News release from the University of Southampton

Ref: 04/172     10 November 2004

Are we treating the threat of climate change seriously enough?
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Leading academics and activists in the field of 
climate change will gather at the University of 
Southampton on Friday 12 November for a workshop 
named 'Climate change and humanity: Elite 
perceptions, Sustainable Solutions'.

They will discuss how seriously the threat of 
climate change is being taken by Government, 
industry, academia and non-governmental 
organisations. Also on the agenda will be an 
examination of geo-strategic issues including 
impacts on global security and potential 
conflict. Delegates will also consider how to 
take the debate forward.

Around 40 people are expected at the all-day 
event which is being held by the Forum for the 
Study of Crisis in the 21st Century, set up by 
two academics based at the University.

Organiser Dr David Cromwell explained: 'A study 
published earlier this year in Nature estimated 
that one million species will be doomed to 
extinction by 2050 as a result of climate change. 
The authors of that study described their results 
as "terrifying". In the face of such mounting 
evidence of likely devastating climatic impacts, 
it is no wonder the government's chief scientist, 
Sir David King, has warned that "climate change 
is the most severe problem we are facing today".

'Many of us work on tiny parts of the climate 
problem and related issues. But there is an 
increasingly urgent need to work together and to 
tackle the crisis in a genuinely holistic, 
crossdisciplinary and critical way. However, this 
in itself is insufficient. Researchers also have 
to play a leading role in developing sustainable 
solutions to the climate challenge, in engaging 
with the public, and in critically appraising 
policies that so often go unexamined or 
unchallenged,' added Dr Cromwell.

'The Crisis Forum believes that humankind is in 
serious trouble due to an economic and political 
system which is destroying our ability to sustain 
our existence on this planet. Its aims are (a) to 
bring together committed people from diverse 
academic disciplines and independent researchers, 
and to analyse the nature of the crisis in a 
genuinely holistic way; (b) to put that knowledge 
to positive use so ordinary people can apply 
global knowledge to local contexts; and (c) to 
develop this initiative as an independent 
research-based centre.'

Ends

Notes for editors:


1. The University of Southampton is a leading UK 
teaching and research institution with a global 
reputation for leading-edge research and 
scholarship. The University has around 20,000 
students and nearly 5,000 staff. Its annual 
turnover is in the region of £270 million.
2. The Forum for the Study of Crisis in the 21st 
Century ('Crisis Forum') was begun in 2002 by two 
independent-minded scholars at the University of 
Southampton: historian Mark Levene and 
oceanographer David Cromwell.
For more details, please visit www.crisis-forum.org.uk.
The Forum is meeting in the Hartley Room of the 
University's Staff Social Centre from 11.00am to 
5.15pm, Friday 12 November.


For further information:

Dr David Cromwell, Southampton Oceanography Centre, tel. 023 8059 6411,
email: [log in to unmask]
Karen Woods, Media Relations, University of Southampton,
tel. 023 8059 3212, email: [log in to unmask]