Category: Climate Change (Page 1 of 9)

Listening at The Big One and reflections from a King’s student

This blog post was written by Wendy Whittall, studying the Climate Change – Environment, Science & Policy MSc at King’s.


Someone talking on a stageI was watching the Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir on the main stage. The Choir had not made the stage, maybe not even the UK, so we (a melange of protesters, environmentalists, protectors and activists at The Big One) watched hypnotised by the Revered Billy with his Elvis-style white shock of hair, dog collar and shiny, bright pink suit who had arrived from NY to give us an impassioned talk about the Earth which was interspersed with him singing enthusiastically…. Earth-a-lujah, Earth-a-lujah.

Earlier in the day, it was trying to rain when I had met up at the COVID memorial wall, the heart-covered wall on the Westminster side of the bridge, with members of thGroup picture of listening teame King’s Climate Action Network and South London Citizens to carry out a Listening Project on the first day, Friday 21st April, of The Big One, the four-day marathon XR event which had attracted over 200 organisations. The event was a change of tactics to be family-friendly, educational and fun with the hope of creating momentum to end all new government fossil-fuel licences.

 3 people holding up banners

I joined up with Paulina and Jone to chat with several people to find out their reasons for coming to The Big One. Our first conversation was with a worker who, with her large board, had taken the day off to protest against the government’s inability to push through the Buildings Bill which, if passed, would reduce dramatically the 50mt of carbon emission by the UK construction industry.

We then spoke to two lovely well-dressed ladies, one had graffitied the back of her expensive coat and re-Two people standing below a green umbrellaengineered a green umbrella for the occasion, who had never been to an XR event beforehand and were motivated to attend as they understood it would be peaceful. They had arrived to support XR’s initiative to keep a future for their grandchildren. We also spoke to a couple of new sustainable businesses and long-time activists from Brighton.

Family holding up bannersWhilst we were watching the XR parade which included lots of drummers and spooky-looking people dressed head-to-toe in lipstick red floaty dresses, we met a young family from London whose boys had made their own banners, one stating “Don’t Wreck our Future” and the other “Don’t Throw it Away”.

Big ben and parade of people wearing red costumesAfter we had all gathered for a debrief of the project and left to go our separate ways, I continued down the length of Milbank dotted with many pop-up marquees à la festival including activists from Climate Justice, Greenpeace and Doctors and Psychologists were represented plus different forms of art activities. I was interested in talking to the Climate Fresk promoters, a collaborative workshop teaching the science of climate change based on the IPCC reports motivating a wider understanding of the problem.

To my delight I met, at the Climate Fresk stand, some environmentalists who had arrived from several different countries in Europe, Sweden, Germany & Belgium to name a few, to attend all four days. I People holding up flagsspoke to a doctor from Germany who had arrived by coach with 50 other passionate environmentalists. He had in the past organised climate-related events and was at The Big One to understand the positives and negatives of the event to create a similar event in Germany. His motivation was the experience of heat exposure during the summer months, and how the media does not talk about the number of deaths in the elderly, the young and the vulnerable, over 8,000 in 2022. He said that Germany had already passed the 1.5C IPCC bar and that the summers are longer and hotter. He also spoke about adequate wind farm energy for the entire country but due to an archaic law, whereby, if there is surplus energy being produced the energy is reduced by ‘switching off’ the newest (renewable) energy, thereby leaving coal as the burning, polluting energy source. He also acknowledged that the Greens, in the coalition German government, had sold out politically.

And it was about then when the Reverend Billy entered on stage. It had stopped raining, the sun was out, and there was the heavy scent of patchouli and the faint whiff of weed in the air. After the final and rousing Earth-a-lujah, Earth-a-lujah, I wended my way back down Milbank to Westminster tube.Person holding up an earth craft

I hadn’t gone far when I met up with the Mothers’ Climate Action Network with one of the mums dressed in an eye-catching French blue sequinned trouser-suit together with a turquoise bobbed wig all framed by a massive globe that she wore like a giant circular wing.

Two people holding up plants and craftsJust a bit further on I met two lovely ladies carrying a gorgeous-smelling wreath made that morning in one of their workshops. Each flower and stick of herb that had been added to the wreath had a prayer attached and the following day, Earth Day, they were going to hold a service by the Thames and return the wreath to the Earth by floating it on the Thames and releasing all the prayers to the world.

Over the weekend, I attended a couple (6 hours worth) of Climate Fresk workshops in Canada Water where I met Ruth, who had been an XR Steward. I offered to return her aprons to The Big One on Sunday, and while doing so, I was persuaded to stay for a 10-minute Climate Justice comedy sessionWall painting by Kate Smurthwaite (www.linktr.ee/katesmurthwaite). Big shout out.

