University to host People’s Assembly on Climate Emergency

By Isaac Haigh, Investigations Correspondent

The University Sustainability Department with the help of students are hosting a People’s Assembly on 23 October about the University’s declaration of a climate emergency.

The University declared a climate emergency earlier this year, on 17 April, acknowledging ‘deep concerns from students’. University of Bristol was the first UK university to declare a climate emergency and has also proposed to be carbon neutral by 2030.

Sarah Sharp, one of the students organising the event said the event will be ‘positive’ and ‘transcendent of politics and ideology, inclusive of all University members, bringing everyone together. Not one voice is more important than the others. This is everyone’s fight, not just those in power.’

The two and a half hour event on Wednesday has a capacity of 270 tickets, with 135 being open for all and the other 135 given to various staff departments and student groups representative of the University population. Members of the university must have tickets to attend.

The event will start with an introduction to what a climate emergency means for the University and how it plans to reduce its emissions. This will be followed by what a People’s Assembly involves and the science behind the declaration.

Attendees will split into groups of eight led by a facilitator to come up with ideas from one of seven or eight topics involving the University's environmental impact. Topics will include food, waste management, transport, and buildings among others.

Martin Wiles, Head of Sustainability said his aim is to ‘generate ideas to help to reduce our carbon emissions, I am particularly interested in what we can do collectively working together looking at everything we do.’

You can get a ticket for the event here

Featured image: Epigram / Kofo Sodiq-Ajala

Will you be going? Let us know!