CLIMATE change expert John Ashton is to address a gathering in Edinburgh on the challenges global warming will bring and how Scotland's politicians can lead the way in cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr Ashton, a senior diplomat and former Special Representative for Climate Change at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, will speak at a Multi-Party Dialogue hosted by the mediation service Core at Edinburgh Zoo today and tomorrow.
The day will feature various contributors, while participants will take part in simulations of climate change negotiations, representing a variety of interested parties, experiencing different perspectives and viewpoints.
John Sturrock, Core's Chief Executive and Senior Mediator, said: "The general election may be passed but climate change is still with us. "Reports this weekend that an oil company is predicting that keeping global temperatures to 2*C will not be achievable and is preparing for a future of higher temperatures have caused shockwaves.
"These events in Scotland promise to be something really different as we continue to try to show leadership and explore new ways of discussing these critical issues."
He added: "John Ashton is a very special guest to have, with a fascinating background at the highest level, having been the lead diplomat for the UK Government at the climate change talks in Copenhagen in 2009.
"As John himself puts it: 'For ten thousand generations we have walked this earth. Never in all that time have we faced a question that is more about who we are than climate change. Only if we treat it as a question about who we are can we summon the will to do what we have to do.'"
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