2 emissions, science gives very clear answers to these questions. The picture that emerges from our knowledge is not a romantic one: climate change is not an issue of either “Us” or “Them”; it is a problem that concerns each and everyone. And very likely, acceptable solutions also depend on each and everyone."

Prof. Dr. Hans Peter Schmid appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker in Munich, Germany

8th October 2017, with Pianist Composer Cornelia Malecki

22nd October 2017 with Cornelia Malecki 27 October 2017 with Pianist Elena Gurevich

“Weather is fate. Without its systems, there would be no life on this planet. Living in cities, we can easily forget that if we do not have the atmospheric oxygen that weather brings us, our life-expectancy would be about one minute. Without the fresh water brought to us by cloud and rain we might live only for a few days. Any unusual disruptions to climate, therefore, should be of the utmost concern to us. We are creatures of the elements. All the robotics, all the cars, all the computers, planes and artificial intelligence cannot alter this one iota. I will introduce this event by playing three works that allude to, or are involved in weather and nature: one by Beethoven, one by Liszt, one by the New Zealand composer, Douglas Lilburn (1915-2001). I will facilitate the climate discussion that follows. I intend it to be practical and wide-ranging.”

Denys Trussell performs in New Zealand as pianist and speaker on

No vember 12 and on November 15

“Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet, and we can do something about it simply by changing what we eat. The Vegan Society are asking people to take our seven day vegan challenge and to start to think differently about the food we eat. You can sign up at vegansociety.com/plateup. Having worked in the field of sustainability for fifteen years, initially in sustainable events, then in fair trade and most recently in green politics, I have seen the conversation around climate change move up and down the public and policy agenda, with priorities shifting from light bulbs to tidal lagoons. Now is the time to talk about food. I believe that veganism presents us with a viable and positive opportunity for us to make a difference on a personal level. Going vegan can reduce your food related carbon emissions by up to 50%. There are now over 500,000 vegans in the UK, and it’s never been easier to cut meat and dairy from your diet.”

Louise Davies appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 23rd November 2017, London - UK, with Pianist Elli Spackova

What a city says and why we need to hear?

“Paul Allen describes this period as almost a renaissance of human collective concern, in the light of climate change. There is a renewed sense of responsibility towards the environment and everyone is looking for avenues to get involved. However, some elements tend to remain under the domain of an "expert" , when it is now more than ever where participation is imperative; city planning is one such topic. In my talk, I'd like to focus on the role of a city in mitigating climate change and how the process of city planning could be more public and in turn, how inhabitants of a city may claim their right over it and create environmentally sound spaces/solutions. Through this talk, I'd like to also draw examples of a children's workshop I've conducted and what we can learn from unencumbered minds.”

Shruti Shiva appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker in Pune, India with Sachit Ajmani, concert date to be confirmed.

Finding Hope in the Global Response to Climate Change

Climate change can often feel overwhelming. We see hurricanes fueled by global warming devastating the Caribbean and floods inundating Bangladesh while ships ply the Northwest Passage and fires rage in Western Canada. The challenge is large, the response often seems slow at best, and time is short to begin making significant changes. Where do we look for hope? Fortunately people and communities and Aorganizations all over the world are responding to climate change and there is momentum locally and globally to generate the kind of transformations we need to address climate change. It will not be easy, but from the global Paris Agreement to local efforts in Toronto, there are diverse initiatives seeking to reorient communities and usher in a just, low carbon future. There is hope in these activities, but it will take energy and action to come to fruition.

Dr Hoffman appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 25 November 2017 at 3pm with Pianist Eriko Crino

"The list of reasons why we are in this mess is a long one. At the personal level, climate change can seem overwhelming. Perhaps we are simply not equipped – as a species and as individuals – to cope with something as complex and removed from our everyday lives. I want to argue that despite the limitations we possess as human beings, we are capable of finding our way out of this crisis. Most of us care about the welfare of others, even those we have never met and will never know. We sense that it is wrong – and impossible – always to take from the world; most of us want to make it a better place, given the chance. There is a real urgency to climate change, and we already stand to lose a lot of things we’ve taken for granted. But we still have many opportunities to protect what matters to us, and to do things differently. I hope to prompt discussion of how we might take the initiative on climate change, in ways that enable us to feel encouraged and positive about the future."

