Knowledge Diplomacy Seminar – Cities as actors for global climate change

This online Knowledge Diplomacy seminar series is a collaboration between the Goethe Institut, British Council (France and Germany), University of London (London and Paris) and is supported by ICR Research, SOAS, Queen Mary University of London and the NEXTEUK project.

The series takes place in a form of online discussions that bring leading experts and institutions together to discuss how Knowledge Diplomacy is highly relevant in both academic and policy circles in addressing pressing global issues. This is an opportunity for academics, policymakers, practitioners and students to join an exciting conversation and exchange ideas linked to the emerging concept of Knowledge Diplomacy.

It is frequently emphasised that Knowledge Diplomacy has the potential to address pressing situations and major problems affecting our world today. The most significant challenges facing the world — such as the effects of climate change — are of global scope and affect all nations and societies in varied ways and to different degrees. Solutions to these problems will depend on engagement and contributions from the ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ scientific community. In addition, this will depend on the ways in which states will cooperate on tackling climate change using the contributions made by the scientific community. The solutions will also depend at least as much — possibly even more — on changing how societies work, and how people behave, and people living in cities. Therefore, the relationship between universities, cities and diplomacy is highly significant in the process of tackling pressing global issues.

Both cities and higher education institutions they accommodate are faced with addressing pressing global issues and adapting/overcoming the obstacles and adversities these issues cause. Cities accommodate leading higher academic institutions and the three cities are members of the C40 group committed to sharing knowledge on climate action. This event builds on our earlier event in June 2021 during which the important point was made specifically that during the last couple of decades, while an unprecedented shift in economic models and development was taking place, the relevant information on climate change was not being shared equitably. Knowledge Diplomacy has the potential to address these challenges.

How can cities in the UK and Europe work with each other and with their multiple local and national stakeholders to address the challenge of climate policy through knowledge creation and exchange? What are the benefits of higher academic institutions in facilitating cooperation among countries? Who are the key stakeholders in this process? What modes of dialogue and cooperation can cities use to make the greatest impact? How can universities and cities develop such knowledge platforms further? How can knowledge-sharing turn into meaningful action? These are some of the questions that this online seminar seeks to answer.

Details

• Date: Thursday 6 October 2022
• Platform: Zoom (to be distributed via Eventbrite)
• Time: 16:00 to 17:30 (BST) / 17:00 to 18:30 (CEST)

Speakers

The event will be chaired by Sir Ian Blatchford FSA, Director of the Science Museum Group.

There will be a panel discussion with speakers representing different perspectives of expertise:

• Celia Blauel - Deputy Mayor of Paris for the environment, sustainable development, water, canal policies and the Climate Energy Plan
• David Miller - Former Mayor of Toronto, Managing Director of International Diplomacy for the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
• Eda Ayaydin, Teaching Fellow at University of London Institute in Paris and PhD Candidate at University of Paris-Saclay