Protecting and restoring the natural world has the potential to help tackle both the climate emergency and the biodiversity crisis which are simultaneously threatening humanity.

Yet nature-based solutions are often overlooked in favour of technological solutions or behaviour change.

This online event, organised by Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission, will explore the ways in which nature-based solutions can be championed across the region.

The discussion will be hosted by Rachael Bice, Chief Executive of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Chair of the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission’s panel on Land, Water, Nature & Food. Rachael will lead a conversation with Kathryn Brown OBE, Director for Climate Action of The Wildlife Trusts, Oliver Harmer, Chief Officer for Operations at Natural England, and young farmer and NFU North East member James Johnson.

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Speakers

Rachael Bice

Rachael is the CEO for the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and has 20 years of work experience across the public sector, in education, housing, waste management, environmental policy and service delivery to Yorkshire. Joining the Commission is an opportunity to give a voice to Yorkshire’s wildlife, to inform the substantial systemic changes needed to create a sustainable future which includes a just transition for our natural systems and all species.

Oliver Harmar

Oliver is the Chief Operating Officer for Natural England, a national agency of Defra who’s mission is to restore thriving nature for everyone through working in partnership for nature recovery. Oliver was previously the Area Director for Yorkshire at the Environment Agency and has over 15 years experience around climate and environmental leadership. He is particularly interested in how we collaborate and drive positive action for climate and nature across organisations and with communities.

Kathryn Brown

Kathryn, formerly of the UK Government’s independent climate advisor, The Climate Change Committee (CCC), was seconded to The Wildlife Trusts last summer as an interim director ahead of COP26. She was awarded an OBE for her services to climate change research in January’s New Year’s Honours list, and now has a permanent role with The Wildlife Trusts as Director for Climate Action. She has worked within climate change policy and evidence for almost 20 years and led the Independent Assessment of Climate Risk to inform the government's third Climate Change Risk Assessment. In previous years she also acted as head of carbon budgets and technical lead on adaptation evidence in Defra, as well as working as lead negotiator for the European Union under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

James Johnson

James was born and raised on a mixed family farm near Fountains Abbey, Ripon. He studied agriculture at Harper Adams University before moving back to the farm in 2014, where he farms alongside his father. Over the past few years they have slowly being working their way into a regenerative farming system. Away from the farm, James is an NFU North East Student and Young Farmer Ambassador, which led him to attend COP26, and he currently sits on the NFU North East Net Zero Board.

Image Photo credit: Broughton Hall Estate

(See our case study here: https://yorksandhumberclimate.org.uk/native-tree-planting-multiple-benefits)

Register to attend