Be prepared to be challenged to consider the progress we, as a world, have made since COP26. Kevin Anderson is best placed to provide this urgent wakeup call because he is Professor of Energy and Climate Change at Manchester University and the Uppsala University in Sweden.

In his talk, Kevin will explore what he calls, ‘a damning indictment’ of the world’s response to global warming. No punches will be pulled.

He will state that politicians, journalists and many academics have failed to take the climate emergency seriously enough. From the Paris COP to the present day, the responsibility for the extreme weather that we are increasingly experiencing is widespread. The floods in Spain are only the most recent example of a catalogue of disasters that have been suffered around the globe.

We will learn that while some of the world’s leaders have normalised a deeply fraudulent vision of a technical utopian future acting like old fashioned colonialists, others have kept firmly silent on the impending climate catastrophe.

He believes there has been an avoidance of anything that would question our existing way of life BUT wilful ignorance can no-longer be a defence. He will show us the frightening gap between current policies and the reality of our Paris commitments.

Kevin will claim that we are tiptoeing into the future when what we need are powerful and radical solutions taken at a fast pace. He will challenge us to realise that the choice is between a profound, but organised, shake-up of systems and day-to-day lives or waiting a little longer for the climate to trigger chaotic and violent social change.

Are we ready to make the choice? Who will be brave enough to make it? What will it mean to our everyday life? … The questions these two choices trigger are endless.

Come to the talk ready to engage directly with the future of the world.

Time to decide whether you possess: “Pessimism of the Intellect, the Optimism of the Will.” Kevin will explain how this quote, which is the subtitle of his talk, is relevant to the current crisis. The End is Nye, or is it? You can decide after this not-to-be missed talk.

Roger Gill

From the beginning, Professor Anderson showed he was a man on a mission. Known for his contributions to the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, BlueSky Social, and Climate Uncensored, his passion for presenting the stark truths about climate change was unmistakable.

He began by framing the evening as a ‘Red Pill’ presentation, invoking the Matrix in which taking a red pill provides a means to confront the harsh truths of reality rather than spending life in a world of comforting illusions. His mission was to dismantle any ignorance about the climate crisis, using a wealth of data, quotes, and analysis. Fanciful notions, whether they be alt-right hoaxes or moderate beliefs in painless solutions, were also systematically debunked.

What matters most to Professor Anderson are the ever-quickening rates of climate change and the speed at which we are approaching a raft of tipping points. At current rates of Global emissions, we have just four years of our carbon budget left to limit warming to 1.5°C, and 14 years for a 2°C cap. Achieving even the 2°C target demands annual emission reductions akin to those seen during the COVID-19 lockdown – an immense challenge. While the 2015 Paris Agreement establishes the political framework for our policies, the science makes clear that wealthy nations must eliminate the use of fossil fuels entirely in under a decade to meet our 1.5°C commitment and by 2040 if we’re to make our fair contribution to staying ‘well below 2°C.’

Kevin warned that inaction will disproportionately harm developing nations, while the wealthy seek to insulate themselves from the realities of climate change. He pointed to how responsibility for emissions is highly skewed to a relative few in society. The lifestyles of the top 10% of emitters give rise to half of all global emissions. More worryingly, the top 1% have a collective carbon footprint that is twice as big as the bottom half of the world’s population. Sadly, policies continue to be designed to protect the privilege of the wealthy high emitters, while ignoring the harm their lifestyles cause to others far less fortunate.

What was Kevin’s solution? Nothing short of a ‘Marshall Plan on steroids,’ involving, for example, a technical and social revolution, the widespread building of passive housing, retrofitting existing buildings, vastly improved public transport, and more equitable access to sustainable energy. All of this, he noted, required a fundamental reallocation of society’s productive and capacity, with labour and resources shifted from furnishing the private luxuries of high-emitting individuals and towards the rapid decarbonisation of our physical infrastructure.

The talk’s subtitle, “Pessimism of the Intellect, Optimism of the Will,” echoed Antonio Gramsci’s ideas. Kevin guided us through the realm of pessimism – laying bare the grim truths – before offering some long-anticipated optimism through action. Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony, where power is maintained by shaping societal norms, was tied to the need for grassroots action. Kevin stressed the importance of challenging entrenched systems through collective effort from the grassroots upwards, warning that without radical change, violent upheaval will follow.

Ultimately, he left us with a call to action: we need to embrace agency, set examples, have positive conversations with friends and neighbours, demand change, and push leaders – who have been slow to confront reality. He suggested that if we write frequently, and in large numbers to our MPs, they will eventually worry about their majorities enough to reach for the red pills.

Kevin finished with a flourish of rousing statements: it’s too late for half-measures; the future depends on a velvet revolution of will and action. The only hope is for us, collectively – personally and politically – to act and drive the change that is so badly needed.

After that, the questions came thick and fast. Kevin’s answers were fascinating. He considered carbon offsetting to be rather like the medieval priests’ sale of indulgences. One of the most frightening tipping points could be the collapse of the AMOC (Atlantic meridional overturning circulation). If that happens, we in Northern Europe would experience unimaginable freezing cold extended winters, for example. He acknowledged the success of groups like Extinction Rebellion in highlighting the issues, but that it was now time for the rest of to stand up and be counted: we need to be engaged citizens – collaboration is better than competition.

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Roger Gill 14.01.25