One of the world’s leading voices on climate change has been announced as the keynote speaker for a major summit in Hull this month.
Dr Gabrielle Walker has made numerous television appearances for the BBC, ITV, Channel Four and Sky, and has advised governments and world leaders on the subject of climate change.
She has now urged the Humber to become a world-leader in decarbonisation, and seize “the investment opportunity of the 21st century.”
Dr Walker’s strong words come as Hull prepares to host The Waterline Summit on November 28.
Led by Marketing Humber, the event will bring together some of the biggest names in business, with the aim of putting the region at the forefront of the transition to a zero-carbon economy.
Dr Walker said: “Climate change is already with us and is extremely serious. This is a crisis and has become an emergency. None of us are moving fast enough and we really have to accelerate action.
“The regions that are already ahead of the game will be the ones that can show the rest the way, but also the ones that can seize the best opportunities.
“It’s wonderful the Humber is acting instead of waiting for others. Given how much industry there is in the Humber, there is so much opportunity to get it right and to show everyone else how to do it right.
“That’s why I’m so excited by The Waterline Summit because this is an industrial region that’s already taking the solutions into its own hands.
“The Humber isn’t just looking to decarbonise within the region, but looking to showcase how it can be done for the rest of the world, and that’s hugely important.”
During her career to date, Dr Walker has presented climate documentaries including “The Secret Life of Ice” for BBC Four and “Planet Earth Under Threat” for BBC Radio 4, and has dived on the Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough.
She said the summit, at Hull’s Bonus Arena, would equip attendees with the knowledge and inspiration to play their part in tackling climate change.
Climate change poses a significant threat to the Humber, as it is among the coastal regions around the world officially listed as at high risk due to rising sea levels and growing flood threat.
However, it could also be the Humber’s biggest opportunity. The region’s growing offshore wind sector stands as proof that economic growth can be found in pioneering sustainable technologies of the future.
Dr Walker said: “I think this is the investment opportunity of the 21st century.
“The story for investors used to be that they had to choose. They could either protect the environment or make returns, but they couldn’t do both. Some of them think that is still the case, but most have realised that story has completely changed.
“The only way to make serious returns in the future is to invest in both, with an eye to the risk associated with climate change and also to the opportunities, and I’m hearing that more and more.”
Businesses, campaigners, community groups, colleges and schools are all being urged to come together for The Waterline Summit, which is being staged with event partner Yorkshire Water and is supported by Marketing Humber’s Principal Partners.
The free-to-attend event includes The Waterline Exhibition, where people can see and experience more than 30 projects and initiatives that contribute to a zero-carbon economy, and the showpiece The Waterline Debate, led by Dr Walker.
It will build on The Waterline campaign, launched by Marketing Humber and the University of Hull, which brings together partners from the worlds of business, academia and research and development to develop decarbonisation solutions.
To register to attend, and for more information, visit .
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