Video | GEG Annual Lecture, The Imperative of a Global Climate Deal

The Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Christiana Figueres delivered the GEG Annual Lecture 2015.

The lecture came on the eve of COP21, the global climate conference at which 196 countries met in Paris to discuss a possible new agreement on climate change. Ms Figueres emphasized the imperatives for decisive action and provided an overview of the current status of the negotiations, including current commitments on greenhouse gas emissions due for renewal in 2020. She outlined a series of steps that are needed to bring about lasting and meaningful progress on climate change, and discussed the implications of such an agreement at the Paris conference.

This lecture represents Ms Figueres’ only UK public speaking engagement before the Paris summit, and offered a unique opportunity to engage with a key figure in the negotiation process. Ms Figueres has contributed to the design of key climate change instruments, and is widely known as an inspirational public speaker.

Dr Thomas Hale, GEG Senior Researcher and Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, acted as Chair for the lecture.