Join us at Conservative Party Conference for a reception to celebrate the success of British business in the low carbon economy and opportunities for clean growth in a net zero future.

Since 1990, the UK has cut emissions by 42% while growing our economy by two-thirds, and we've now celebrated our first coal-free weeks in over a century. Almost 400,000 people across the country are working in low carbon jobs and their supply chains, a sector that is growing at a factor of two or three times the mainstream economy. This reception will celebrate this impressive British record, as well as the government’s Clean Growth Strategy which has led to this success.

Speakers: CEN Compere (TBA), James Heappey MP (inv), Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation Chris Skidmore MP (conf), Karen Potter (SusHub, conf)

Sponsored by the sustainability hub

Join us at Conservative Party Conference for a reception to celebrate our great open spaces and discuss the Government’s plans for safeguarding them.

As ‘guardians and trustees’ of the Earth, we will celebrate what Baroness Thatcher saw as a key element of conservatism: the protection and appreciation of our natural environment. Regular interaction with the natural world has links to improving mental health, providing a break from fast-paced urban life and giving our children space to play outdoors. This event will celebrate this Government’s prioritisation of nature and wildlife and discuss future plans to enhance this protection.

Speakers: CEN Compere (TBA), Minister Helen Whately MP (inv), Crispin Truman (CPRE, conf)

Sponsored by CPRE

Join us at Conservative Party Conference to discuss how the impacts of climate change will impact women around the world & how more women can be involved in the response via STEM. 

Women around the world will be disproportionately impacted by climate change, mostly due to existing gender inequalities. Women are also less likely to be involved in the conversation with inequalities in STEM subjects in particular.

Initiatives from companies like EDF Energy aim to inspire more women into STEM or apprenticeships. This panel will consider the impact climate change will have on women, and how women can be more involved in the response to climate change as well.

Panel: CEN Chair Meg Trethewey, Julia Pyke (EDF Nuclear Development Director, conf), Sue Willsher (Tearfund Senior Policy Advisor, conf), Laura Round (former Special Adviser to Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, conf) and Isabella Gornall (CEN, conf)

sponsored by EDF energy

Join us at Conservative Party Conference to discuss the opportunities for utilising artificial intelligence in the energy sector to accelerate the transition to a zero carbon economy. 

The UK is currently investing £1 billion into AI, and is well-placed to take a leadership position in AI for energy, with London dominating the European market and many UK universities at the forefront of this research. This panel will look to explore both the potential opportunities for, and barriers to, the integration of AI into the energy sector, and how the UK can shape the international market for AI in this sector. How can AI feed into the government’s ambitious Clean Growth Strategy?

Panel: Benet Northcote (CEN, Chair), Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth Kwasi Kwarteng MP (Conf), Pete Clutton-Brock (E3G, Conf), Laura Sandys (SGN Network & BEIS/Ofgem Energy System Data Taskforce, Conf), Clementine Cowton (Octopus, Conf)

Sponsored by E3G

Join us at Conservative Party Conference to discuss the role of local government in improving air quality and hear from councillors about how they’re tackling air pollution. 

Estimated to cause 64,000 premature deaths per year and cost the UK economy £22.6 billion per year, we must ensure that children grow up with cleaner air. The Clean Air Strategy and upcoming Environment Bill offer increased local powers to promote targeted action. How can we utilise local ideas, alongside traditional approaches such as clean air zones, investment in cycle routes and electric buses, promotional campaigns and increasing EV charging points?

Panel: Meg Trethewey (CEN, Chair), Alex Chalk MP (conf), Polly Billington (UK100, conf), Prof Stephen Holgate (UK Health Alliance on Climate Change, conf).

With remarks from Transport Secretary Grant Shapps MP (Conf)

Join us at Conservative Party Conference to discuss how the Environment Bill can support the next stage of growth for businesses & build the foundation for a world-leading sustainable economy. 

The green economy is growing two to three times faster than the mainstream economy, and now supports over 400,000 jobs. Firms support the certainty provided by a clear long-term framework of regulations; how could the new Environment Bill spur additional investment and innovation in the green economy? Could it de-risk investment in mainstream infrastructure? How can it best be applied to different types and sized businesses?

