G7 – Climate experts available from University of Oxford

Leaders of the G7 nations will gather for their annual summit in the UK to discuss several policy priorities, not least how to tackle climate change and preserve the planet’s biodiversity.

Last month, climate and environment ministers from these countries met and issued a wide-ranging communique acknowledging that climate change and biodiversity loss posed a grave threat to the world. They recognised that key drivers of these two threats also increased the likelihood of further pandemics.

The University of Oxford has a wealth of research that focuses on climate change and biodiversity across many disciplines. Researchers from the University are available to talk to the media tomorrow (but also possibly today) and offer expert quotes on a wide range of topics, as follows:

• Professor Myles Allen is Professor of Geosystem Science and leads the Climate Research Programme at Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute. His research looks into how human and natural influences contribute to observed climate change, and also at how the 2°C increase in global warming could be avoided. He was one of the authors one of the authors of the 2018 IPCC report on 1.5°C.
• Dr Thomas Hale is Associate Professor in Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government. As a COP26 Fellow, Dr Hale is supporting international negotiations in the run-up to the conference, and his research explores how political institutions evolve - or not - to face the challenges raised by globalization and interdependence, with a particular emphasis on environmental, economic, and health issues. His research was cited in a landmark ruling by a Dutch court, which ordered Royal Dutch Shell to drastically deepen planned greenhouse gas emission cuts.
• Professor Cameron Hepburn is Professor of Environmental Economics and Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. He has published widely on carbon capture, energy systems and environmental challenges across a range of disciplines, and provides advice on energy and climate policy to government ministers and international institutions around the world.
• Dr Fredi Otto is Acting Director of Oxford's Environmental Change Institute and co-investigator on the international World Weather Attribution project. Her research focuses on extreme weather events, improving and developing methodologies to explore whether and to what extent external climate drivers alter the likelihood of extreme weather.
• Professor Nathalie Seddon is Professor of Biodiversity in the Department of Zoology and Director of the Nature-based Solutions Initiative. As an official 'friend' of COP26, she is one of around 30 global experts currently advising the UK government on its presidency of the conference. Her research focuses on determining the ecological and socioeconomic effectiveness of nature-based solutions (NbS).

To secure an interview with them, enquire about the availability of other researchers you may be interested in, or for further questions, please contact Amjad Parkar, Communications Officer, University of Oxford, [email protected] or 01865 270002.