Climate change announced as the theme for Manchester Science Festival 2020

It has been announced that the theme for this year’s Manchester Science Festival, produced by the Science and Industry Museum, will be climate change. From October 23^rd to November 1^st   2020, the festival will showcase a range of art commissions, immersive and participatory experiences, outdoor events and live debates centred around responding to future climate challenges.

The festival’s theme will support the 2020 Year of Climate Action, which was launched earlier this month at the Science Museum by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, alongside guests such as Sir David Attenborough. The festival will take place just before the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), where world leaders and roughly 30,000 delegates will convene in Glasgow to discuss the climate crisis.

2020 has already presented some bleak news for the climate; earlier this month, records showed both the highest daily average of carbon dioxide levels and the highest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica. Closer to home, flooding from Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis has inflicted havoc across the UK, serving as a reminder of our own vulnerabilities to the changing climate.

Sally MacDonald, Director of the Science and Industry Museum, said: “I’m delighted that Manchester Science Festival is back for 2020. The Science and Industry Museum is home to ideas that changed the world and it continues to inspire the future of scientific exploration and technological progress through its exhibitions, activities, and events. The Festival is a major part of this and will provide a compelling public program focusing on our altering climate.”

The festival will host world-leading voices in climate change and provide an insight into some of the cutting-edge technologies and developments at the forefront of combating climate change.

Organisers hope that the festival will help encourage important conversations about the climate crisis.