Panel: Benet Northcote (CEN, Chair), Vicky Ford MP (conf), Chancellor Sajid Javid MP (inv), Hilary McGrady (National Trust, conf), Richard Walker (Iceland, conf). With opening remarks from Craig Bennett (FOE, conf)

Sponsored by GreenerUK

Join us at Conservative Party Conference for our pub quiz - with some stuff on the environment - and special guest quizmasters! 

Register your interest via events@cen.uk.com. Each team will be comprised of eight people, you may be put into a team with others if you do not have a full group. Pre-registered spaces will be reserved until 10 minutes into the event when they will then be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

Join us at Conservative Party Conference for an opportunity to get to know our special guest and find out their views on the environment & climate change. 

Join us for a late night discussion with a special guest (TBA)…with plenty of opportunity for Q&A. With a net zero target, and a pledge to leave the environment in a better state than we found it, the environment is a key focus for this Government. What does that look like and what are their plans for the future?

Opening remarks from CEN Ambassador Barney Wharton.

Sponsored by RenewableUK

Join us at Conservative Party Conference to discuss what is the political role that environmental policies can play and how can the CEN Manifesto's conservative ideas contribute to that debate?

The environment is the top issue for young voters, and polling shows that 71% of the public believes climate change to be more pressing than Brexit. The panel will discuss the political role that environmental policies can play in any future election, what those environmental policies should look like, and the role of free market, conservative solutions in any future election campaign. How can Conservatives combat renationalisation policies proposed by the left that could do economic harm?

Panel: Sam Hall (CEN, Chair); Bim Afolami MP (conf); Chris Snowdon (IEA, conf); Mark Hawthorne MBE (Conservative Councillors Association, conf), Isabella Gornall (Seahorse, conf).

Join us at Conservative Party Conference to celebrate British forests and trees, their importance for climate and communities and the plans for the Northern Forest. 

Trees are not only important habitats for many birds, insects and other wildlife, they reduce temperatures and suck carbon from the atmosphere. We need to plant 50 million trees per year in order for us to reach net zero emissions by 2050 - and the Northern Forest is a key part of that ambition, with £5.7 million of Government investment expected to create nearly £2 billion for the country’s economy. Join us to celebrate trees and woodlands, and the plans for the Northern Forest.

Speakers: Sam Hall (CEN, Compere), Kevin Hollinrake MP (Conf), Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers MP (Conf), Rebecca Pow MP (Conf), Darren Moorcroft (Woodland Trust, conf)

Sponsored by the Woodland Trust

Join us at Conservative Party Conference to discuss the UK’s record on ocean conservation, particularly focussing on the Overseas Territories and Blue Belt Programme. 

The UK and its Overseas Territories (OTs) form the fifth largest marine estate in the world, home to the world’s largest coral atolls and a quarter of its penguins. Yet the OTs are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, containing 85% of the UK’s critically endangered species. A Global Britain has the responsibility of protecting our blue planet - both at home and abroad through the 30% protected by 2030 pledge. What are the next steps and how can we use our global influence?

Panel: Meg Trethewey, (CEN, Chair), Jonathan Hall (RSPB, conf), Natalie Tellwright (OceanMind, conf), Chris Carnegy (UK Gov Rep to Tristan Da Cunha, conf)

Join us at Conservative Party Conference to discuss British leadership in securing a global New Deal for Nature and People on oceans, conservation, the SDGs and climate change. 

2020 will be a significant year for action, with international conferences on the future goals for conservation (Convention on Biodiversity COP 15) and oceans (UN Ocean Conference 2020), as well as progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and climate change (United Nations UNFCCC COP26). What do these conferences mean for the world and Global Britain and what role should we be taking? What are the conservative answers to these significant international issues?

Panel: Meg Trethewey (CEN, Chair); Tanya Steele (WWF, conf); Richard Graham MP (Conf); Lindsay McQuade (ScottishPower Renewables, conf)

With opening remarks and Q&A from International Development Secretary Alok Sharma MP

Sponsored by WWF

CEN is delighted to invite you to join us for the greenest conference ever. Join us for the afterparty to our opening reception!

