The Reading Climate Festival is launching this weekend and is taking place from 8-21 June. Join us for two weeks of events and activities to inspire climate action and collaborations in Reading, including a special ‘In Conversation with Professor Ed Hawkins MBE’ event.
Led by Reading Climate Action Network (RCAN), the Reading Climate Festival offers opportunities for local schools, organisations and individuals to help Reading become a net zero, climate-resilient town.
The University of Reading is working with RCAN to deliver events at Reading Climate Festival, and the fortnight culminates in Show Your Stripes Day. Every year on 21 June, the University of Reading calls on individuals, businesses, and cities around the world to highlight their local climate stripes and share the powerful message they convey.
2024 is also Reading’s Year of Climate Engagement. Find out more about how to get involved in shaping our town’s climate action priorities for 2025–2030.
All our Reading Climate Festival events are free, but you must book in advance to secure your attendance.
Selected highlights from the Reading Climate Festival:
In Conversation with Professor Ed Hawkins MBE
From local to global: how the climate stripes spread a message around the world
Friday 21 June 2024, 19:00-20:30 GMT
In person at The Concert Hall in Reading, or attend online
Join us, either in person or online, for this special event to mark Show Your Stripes Day and to close the Reading Climate Festival.
No words. No numbers. No graphs. Just a series of vertical coloured bars, showing the progressive heating of our planet in a single, striking image.
The University of Reading’s very own Professor Ed Hawkins MBE is a climate scientist, IPCC author, and creator of the famous climate warming stripes. Since the stripes were created in 2018, they have been widely commended as a powerful representation of the changing climate and an emblem for people and communities to share their concern all around the world.
In this exclusive event, we will hear the full story of how the stripes evolved from a modest science graphic to a global phenomenon, reaching well beyond academic circles, featuring in places ranging from intergovernmental negotiations, media, sports, arts and fashion.
We will also hear about exciting new opportunities for the stripes and why their message is more important than ever.
Climate Ambassadors: Support climate action in education
Monday 10 June, 16:00-17:00 GMT
Online
Learn about the free service for schools to help them develop a climate action plan to reduce carbon emissions, tackle climate risks and inspire and inform the next generation, plus how you can become a Climate Ambassador.
Whether you are a teacher, governor, senior leader or other member of staff looking to take climate action in your school, or an individual or organisation looking to volunteer with the Climate Ambassador scheme, this event is for you!
Storing Carbon Under Your Feet
Wednesday 12 June, 19:30-21:00 GMT
Online
As humanity struggles to lower its greenhouse gas emissions, the need to remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it securely for the long term becomes increasingly urgent.
During this event Professor Martin Lukac from the University of Reading’s Department of Sustainable Land Management will discuss strategies for carbon sequestration in urban soils.
There is a wide range of other Climate Festival events taking place elsewhere in Reading, so if you live locally you can check these out here.