The Big One was an interesting and wonderful event that brought people together, those that have voiced on our behalf for years and those who would not have normally attended an event, speaking for our future. There were the loud and passionate Earth-a-lujahs to the quiet and spiritual wreath laying of our prayers. All of us whether loud, angry, hopeful, funny, spiritual or sad were all there for the same aim. It was a mess of emotions in a world of business as usual on a warming planet.


This listening exercise was carried out as part of a climate listening campaign being carried out by King’s Climate Action Network in collaboration with South London CitizensThe campaign brings together community members through a community organising approach and invites them to talk about issues related to climate change they care about and reflect on why they are important to them. By listening to and connecting with people, the campaign aims to build our collective power and create a local climate movement that puts our communities’ concerns first.

Student experience volunteering at the London Student Sustainability Conference 2023

This guest blog post was written by Elisabeth Möhlenkamp, first-year English Law and German Law student at King’s College London and volunteer at LSSC23.


LSSC23 student volunteers from various universities.

This year’s annual London Student Sustainability Conference (LSSC) was a collaboration between ten of London’s universities, offering a space for student-led talks, workshops, conversations, and presentations centered around the UN Sustainable Development Goals. As one of many volunteers helping ensure the day ran smoothly, I was intrigued to see how the conference would effectuate convergence between the differing ideas and perspectives on sustainability.

I am a first-year English Law and German Law student at King’s College London, and up until my final year, where I can choose to specialize in a particular area of law, I do not think my course will cover climate justice and the law in any great depth (although I will have to see). z. However, I have a profound personal interest in climate justice (which was one of my main motivations to apply to law school in the first place). As a result, I aim to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible to engage with people who work in sustainability, who can teach me about new developments, who can demonstrate how sustainability is incorporated into various fields of study, research, and jobs. I volunteered at the LSSC conference to meet coordinators and students who shared my interest in climate justice and sustainability more broadly. I wanted to listen to the talks and projects that were presented, and also knew that it would be valuable to participate in a conference where everyone, despite their area of study, had an interest in how we can make the UN Sustainable Development Goals a reality.

I left the conference with a few general observations: Firstly, the featured projects were tailored to speak to people with varying degrees of knowledge. Some projects required basic prior knowledge in the respective field to fully understand the studies: One student presented innovative chemical manufacturing processes of an alternative material to plastic. Someone else had creatively designed a card game to indicate a food’s wastefulness, climate-friendliness, and seasonality to consumers. Thereby, sustainability was presented as a broadly applicable topic, from everyday life to specialized scientific research.

Secondly, the conference undoubtedly mirrored that Sustainability hits a nerve with each and every attendee, and it stimulates dedication and interest in an unparalleled fashion.

The closing event, which reunited attendees for a networking session, clarified that sustainability is near to people’s hearts: rarely have I observed and engaged in this many animated conversations, nor have I experienced proactivity and willingness to collaborate to this extent.

At the end, I noted that my perception of sustainability had changed. I find that in a university environment, sustainability as an idea is often closely connected to a certain career path rather than an end in itself: In an academic environment, sustainability is often mentioned in relation to ESG or Sustainable Finance. Surely, this phenomenon indicates increased awareness to the topic, but it causes loss of sight of all the issues that sustainability truly encompasses. Food Insecurity, socioeconomic status, physical and mental health issues, and the intersection of sustainability and humanitarian needs were discussed in the conference. The diversified content reinforced the need for interdisciplinary exchange to maintain an overall perspective.

I am sure speakers left the conference feeling buoyed by the unanimously positive feedback. Two students contently reported that attendees responded to their respective talks with inquisitive feedback and compliments on the exciting insights. Indeed, a successful event such as this acts as a propelling stimulation for those considering dedicating themselves to a sustainability-related project. To me, the conference meant newly acquired knowledge, exciting ideas, illuminating conversations, and several thrilling book recommendations, which all touch on sustainability, in all ways imaginable.

Elisabeth Möhlenkamp volunteered at LSSC on 20 February 2023. Whilst the conference has now taken place, you can still view the poster submissions for the event here. The conference will take place again in February 2024.

Join the final week of King’s Climate & Sustainability Month

King’s Climate & Sustainability Month offers you an opportunity to learn more about sustainability topics, collaborate and connect with others from across King’s, and take action on the climate crisis. Join the final week for a tree planting afternoon, a sustainability careers night, a climate action Q&A, a community mobilisation workshop, and more. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates.

