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A leading national advisor on climate change is to give the annual Papplewick Lecture at The University of Nottingham later this week.
Lord Deben, recently elected Chair of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), will be discussing the historical challenges that have been overcome in producing clean water. The lecture will be held on Wednesday November 21 and is a collaboration between the University’s Science Technology and Society Priority Group and the Papplewick Trust.
Director of the Centre for Advanced Studies at The University of Nottingham, Professor Patricia Thomson said: “The University has a well-established partnership with the Papplewick Trust, through Manuscript & Special Collections and Papplewick’s Water Education Trust, and we are delighted to have developed an education programme with the Trust, local schools and artists. Using art as a medium is not novel, but it has enabled our primary and secondary school students achieve a sophisticated understanding of science and technology and how it impacts on their daily lives.”
As Chair of the CCC as well as a former MP, senior member of the Cabinet and Secretary of State for the Environment 1993-97, John Selwyn Gummer, Lord Deben, holds a distinguished record on the environment. He was described as the “best Environment Secretary we’ve ever had” by Friends of the Earth, who welcomed his appointment as Chair of the CCC in September 2012.
The Papplewick Trust’s organisation of this lecture in association with the Science, Technology and Society Research Priority Group aims to give people a broader understanding of the history and importance of fresh water provision. The Papplewick Pumping Station is the finest surviving example of a Victorian fresh water pumping station in Britain. It helped revolutionise the supply of fresh water to the city of Nottingham.
Water conservation
The Museum Director at Papplewick Pumping Station, Ashley Smart: “We are very much looking forward to Lord Deben’s talk. His knowledge on the subject of water supply is very extensive and will provide the audience with a great insight into its development through the centuries and the essential necessity to conserve our water for today and the future.”
The CCC is an independent body established under the Climate Change Act to advise the Government on emissions targets, and to report to Parliament on progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Through its interdisciplinary Science, Technology and Society Research Priority Group, The University of Nottingham brings together leading scholars to provide high-impact, agenda-setting and policy-relevant research exploring the intersection between science and society. Much of the University’s world-changing research focuses on priority research groups including science, technology and society; energy; and global food security, for which water is particularly important.
The lecture will take place in A30, Djanogly Arts Lecture Theatre between 6.30pm and 8pm. All are welcome to attend, but booking is essential as places are limited. To book go to: http://papplewick2012.eventbrite.com
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Sunday Times University Guide 2011 as ‘the embodiment of the modern international university’, has 40,000 students at award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings. It was named ‘the world’s greenest university’ in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking 2011.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. The University won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2011, for its research into global food security.
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