CEN is delighted to invite you to join us at our opening reception at Conservative Party Conference for conservatives who support conservation and decarbonisation. 

A net zero emissions target and a 25 Year Environment Plan, world leading protections for animals at home and abroad, record generation from renewables and huge investments in international aid to build climate resilience. Conservatives have long been stewards of our planet, this conference we will both celebrate and explore some of these key commitments, to discover what it really means to leave our environment in a better state than we found it for future generations in a net zero world.

Speakers: Sam Hall (CEN, Compere); Minister Rebecca Pow MP (conf), Benj Sykes (Co-Chair, OWIC), Prime Minister Boris Johnson (invited)

Sponsored by the Offshore Wind Industry Council

Join us at our opening panel at Conservative Party Conference to discuss the role of biomass in a net zero economy considering the cost, carbon footprint and the international implications of UK policy. 

We need to work towards the UK's ambitious net zero target - does biomass fit within this new trajectory? Does it also fit with the UK's role as a global leader on climate change, especially in the lead up to hosting the UN Climate Conference in 2020? The UK has taken the lead as the fastest G7 nation to cut emissions whilst also growing its economy, and this proven commitment to clean growth means UK policy decisions have ramifications beyond our shores. What does this mean for British biomass?

Panellists include: Sam Hall (CEN Director, Chair), Sepi Golzari-Munro (ECIU, conf), Prof Michael Norton (EASAC, conf), Dr Nina Skorupska (REA, conf), Benedict McAleenan (Helmsley Partners, conf)

CEN is delighted to invite you to join them to celebrate the historic Net Zero emissions target, which was signed into legislation on the 27 June 2019. The UK is the first country in the G20 to adopt this ambitious target, which will see the UK end its contribution to global emissions entirely by 2050.

The Party will be hosted on the 17 July in Wilton’s Music Hall near Tower Hill, a Grade 2 listed building and the oldest grand music hall in the world.

We’re delighted to be joined by Interim Energy and Clean Growth Minister Chris Skidmore MP to celebrate this amazing achievement and reflect on the pathway to meet this new target.

So please join us, alongside other conservative environmentalists, climate activists and politicos, as well as a live jazz duo - the Kitty Whitelaw Band - followed by a DJ, to celebrate this historic achievement.

Registration for this event has now ended. For more information please contact events@cen.uk.com

Sponsored by Octopus Energy.

RESCHEDULED TO 2 JULY

Conservatives in Government have a record to be proud of on emissions reduction, and a strong tradition of stewardship for our natural environment. However, it is clear that we must do more to avoid the devastating impacts of a 2°C world, and reverse the decline in the 1 million species that we are driving to extinction. 

The Manifesto outlines conservative responses to these environmental questions, providing a space for parts of the conservative movement to express and debate views on how to achieve better environmental outcomes. CEN hopes that these questions, and the proposed solutions, will continue to be considered and implemented by any future Conservative government. We will therefore also be inviting the remaining leadership candidates to respond to the policies outlined in the manifesto and share their green goals.

Due to a high level of interest places will be confirmed the Friday prior to the launch, the location will then be shared with guests (Central Westminster). Register your interest by emailing events@cen.uk.com.

We're delighted to host the Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, Secretary of State for International Development and Minister for Women and Equalities at our Spring Reception, on the 1st of April from 7-9pm in the Attlee Suite (Portcullis House, Westminster) This event is kindly sponsored by Tearfund.

The Secretary of State will discuss DFID and UK Aid's role in combating and responding to the impacts of climate change. This is particularly significant with the UK's leading role in the upcoming UN Climate Summit on climate resilience. 

We hope that you can join us for this important discussion, with refreshments and canapés provided. This is a reception beginning at 7pm, with a seated 'in conversation with' portion of the evening which will begin at 7:30pm.

If you have any questions regarding this event please email megan@cen.uk.com.

