Global warming is a serious threat to all of us and even more to those who are younger. To stay within minimally safe limits (1.5 or 2 degrees C) there is only a certain amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that can be emitted. This is known as a carbon budget. For Greater Manchester it is 113 Megatonnes of CO2 equivalent (for 2 degrees). For the city of Manchester it is 15 Megatonnes. At current rates of emissions, Manchester would use up its share in between 4 and 10 years.

We'll be looking at a recent article in Nature Climate Change that explores the possible pathways to net zero emissions. While most of the scenarios from the International Committee on Climate Change (IPCC) suggest overshooting the budget and then sucking CO2 back out of the atmosphere (using technology that has yet to be demonstrated at sufficient scale), this article suggests that "alternatives including lifestyle changes, agricultural intensification and lab-grown meat, as well as an even more rapid adoption of renewables and energy efficiency. Some of these have tended to be excluded from the conversation, because they are hard for scientists to model."

Booking is necessary: on signing up we'll send you links to the reading for the discussion which include the scientific article and a more accessible summary. We also ask that if, having booked, you find that you can't come, or maybe this isn't for you, then you let us know so you don't hog one of the limited places.