Climate change and National Parks: from threat to opportunity?

Date/Time:

22/10/2019 1:00 pm 2:00 pm

Location:

Learning Centre, Heritage Quay,
University of Huddersfield
Queensgate
Huddersfield
HD1 3DH

Cost:

This event is free to attend.

More Details:

Climate change and National Parks: from threat to opportunity?

by Andrew McCloy, Chairman, Peak District National Park Authority

National Parks are designated for their high landscape value, but from fires to flooding these sensitive habitats are already suffering the impacts of climate change. However, this vulnerability also suggests a way forward. Britain’s national parks are uniquely placed to deliver key messages and shape low carbon lifestyles among our 90 million visitors each year.

We need to promote radical new approaches to sustainable travel, where people are persuaded to get out of their cars; champion appropriately scaled renewable energy that understands and respects the landscape; and lead a new approach to sustainable land management where farmers and landowners are rewarded for caring for the landscape in a way that benefits people, wildlife and the wider environment. National parks are natural pioneers, where research and education already play key roles, and with the right tools and resources we can and should be a national leader in responding to climate change.

Interested in more Our Holme talks?

This talk is part of the Our Holme River Festival. Other events on the day include:

10.30-11.30am: Saving the planet in the hills above Huddersfield, Mr Chris Dean
2.30-3.30pm: A body in the river: the new science of forensic hydrology, Professor Carolyn Roberts
5.30-6.30pm: Reducing the impact of plastic waste on the water environment, Mr Rob Casey
7.00-8.00pm: Lifeblood of Your Town: Why should you make friends with rivers like the Holme and Colne? Dr Paul Gaskell

More about our speaker:

Andrew McCloy, Chairman, Peak District National Park Authority

Andrew McCloy is a writer and journalist specialising in walking and the outdoors. He’s the author of 20 books, including an acclaimed profile of the Pennine Way. An elected parish councillor from Youlgrave, near Bakewell, and an active member of Youlgrave Community Land Trust, Andrew has served on the Peak District National Park Authority for 8 years and became chair in 2018. He is a Director of National Parks England where he leads on Climate Change.