Check out the events taking place this week:

Monday 27th 12-13 (Strand) Climate Change: What can we do? Join this student-activist-academic-led panel as part of the Associateship of King’s College (AKC).

 

15.30-16.30 (Waterloo) Stitch and Pitch: Volunteering Share your ideas, meet new people and learn about volunteering while honing your creative skills.

 

Various King’s Entrepreneurship Week – Day 1 Join an entrepreneurship hackathon, a workshop on how to build diverse teams, and a discussion about whether cities can be sustainable.

 

Tuesday 28th 12-13 (Online) Q&A with the Collective for Climate Action Find out more about this network of climate networks including 300 government organisations.

 

Various King’s Entrepreneurship Week – Day 2 Learn about how to spark disruptive ideas and gain insight into fast-paced innovation in health.

 

Wednesday 1st 15-16 (Online) Ethical and Fairtrade consumption What does Fairtrade mean? What are its limitations? How accessible are ethical choices?

 

17.30-20.30 (Guy’s) Stolen Climate: Global Perspectives of Fire on Earth Explore how we understand wildfires from their interaction with the Earth’s atmosphere to their relationship with colonialism.

 

Various King’s Entrepreneurship Week – Day 3 Find out how to develop entrepreneurial ideas using feedback and share yours in a speed mentoring session.

 

Thursday 2nd 12-13.30 (Online) Community organising & change-making

 

Join this workshop to hear about the power of community organising to change our societies.

 

16-18 (Strand) Engineering Microbial Biotech for Environmental Sustainability Learn about the role of the Sustainable Development Goals in microbial biotech.

 

18.30-20 (Residence) GradPlus: Climate & Sustainability careers Join the GradPlus team to discover careers related to climate & sustainability.

 

Various King’s Entrepreneurship Week – Day 4 Hear about the career journeys of three successful women and uncover disability bias in entrepreneurship.

 


Friday 3rd
12-14 (Honour Oak Park) Tree planting afternoon  Enjoy being outdoors and meet new people while helping us plant over 200 trees.

 

Various King’s Entrepreneurship Week – Day 5 Learn how to create an entrepreneurial CV and enjoy the week’s closing networking party.
All week Fairtrade Fortnight (27th of February – 12th of March) Choosing Fairtrade supports producers in protecting the future of some of our most-loved food and the planet.

 

King’s Climate & Sustainability Month: Week 4

King’s Climate & Sustainability Month offers you an opportunity to learn more about sustainability topics, collaborate and connect with others from across King’s, and take action on the climate crisis. Join the fourth week for an inter-university conference, to exorcise your climate anxieties through music, explore climate change via foreign policy and security, and more. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates.

Check out the events taking place this week:

Monday 20th 12-20 (Hybrid) London Student Sustainability Conference Join this conference to find out more about the student-led work that is inspiring positive impacts in the world.

 

Tuesday 21st 12.30-14 (Strand) The sound of the climate crisis Get loud with this gig theatre workshop which invites you to identify your climate anxieties and exorcise them through music in a safe and welcoming environment.

 

Wednesday 22nd 10-16 (Strand) Foreign Policy and Security Conference (22nd-24th) This conference provides a forum for practitioners and students to discuss together the challenges faced in the international arena, including climate change.

 

13.30-14.30 (Online) Make a difference – activism via email This event will give you the tools and support to demand better from your favourite brands – all through the power of an email.

 

14-16 (Waterloo) Plant with Pride: LGBTQ+ Gardening Event Meet new friends, sew seeds, paint pots and learn how to look after your plants with the Senior Gardener in the local community.

 

Thursday 23rd 9-17.30 (Strand) New Energy – a new approach to procurement and delivery? This event will explore current developments in the procurement of new and renewable energy projects, focusing both on the UK and internationally.

 

12-14.30 (Strand) Sustainable community lunch Join this lunch to connect with like-minded students and meet the King’s Sustainability team while enjoying vegan treats.

 

12-17.30 (Guy’s) Climate finance workshop Join this workshop to learn about pricing climate linkers, measuring climate transition risk, economic implications of short-term climate scenarios, and more.

 

16-17 (Online) Cross River Partnership: Empowering City Sustainability Join Cross River Partnership’s Conversation to explore how businesses can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and be a force for positive change.

 


Friday 24th
11-12 (Online) Sustainability drop-in Join this online drop-in to ask the King’s Sustainability team any questions and discover how you can get involved with sustainability at King’s and beyond.

 

All week Various Biohackathon This hackathon aims to provide you with knowledge, skills, and experience to solve global problems with synthetic biology and entrepreneurship.

 

 

Living in King’s Residences? Then check out the various events coming up in celebration of King’s Climate & Sustainability Month.

