On February 15th in a public lecture hosted by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment renowned climate scientist Dr. Michael E. Mann will argue that vested interests are engaging in a multi-pronged strategy of distraction, deflection, division, and despair-mongering to forestall the decarbonization of the US economy.

The lecture, which is open to the public, will draw on Dr. Mann’s new book, The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet published February 11th,  in which the Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State University and director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center outlines the strategies employed by those profiting from fossil fuels to sow division among climate activists and advocates, deflect attention from regulatory policy solutions to personal behaviour, and promote false solutions that enable the continued burning of fossil fuels.

Dr. Mann draws the battle lines between the people and the polluters — fossil-fuel companies, right-wing plutocrats, and petro-states — and outlines a plan for forcing our governments and corporations to wake up and make real change. In his lecture he will discuss what we can do to fight back, emphasizing the importance of both urgency and agency in the effort to save our planet from catastrophic warming.

“It’s an under-appreciated fact that economic considerations strongly favor swift and dramatic action on climate. I can think of nowhere better than LSE to be having that conversation, and addressing the challenges that still remain in the battle to avert catastrophic climate change,” said Dr. Mann.

Public Lecture| The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet
Speaker: Michael E. Mann
Date: 15 February
Time:  18:30 – 20:00 hrs

Hosted by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

This online public event is free and open to all but pre-registration is required. To register and to obtain full details, please follow the link here

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For further information and for interview requests please Brooke Parsons of Public Affairs: brooke.parsons@hbgusa.com

Notes for editors

Dr. Michael E. Mann is Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State University, with joint appointments in the Department of Geosciences and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI). He is also director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center.

About The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment
Established in 2008 at the London School of Economics and Political Science, the Institute brings together international expertise on economics, as well as finance, geography, the environment, international development and political economy to establish a world-leading centre for policy-relevant research, teaching and training in climate change and the environment. It is funded by the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment. www.lse.ac.uk/grantham/

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