Dr Stuart Capstick appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker

10 November 2017 at 8pm with Dr Adam Corner and Pianist Composer Lola Perrin. Pre-concert talk at 4pm.

"I want to consider climate change as an idea instead of a “problem” requiring “solutions”. For me, constantly searching for a quick-fix solution is not helpful when it comes to climate change. What we need is space to consider our options and what climate change means for us individually. Yes, we know about the stronger storms, the higher sea levels, etc. But what does this mean to me, to you, to the person sitting next to you on the train, to the couple with the baby you passed in the park, to the old lady you saw at the bus stop? What meaning do all of these people give to climate change? I want to discuss how theatre can provide this space to think; a chance to stop, take a breath and ponder what can be done."

Julia Marques appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 11 November 2017, London, with Pianists Natatlie Bleicher, Hannah Gill & Tim Pryce

Why make Art about Climate Change?

"We need narratives as imaginative journeys. I think of artists as Social Dreamers, ‘making manifest the infinite knowing that is present’* in societies, institutions, groups. What if artists are tapping into the dreamtimes of western society, that which is driving us literally mad? Making performance work is the only thing that gives me the energy to believe that the world can change."

“Dermot, you know what?

It’s not about the planet getting hot.

That’s just an excuse to demonise

energy and commerce and the rise

in our quality of life. ....”

“…. Mud slides, falling roads, whole trees floating

broken, skeleton stories, goading

lorries in sideways slumber where they fell,

cars in circling arabesque before the swell

till overcome, they dive and uptail.

Flood gates fail.”

*Gordon Lawrence

Tessa Gordziejko appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker with Pianist Caroline Tyler Brighton, UK, date to be announced

150 years ago, environmental pilgrim John Muir first walked through the Sierra Nevada. The beauty of mountains and groves compelled Muir to assert that they were “God’s first temples.” Today, climate change poses an existential threat to these same mountain temples.

Muir’s writings powerfully shaped our national environmental conscience. He noted that “most people are on the world, not in it – have no conscious sympathy or relationship to anything about them – undiffused, separate, and rigidly alone like marbles of polished stone, touching but separate.” This belief in independence from nature and from each other has led to our environmental crisis. Contemporary scientific and spiritual insights affirm Muir’s wisdom; they reveal the connections that bind together natural ecosystems and human flourishing. They also point us toward planetary solutions and to a richer, fuller life.

Michael Kunz appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 11 November & 12 November 2017 with Pianist John Hord

"I believe the only way to avoid climate disaster is to tease out the human truth behind the doom-laden statistics and the scientifically-centred scenarios. Why are we living in this state of disconnect with our habitat, our community, and ourselves? Regardless of climate change issues, are we happy? Do we want to live in this way? Poetry, humour and story will be my ClimateKeys tools."

Jennifer Leach appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 8 November 2017, Reading with Pianist Composer Lola Perrin

"Why - despite what we know, and increasingly what we can see around us in the storms and floods of 2017 - is it so difficult to talk about climate change? What can we do - as communicators, as family members, as friends and colleagues - to shift the social norms on climate change, break the conversational silence that surrounds it, and face the reality of a changing climate like we would any other societal issue? If we can shift climate change from a scientific reality - grounded in data, future projections and abstract policy-talk - to a social reality (what climate change means for the things we love and the future we want to be part of), we will stand a much better chance of building and maintaining the momentum we need for the transition to a low-carbon world.”

Dr Adam Corner appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker

10 November 2017 at 8pm with Dr Stuart Capstick and Pianist Composer Lola Perrin. Pre-concert talk at 4pm.

"Climate Keys is a pioneering example of how music, working together with science, can promote a new, positive and far-reaching dialogue around climate change. As an academic studying the benefits of music and climate change, I shall be introducing the gala. I will outline Climate Keys' move to collaborate first hand with scientists; to activate audience dialogue; and to go 'glocal': exporting the framework of the local climate-concert-conversation around the world. In order to take the action necessary around climate change, we must - through works like Climate Keys - better imagine our global community and better understand ourselves to be significant and responsible 'global citizens'."

Hannah van den Brul introduces the launch concert of ClimateKeys 25th October 2017 at 7pm

“Climatic change remains controversial. Some people deny its existence, some others think that humanity is not responsible for it ... We will bring the point of view of the geologist who knows that climatic changes occurred during the whole history of the planet through natural geologic processes. After considering some evidences of past climate changes, we will show that CO2 often played a crucial role in these processes. Geological storage of carbon has been carried out by the planet for billions of years, mainly through the formation of limestone rocks and fossil fuels, always with a major contribution to Life! Today we are releasing much more CO2 into the atmosphere than the oceans can absorb. So, how can we deny our responsibility when the atmospheric CO2 content exceeds 400 ppm, a level never reached during the last warmest interglacial phases?

We must remember this quotation of uncertain origin (possible attributed to Indigenous Americans) “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children”.

