In a second CSaP reading group session, an open conversation was held by academics and students from across the university, and Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger (Leverhulme Trust Visiting Chair in Sustainable Development Law and Policy, University of Cambridge) provided opening remarks on the diplomacy chapters of Simon Sharpe’s book, Five Times Faster, Rethinking the Science, Economics, and Diplomacy of Climate Change.

On 17 May 2023, the Cambridge Zero Postgraduate Academy launched their first ever Student Dialogue event with Chris Stark, Chief Executive, UK Climate Change Committee (CCC). The Student Dialogue is an exciting new initiative aiming to bring postgraduate students into conversation with senior policymakers and experts in the climate space; this first event was a great showcase for the engaging and thought-provoking dialogue that these sessions can enable.

In May, the Cambridge Zero Policy Forum met with Chris Stark, the Chief Executive of the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC).

In June, the Cambridge Zero Policy Forum met for the first of four reading group sessions, on Five Times Faster: Rethinking the Science, Economics, and Diplomacy of Climate Change, by Senior Fellow at the World Resources Institute, Simon Sharpe.

Dr Eoin O'Sullivan, Centre for Science, Technology & Innovation Policy chaired a discussion with Dr Molly Morgan Jones, the British Academy, and Dan Shah, UKRI. The session focussed on how societal challenges feature in the UKRI and BA strategies, as well as the importance of working with other countries to tackle global challenges.

This year's Dr Seng Tee Lee Public Policy Lecture was delivered by social anthropologist and geographer Professor Melissa Leach. The lecture brought forth the concept of ‘naturekind’, directly challenging the conventional separation between human and non-human nature.

Emily Farnworth, Director of the Centre for Climate Engagement, University of Cambridge chaired a discussion between Richard Bruce, Director of Transport Decarbonisation, Department for Transport; Professor David Cebon, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Cambridge; and Dr Jane Dennett-Thorpe, Deputy Director Net Zero Strategy, Ofgem. The session focused on the UK's strategy for decarbonising ground transportation on its path to net zero.

As part of CSaP’s Annual Conference, Sarah Chaytor, Director of Research and Strategy, UCL, chaired a discussion with Dr Louise Kempton, Director of Insights North East (INE) and Dr Peter O’Brien, Executive Director of Yorkshire Universities, that focussed on processes for academic engagement with regional governmental structures.

CSaP's Annual Conference 2023 concluded by unveiling key strategies to bridge the gap between public engagement and policy implementation on climate and resilience. The discussion also focused on how to revolutionise climate action in the UK.

A discussion at our Annual Conference focused on how government and academia could improve the way they frame policy questions or position research to make it more accessible to one another other.