King’s Climate & Sustainability Month: Week 3

King’s Climate & Sustainability Month offers you an opportunity to learn more about sustainability topics, collaborate and connect with others from across King’s, and take action on the climate crisis. Join the third week for interactive climate simulations, seed bomb making, mindfulness in nature, climate activism, and volunteering. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates.

Check out the events taking place this week:

Monday 13th
10.30-12 (Strand) King’s Climate Action Network Showcase Find out more about the King’s Climate Action Network while connecting over creative activities.

 

13.30-15 (Strand) Interactive climate simulator workshop Join this workshop exploring what climate interventions are needed to effectively mitigate climate change on a global scale, using the En-ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator.

 

Wednesday 15th
11-12 (Online) King’s Volunteering Webinar: Taking action by volunteering Find out how you can take action by volunteering, giving your time to support organisations driving positive change.

 

13-15 (Guy’s) Cycling in London Do a test bike ride with Swapfiets and find out more about their bike membership, connect with King’s Cycling Club, and learn more about cycling and bike maintenance.

 

14-15 (Guy’s) Mindfulness in nature Drop into your body, expand your awareness, and reconnect to nature through meditation, active listening, slacklining, dance and yoga.

 


Friday 17th
10-16 (Strand) SPACE – re-imagining space for sustainability Join this exhibition and showcase of live demos which explore the use of urban space for better sustainable living.

 

12.15-13.15 (Strand) Make your own seed bombs Learn about creating wildlife-friendly spaces and make your own seed bomb.

 

15.30-16.30 (Strand) An introduction to climate activism and youth governance Hear from the Youth Climate Ambassadors for Wales about how you can get involved in climate activism and how we achieve youth governance.

 

All week Student volunteering week (King’s Volunteering and KCLSU) A national week of action involving over 60 HE institutions featuring events and volunteering taster activities from a range of societies and charity partners.

Climate & Sustainability Month: Week 2

King’s Climate & Sustainability Month offers you an opportunity to learn more about sustainability topics, collaborate and connect with others from across King’s, and take action on the climate crisis. Join the second week to discover careers in sustainability, network, learn about air travel and making change abroad, and re-imagine space for sustainability. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates.

Check out the events taking place this week:

Monday 6th 6-7.15pm (Online) Discover Careers In: Sustainability Hear from industry professionals and alumni about their roles in the Sustainability sector and gather in-depth knowledge to assist your career search.

 

Tuesday 7th 12-12.45pm (Strand) Sustainability and Global Mobility – How you can make a change abroad Join the Global Mobility team to learn more about how you can be more sustainable when travelling to study or work abroad.

 

6-7.15pm (Online) Discover Careers In: Social Enterprise Hear from industry professionals and alumni about their roles in the Social Enterprise sector and gather in-depth knowledge to assist your career search.

 

Wednesday 8th 2-4pm (Strand) KBS sustainability essay competition workshop Join this workshop on doing research and evaluating research studies for undergraduate King’s Business School students to gain useful skills for the KBS sustainability essay competition.

 

3-5pm Leadership Masterclass – Introduction to Community Organising Join KCLSU for this introduction to the practice and tools of community organising, looking at how it can be used to build the power of communities to make change through collective action.

 

4.15-5.15pm (Hybrid) Air travel in academia: how sustainable is the academic system? Join this discussion to learn more about reducing the impact of air travel within & beyond academic systems.

 

6-8pm (Strand) CASCADE INQUIRY: Exploring hopeful climate futures Join this generative discussion introducing CASCADE INQUIRY, a new initiative by Superflux that imagines climate-positive futures.

 


Thursday 9th
2-3.15pm (Online) Discover Careers In: Renewable Energy & Sustainable Tech Hear from industry professionals and alumni about their roles in the Renewable Energy & Sustainable Tech sector and gather in-depth knowledge to assist your career search.

 

6-7.30pm (Strand) Climate & Sustainability Careers Networking Night Join this Networking Night to meet with employers who have sustainability opportunities as well as individuals keen to share their knowledge and experience working in this area.

 

Please note that the SPACE – re-imagining space for sustainability event that was due to take place on the 10th has been postponed to the 17th.

King’s Climate & Sustainability Action Plan is now live!

