VIRTUAL EVENT
Exploring insights, ideas and impact
Join us online for an interdisciplinary Sustainability Summit that's designed to stimulate thinking and accelerate key debate on the pressing sustainability challenges facing our planet .
Gain access to a unique series of thought-provoking interdisciplinary talks featuring leading academics across Queen’s University Belfast and delve deeper in discussion through live interactive seminars. Discover a thought-provoking seminar menu for your opportunity to contribute to key debates and future policy - from areas as diverse as politics, medicine and nature to business, social policy and the engineering solutions that could tackle climate change.
This virtual interdisciplinary event is open to any student across all disciplines studying at any university. Registration free.
Sustainability Summit Live Seminars

The planetary crisis: the scientific evidence base
Unpacking some of the evidence which points to a changing climate and looking closer at the organisations behind the hard science of climate and biodiversity. Theme: Our Planetary Emergency.
Academics: Mark Emmerson and John Barry

From climate change to system change - Are we asking the right questions?
Climate justice advocates have called for “system change”. We explore how this demand has implications for our ways of thinking and being in the world. Theme: Our Planetary Emergency.
Academic: Peter Doran

Climate adaptation and mitigation solutions
Exploring how we can harness integrated solutions across engineering, design and technology in the battle to adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change. Theme: Framing Solutions.
Academic: Mark Emmerson

Ensuring a just transition beyond carbon... and capitalism
Apocalyptic breakdown or radical transformation? Addressing the planetary crisis requires a radical transformation beyond endless economic growth and carbon energy. Theme: Framing Solutions.
Academic: John Barry

Community climate action
Part of the Sustainability Summit, further information about this live seminar will be released in due course. Theme: Social and Policy Solutions.
Academic: Amanda Slevin

Public participation, activism and the just city
How can we make collective decisions about the future of our cities and help everyone share the benefits of increased environmental quality? Theme: Social and Policy Solutions.
Academic: Geraint Ellis

Renewables and the circular economy
Part of the Sustainability Summit, further information about this live seminar will be released in due course. Theme: Technology Solutions.
Academic: David Rooney

The hydrogen economy
Hydrogen has real potential to transform our future energy systems. We investigate the challenges and opportunities faced by early adopters of hydrogen-based technologies. Theme: Technology Solutions.
Academic: Juliana Early

Sustainable city design
Buildings are directly and indirectly responsible for over 40% of our carbon footprint. We imagine a way out of the problem: designing a zero- carbon world. Theme: Engineering and design solutions.
Academic: Greg Keeffe

Net-zero technology innovations and challenges
COP26 highlights the significant funding gap for effective climate change response. We examine various factors to understand how can we plug the gap? Theme: Engineering and design solutions.
Academic: Aoife Foley

Managing farmed landscapes for food and nature
Agriculture is a prime cause of the planetary emergency but how do we feed an ever-growing human population whilst minimising our ecological and climatic footprint? Theme: Nature based solutions.
Academic: Neil Reid

The benefits of nature in urban landscapes
Is grass the enemy or the solution? We explore how we can protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems in modern cities. Theme: Nature based solutions.
Academic: Jenny McKinley

Why on earth should businesses care about climate change?
Business is a major contributor to contemporary climate change. Can – and should – they provide leadership in addressing it? Theme: Business and public health.
Academic: Laura Steele

Public health and the planetary crisis
Malnutrition, infectious diseases, social unrest, and mass migration. How can we assess the impact of mitigation and change the narrative? Theme: Business and public health.
Academic: Stuart Elborn

Closing session
A live panel wraps up an exhilarating conference with reflections on key conversations and debates across our range of seminars where we have been exploring insights, ideas and impact.

Which seminars will you choose?
Registration includes access to all talks and live seminars where you can contribute to the critical conversation through key debates.