Sir David King was the permanent Special Representative for Climate Change from September 2013 until March 2017. Sir David was previously the Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor from 2000 to 2007, during which time he raised awareness of the need for governments to act on climate change and was instrumental in creating the Energy Technologies Institute.

He also served as the Founding Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment at Oxford; was Head of the Department of Chemistry at Cambridge University 1993-2000 and Master of Downing College at Cambridge 1995 -2000.

Sir David has published over 500 papers on science and policy, for which he has received numerous awards, and holds 22 Honorary Degrees from universities around the world. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1991, a Foreign Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2002 and knighted in 2003, Sir David was also made an Officier of the French Legion d’Honneur’ in 2009, for work which has contributed to responding to the climate and energy challenge.

In this conversation, we discuss: 

• Advocacy for climate action and raising awareness of the risks posed by climate change
• Challenges faced in addressing climate change, including the cumbersome negotiating process under the United Nations
• Success in gaining all-party agreement on action on climate change in the UK
• Importance of deep and rapid emissions reduction, leaving fossil fuels in the ground, and stopping deforestation
• The need to remove excess greenhouse gases from the atmosphere at scale
• Addressing the impact of climate change on the Arctic Circle region and the importance of refreezing the Arctic
• Actions individuals can take, such as setting an example, advocating for change, and working towards achieving net zero emissions