Marc Deschamps appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker on 10 November 2017 with pianist Axel Lenadruzzi

"Le climat : des causes à l’action… Le climat de notre planète a de tout temps changé, des cycles aux rythmes variés guident sa vie : années, décennies, siècles, millénaires. L’activité de l’homme est venue depuis peu perturber fortement ces données fondamentales mettant notre propre existence en danger. Pour l’humanité, c’est une première. Mieux connaitre pour mieux agir est à la base de la réflexion proposée. Quels sont les gaz à effet de serre, quel est leur pouvoir de réchauffement global, par qui sont-ils émis voilà autant de questions indispensables pour orienter les solutions. Où en sommes-nous dans les démarches de coopération et de solidarité internationales. Quelles parts pourront jouer la technologie, l’humanisme et les comportements? Voilà de nombreux points qui seront abordés en ne perdant pas de vue le rôle que chacun d’entre nous peut aider à relever ce défi majeur. La planète va mal mais saura s’en sortir, ce qui prime c’est de remettre l’Homme au cœur des débats. De nos capacités à réagir dépend notre devenir, les initiatives multiples à travers le monde nous montrent que l’espoir est permis."

Jean Pierre Schmitt appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 15 November 2017 with Laura Brimont and Pianist Axel Lenarduzzi

"In the arid southwest ecosystem, human development brings with it a massive shift in the natural infiltration ability of rainfall. Road systems, rooftops and parking lots shed this stormwater off impermeable surfaces, concentrating it into fragile drainages that are extremely susceptible to erosion and pollutants. This stormwater is engineered to move as quickly as possible off these surfaces, and in general, is considered a nuisance. Stormwater is the key component and focus of our work, and utilization of this precious resource is proving to to be an extremely viable and useful way to regenerate these ecosystems that have been impacted by human development. Join us for a brief presentation of techniques that are being used to restore our southwestern ecology, and pioneer new developments to work with climate change issues."

Reese Baker appears as ClimateKeys Guest Speaker 14 November 2017 with Composer Pianist Alexander Schwarzkopf

.

Asad rehman
director : war on want

bridget mckenzie
founder - climate museum uk

Reader in Engineering Dynamics and Vibration, Cambridge
University Engineering Department

hazel graham
chief executive cumbria action for sustainability

DANIJELA BOŽANIĆ
HEAD OF CLIMATE CHANGE DEPARTMENT, MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
BELGRADE, SERBIA

TOMÁS INSUA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & FOUNDER
GLOBAL CATHOLIC CLIMATE MOVEMENT

SPENCER WEART
HISTORIAN OF SCIENCE

EMILY SHUCKBURGH
BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY

GIORGIO SACCHI
GEOLOGIST, ENVIRONMENTAL HIKING GUIDE
ITALY

ANDREW HIGHAM
CEO MISSION 2020

DUŠKA DIMOVIĆ
WWF ADRIA, COUNTRY MANAGER FOR SERBIA

IBRAHIMA S. KABA
ECONOMIST
PHD FELLOW MAASTRICHT UNIVERSITY

FARHANA YAMIN
CLIMATE CHANGE LAWYER
LONDON

Dr Marjan Peeters
Professor of environmental policy & law - maastricht

NOLAN MACGREGOR
cLIMATE CHANGE AND THE ECONOMY
- lONDON

Ömer Madra
Radio Journalist, former Humanitarian Law Lecturer - istanbul

goran trbic
professor of climatology - banja luka

rebecca l. FARNUM
DOCTORAL CANDIDATE
King's COLLEGE LONDON

Dr. john strasswimmer
physician - Florida

laura brimont
research fellow new prosperity -
paris

PRof. Dr. Harald Kunstmann
Professor for Regional Climate and Hydrology - Augsburg

Andrzej Ancygier
cLIMATE POLICY ANALYST - BERLIN

prof. dr. HANS PETER SCHMID
Meteorologist & climate change expert - munich

denys trussell
ecologist - new zealand

louise davies
vegan society - London

shruti shiva
architect - pune

dR MATTHEW HOFFMANN
Political Scientist - toronto

dr stuart capstick
environmental psychologist - cardiff

julia marques
climate change dramatist - london

TESSA GORDZIEJKO
THEATRE PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, POET AND PERFORMER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF IMOVE - brighton

MICHAEL KUNZ
Ecologist - California

jennifer leach
founder: festival of the dark & outrider anthems - reading

dr adam corner
research fellow - uk

hannah van den brul
SOAS, university of london
ma music in development

marc deschamps
geoscientist - france

jean pierre schmitt
Docteur en sciences de la terre - france

reese baker
Raincatcher inc - Albuquerque

ClimateKeys

Founded by composer pianist lola perrin