The UK is in the grips of an energy crisis. Soaring energy bills are hitting households and businesses hard, having knock-on effects on the economy and resulting in a myriad of social problems. The war in Ukraine has brought energy security questions into sharp relief and combined with the need for the UK to continue decarbonising, has resulted in the politics of energy supply being front and centre in public discourse.

It is against this background that this year's Burntwood Speaker, Caroline Lucas, will look at the current energy situation and future pathways for energy production in the UK. In this 50th anniversary year of the IES, she will also explore how influential the widening environmental community has been, and using case studies from the nuclear debate, will shine a light on the role of science in informing and shaping policy.

The Burntwood Lecture provides an opportunity for an eminent speaker to talk on a current, critical and often controversial environmental theme. The invited in-person audience, numbering around 150, come from the professions, universities and government, with many more attendees joining for the live stream. The evening will also provide an opportunity to join us in celebrating the IES's 50th anniversary.
 

Our Speaker

Caroline was first elected as Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion in 2010. She served as leader of the Green Party of England and Wales from 2008 to 2012, and Co-leader from 2016 to 2018. From 1999-2010 she served as one of the Party's first MEPs and represented the South East region until becoming the UK's first Green MP

As an MP, Caroline has served as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Climate Change and Limits to Growth. She has been a Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency and Democratic Participation, and Deputy Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Renewable and Sustainable Energy.

Our Chair

Julie Hill has an academic background in english, philosophy, politics and ecology, and has had a career in the environment movement. She is presently Chair of the UK’s Waste and Resources Action Programme, a charity working to create a world where resources are used sustainably. She is also Deputy Chair of the Advisory Committee for Social Sciences for the Food Standards Agency, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Surrey. She is a former Director of, and now an Associate of, Green Alliance, one of the UK’s foremost environmental policy organisations, as well as a former board member of the Eden Project in Cornwall and the Environment Agency for England and Wales. In 2021 she was appointed a non-executive member of the new Office for Environmental Protection (OEP).

She has written extensively, including the popular book ‘The Secret Life of Stuff’ published by Vintage Books in January 2011, as well as many Green Alliance publications.

Julie was elected to the IES Council in 2016 and was appointed Vice Chair in 2018. She was elected as Chair in April 2021.

Event Schedule  

18:00 - Registration and drinks

Part 1: Celebrating our 50th anniversary & looking forward to the next 50 years
18:30 - Introduction & reflection of the past 50 years of shaping environmental science, Julie Hill
19:00 - Panel debate: Young voices - hopes for the next 50 years for the environment sector

• Vibs Bhatia, EY and Asians For Sustainability
• El Andrade May, Teach the Future and SOS-UK
• Sophie Palmer, Force of Nature

Part 2: The Burntwood Lecture 2022
19:30 - Renewable or radioactive? Lessons for the Environmental Sector, Caroline Lucas MP
20:15 - Q&A session

20:30 - Canapés, drinks, mingle

Registration

Registration has now closed. You can watch the event live by clicking here. 

Accessibility

The IES aim to provide events, conferences and workshops which are accessible to all. If you anticipate needing any type of assistance to fully participate in this event, please email Derek Jardine on events@the-ies.org or call +44 (0)20 3862 7484 to speak to somebody in person.