MADISON – Britain's ambassador to the United States will visit the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Friday, Sept. 29, to exchange views on climate security.
Sir David Manning will hear from a panel of UW-Madison scientists at a private luncheon before giving a public address, "Energy Security and Climate Security: A Foreign Policy Challenge for the 21st Century," at 1:30 p.m. in Memorial Union's Great Hall. Tickets are required to attend the lecture.
British prime minister Tony Blair has called climate change the world's greatest environmental challenge. Last year, as president of the Group of Eight (G8) nations, he declared it, along with Africa, one of his highest priority issues.
In his speech, Sir David Manning will describe how "the energy challenge is now more pressing than ever," saying that "despite the warnings down the decades, our societies have become more, not less vulnerable to the politics of energy."
He will also warn of severe economic, social, and political consequences around the world if global warming goes unchecked.
The ambassador's UW-Madison visit was arranged by Michael Bright, H.M. British Consul (Hon) to Wisconsin, and is sponsored by the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy, Department of Political Science, La Follette School of Public Affairs, Center for European Studies, European Union Center of Excellence, and Division of International Studies.