The UK has the opportunity to create the largest marine reserve in the Atlantic around Ascension Island - home to 55 local species of plants, fish and other animals, as well as the largest population of green turtles and nesting seabirds in the South Atlantic.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove has called for 30% of the world's oceans to be protected by 2030 and an ambitious project of ocean conservation in the Blue Belt. Ascension Island offers an important opportunity to build on this - join us to find out more.

Please note this event is for Parliamentarians only - if you are a Parliamentarian interested in attending then please get in touch with CEN via events@cen.uk.com for more details.

CEN has invited MPs to find out
What is the cheapest new source of electricity?

What's a cheap source of electricity that most of your constituents like? What about one that has the opportunity to support a world leading sector, with jobs based right here in the UK? It can even lower consumer bills by billions of pounds?

Imagine if all of your electricity was clean, green and cheap, and had widespread public support. Rural or urban, young or old, Leave or Remain, Conservative or not, they support this technology.

What could we possibly be talking about? Why not come along and find out! Join us on the 30th of January to meet constituents, industry experts and supply chain businesses and hear more.

There will be an optional photo opportunity and press release template available.

Please note that this event is for invited guests and Parliamentarians only - if you are a Parliamentarian interested in attending please get in touch with CEN via events@cen.uk.com.

This year has seen an ambitious Conservative government delivering on many pledges for the environment. They have taken on some of the biggest environmental challenges including the scourge of marine plastics, the illegal wildlife trade, and climate change.

CEN has also had a successful few months, with well-attended events and growing interest inside and outside Parliament in conservative environmentalism. We have launched our Caucus of MPs and our new membership is growing rapidly.

To celebrate we're hosting our Christmas Drinks from 6-8pm on the 10th of December in the Walkie Talkie building (20 Fenchurch Street), sponsored by DWF and the REA. The space is on one of the top floors and offers breath-taking views of London. We would be delighted if you would join us to enjoy some food and refreshments.

Due to high demand we are not currently accepting additional guests. CEN Members will receive priority places, so please get in touch with Meg via megan@cen.uk.com if you are a member.

Schedule

8:30am Registration
9:00am Opening Speeches

Welcome from Sam Richards, Director of CEN
Opening remarks

9:30am Panel on Heat

Sam Richards (CEN, Chair), James Heappey MP (Wells), Tony Glover (Energy Networks Association), Julie Hirigoyen (UK Green Building Council), Keith MacLean (Providence Policy) & Richard Howard (Aurora Energy Research).

11:00am Refreshments
11:30am Panel on Industry

Jess Shankleman (Bloomberg, Chair), Simon Clarke MP (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland), Prof Geoffrey Hammond (Bath), Emma Pinchbeck (RenewableUK) & Eliot Whittington (CISL)

12:45pm Lunch
2:00pm Panel on Land Use

Ben Caldecott (CEN, Chair), Melanie Coath (RSPB), Eamonn Ives (Centre for Policy Studies), Dr Jonathan Scurlock (National Farmers' Union) & Martin Lines (Nature Friendly Farming Network).

3:15pm Refreshments
3:45pm Panel on Shipping

Diane Gilpin (Smart Green Shipping Alliance, Chair), Michael Liebreich (Liebreich Associates), Dr Tristan Smith (UCL), Aoife O’Leary (Environmental Defense Fund) & Mark Simmonds (British Ports Association)

5:00pm Closing remarks from Lord Deben, Chair of the Committee on Climate Change

The Conservative Environment Network is delighted to invite you to our Net Zero Conference. Following Minister Claire Perry's request to the CCC for guidance on reaching Net Zero emissions, the Conference will explore a conservative approach to the questions posed by introducing this target.

Net zero means reducing emissions to as close to zero as possible, and balancing remaining emissions by soaking carbon out of the atmosphere by, for example, planting trees. Each panel will consider how the sector can achieve Net Zero, and why its so important that they do. Taking place just two days after the 10th anniversary of the Climate Change Act, the conference will look at the success of the Act so far in spurring low carbon industries like offshore wind, and at the economic opportunities for the UK in going Net Zero.

We hope you'll join us for this important discussion. You can find detailed biographies on the speakers here.

REGISTER FOR YOUR PLACE