Professor Rebecca Willis, from Lancaster University, and Professor Sam Fankhauser, from the London School of Economics, will share their experience and insights as debaters tackle the climate emergency.

The debate - The climate emergency: Do we need a whole new political economy? – takes place on 18 March, from 14.00 – 17.00.

You can find out more about what’s planned for the event here. You can sign-up here.

Prof Willis is a researcher with 20 years’ experience in environment and sustainability policy and practice, at international, national and local level. She is a professor in practice at Lancaster Environment Centre, and an expert lead for Climate Assembly UK, the national Citizens' Assembly commissioned by parliament.

In 2009 Rebecca founded Green Alliance’s Climate Leadership Programme, an initiative to support MPs, and still supports Green Alliance's work in this area. Previously, she was a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the UKRI Energy Programme, council member of the Natural Environment Research Council, vice-chair of the UK Sustainable Development Commission, and director of Green Alliance.

Prof Fankhauser is director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and director of the ESRC-funded Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, both at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Previously, he worked at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility. From 2008 to 2016 he was a member of the UK Committee on Climate Change.

The event will also feature Professor Frans Berkhout, executive dean of the Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy and professor of environment, society and climate at King’s College London.