King’s Climate & Sustainability Action Plan, developed by the university’s Climate & Sustainability team in consultation with students, staff, alumni and members of King’s Climate Action Network (King’s CAN), has now been published. The action plan outlines 13 key impact areas to guide the university’s approach to sustainability and climate change, informed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

Key deliverables include:

  • At least a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030, across energy use, business travel, our supply chain, commuting and waste
  • Ensuring sustainability and climate education is embedded into all King’s degree programmes by 2026
  • A four-fold increase in climate and sustainability research activity by 2029
  • Increasing investments with socially responsible benefits to 40% by 2025
  • Development of guidance on internal carbon pricing, to ensure we can better align financial decision-making criteria with King’s climate action goals

The publication of the action plan coincides with the start of King’s Climate & Sustainability Month which runs throughout February. It features ambitious targets to reduce emissions from our buildings so we can deliver the 40-50% reduction needed by 2030 to help limit global warming to 1.5°C.

The plan prioritises absolute reduction of carbon emissions over offsetting, which compensates for emissions by funding equivalent carbon dioxide savings elsewhere, and carbon removals, which includes natural strategies like tree restoration and agricultural soil management.

That is why we have now set a 2030 net zero target to give us more time to focus and invest in direct emissions reductions on our estate and in our operations.

Find out more here (or on the external page here).

Showcase your work at the London Student Sustainability Conference 2023

Calling all students at King’s College London! 

Join this unique opportunity to showcase your sustainability work in front of an inter-university audience and to network with other like-minded students.  

Group picture from LSSC 2022 showing people holding up SDG signs.

Group picture taken at LSSC 2022.

The London Student Sustainability Conference (LSSC) is back again in February 2023 for its fifth edition. This conference is a platform for any students at a London University to showcase their work related to the Sustainable Development Goals. 

The event welcomes students, staff, professionals, and members of the public to listen and engage with student research and projects in the field of sustainability. During the event, students exhibit their research and projects through presentations, posters and workshops, followed by an early evening networking reception. 

This year’s Conference is a collaboration between King’s and 9 other London universities: City, GCU, Imperial, Kingston, LSE, South Bank, UCL, Greenwich, and Westminster. 

This is a great opportunity to share your work with a diverse audience, practice presentation skills and network with students, staff and professionals interested in sustainability from universities across London and beyond! 

Find out how to apply here. Deadline: 4th of December. 

Registrations for tickets to attend will open in January 2023. Stay tuned by subscribing to the King’s Sustainability newsletter and following King’s Sustainability on Instagram. 

Read about LSSC 2022.  

Weathervane: We Not I 

Tuesday 15th November, 17:00-19:30, Strand Campus Great Hall

Person holding up a poster saying "13% of homes in fuel poverty" in a museumOn Tuesday 15th November King’s Culture Climate Collective is presenting Weathervane: We Not I, a joyful evening of collective artmaking and a student-led call to action from the Great Hall on Strand Campus.

As COP27 approaches and millions of young people once again hold their breath for meaningful political action, how do we create space for King’s students to share their climate hopes and fears, their dreams for a just and sustainable future?

Weathervane answers that call, featuring a range of empowering activities including:

  • The creation of We Are A Sea, a live unfolding mass artwork led by artist Beccy McCray exploring our relationship to water through the mixing of plant dyes
  • A talk from youth social justice organiser Simmone Ahiaku about how to turn climate anxiety into hope, resistance, and change
  • A showcase of specially created climate justice posters created by King’s students
  • The creation of the Climate Action Network Collective Manifesto, The Wall of Hope, a sustainable crochet masterclass and more!

Refreshments will be provided. Open to all students and stuff, however space is limited. RSVP via Eventbrite.

Join the King’s Climate Action Network Re-Launch (18th of October)

Image of a group of students sitting in front of a King's building and the text "Join the climate action network"How can King’s take a leadership role in addressing the climate crisis? Join our King’s Climate Action Network (CAN) re-launch event to find out what the CAN is, what our plans are for this year, start discussing actions, and meet each other. This year, there will be paid and volunteering opportunities, and a range of trainings and workshops.

All King’s staff, students, and alumni are welcome to attend the re-launch event on the 18th of October (4.30-6.30pm) in JCMB G. 16. Refreshments and snacks will be provided! Sign up to the CAN here, or email us if you have any questions.


The King’s CAN is an open, interdisciplinary forum which aims to bring together people from the King’s community who are passionate about sustainability and climate. 

Throughout the next year, the CAN will implement actions from the co-created Sustainability & Climate Action Plan through dedicated Take Action teams. These teams will be led by trained and paid student project managers (~8 hours per month) and will cover topics from education to food. 

The network is open to anyone at King’s – students, staff, alumni – as well as our key external partners. No prior knowledge is required. Climate action is an area the King’s community is increasingly passionate and concerned about, and we want to make sure that anyone who wants to contribute gets that chance. The next few years will be critical for climate action, and we have lots to do at King’s if we want to become net zero and ultimately absolute zero! 

Join King’s climate action movement now.

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