Keele University's COP26 Festival
The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) on 31 October-12 November 2021, and Keele University will be hosting a series of events to coincide with this momentous occasion.
Located under the awe-inspiring Gaia art installation* – a 6-metre-wide floating 3D model of the Earth by artist Luke Jerram and brought to Keele in partnership with Appetite – the events will invite a wide range of stakeholders to Keele to discuss how they can positively impact the area’s contribution towards a more sustainable future.
Keele University is at the forefront of sustainability innovation and research, with its Institute for Sustainable Futures driving research into issues such as climate change, food security and clean energy on a local, national and global scale – culminating in the University being named as Global Sustainability Institution of the Year at the 2021 Green Gown awards.
Keele was one of the first UK universities to declare a ‘climate emergency’ in 2019, reaffirming its position and commitment to being a world-leader in sustainability. The University has recently published its Climate Action Framework principles, outlining its holistic approach to tackling the climate crisis as it strives to become carbon neutral by 2030.
Gaia installation
* Keele University and ArtsKeele are thrilled to be working in partnership with Appetite and welcoming Luke Jerram's Gaia installation to the wonderful Keele University Chapel this autumn.
The amazing artwork measures six metres in diameter and features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the Earth's surface (compiled by NASA's Visible Earth series). Gaia provides the opportunity to see our planet on this scale, floating in three-dimensions.
