Power and Politics at Blue Earth Summit
Blue Earth has always celebrated changemakers, but what does it take to make real change happen in the world of politics?
We are delighted to be joined this year by several politicians working to improve the situation for the planet, who will be speaking about what needs to be done to meet Net Zero targets and invest in cleaner energy.
The speakers come from across the political spectrum and share views from a variety of perspectives. They are appearing on panels across the event where we will hear about their vision for the future, but we will also have a chance to ask questions about their experiences of politics today.
To get a real inside track on what is happening with the UK’s Net Zero targets, we are joined by the Rt Hon Chris Skidmore MP has been a Conservative MP since 2010. In 2019 he was appointed Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth where he attended Cabinet meetings and during this time he signed the UK’s commitment to Net Zero by 2050 into law, and helped secure the UK Presidency of COP26. Most recently, he served as the Chair of the Government’s Independent Net Zero Review, and published the 340 page ‘Mission Zero’ report in January 2023.
We are also joined by Kerry McCarthy who in June 2022 was appointed by Keir Starmer as Labour’s Shadow Minister for Climate Change. This puts Kerry on the front bench of Climate Change and Net Zero team led by Ed Miliband. She is currently working on Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan, international climate change, and issues like the circular economy, green finance, energy bills and nature-based solutions. This builds on the work done in her previous role as shadow Minister for Green and Future Transport, where she led on transport decarbonisation. Kerry is Labour MP for Bristol East so a local to the Blue Earth Summit!
Carla Denyer is co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. She has been a Bristol City Councillor since 2015, forming a critical part of the largest Green councillor group in the UK. In 2018 Carla proposed the first Climate Emergency declaration in Europe, committing Bristol to go carbon neutral by 2030 and starting a wave of similar declarations from councils and other organisations across the UK. Carla is an engineer, previously working in the renewable energy industry with a specialism in offshore and onshore wind energy.
Welcoming Blue Earth back to Bristol is Marvin Rees, who has served as theLabour Mayor of Bristol since 2016. He describes becoming mayor as another expression of a deeper commitment to building a fairer, more inclusive world. He has overseen the building of almost 9,000 homes, announced the development of a mass transit system and provided quality work experiences for over 3,500 children who wouldn’t readily have access.
He also co-founded the City Leadership Programme in Bristol which identifies and invests in the lives of high-aspiration young people with leadership qualities from disadvantaged backgrounds which are under-represented in leadership. Bringing fairness to the city council, he has achieved accredited Living Wage Employer status.
These speakers will be appearing on panels and individual Q and A sessions throughout the event. Find out more about the event programme below.
