British ambassador to speak

Britain’s ambassador to the United States will visit the University of Wisconsin–Madison on Friday, Sept. 29, to exchange views on global warming.

Sir David Manning will hear from a panel of UW–Madison scientists at a private luncheon before giving a public address, “Britain’s Perspectives on Climate Change,” at 1:30 p.m. in Memorial Union’s Great Hall.

Tickets are required to attend the lecture, and seating is limited. Free tickets will be available beginning Wednesday, Sept. 20, at the Memorial Union box office, 800 Langdon St.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has called climate change the world’s greatest environmental challenge. Last year, as president of the Group of Eight (G8) nations, he declared it one of his two highest priority issues.

In an address at Stanford University earlier this year, Manning affirmed that “there is no longer any serious doubt that climate change is occurring,” adding that, “we in the (United Kingdom), and most of the global scientific community, are convinced that the global economy’s use of hydrocarbons is the primary driver of this abrupt temperature shift and associated sea-level rise.”

Manning warned of severe economic, social and political consequences around the world if global warming goes unchecked.

The ambassador’s UW–Madison visit was arranged by the British consul to Wisconsin and is sponsored by the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy, the Department of Political Science, the La Follette School of Public Affairs, the European Union Center and the Division of International Studies.