The Manchester International Festival

5 July 2009

Manchester International Festival and The Guardian invited scientists, engineers, campaigners and members of the public to submit their climate-saving ideas during May 2009.  The Population and Sustainability Network was among the 20 invited to present to the public and the panel and contribute to the Manchester Report in July 2009. PSN's recommendation for universal access to voluntary family planning subsequently was chosen as one of the top ten solutions to climate change. 

Chairing the panel was Lord Bingham, formely Lord Chief Justice, Dan Reicher, head of energy and climate change at Google, author Chris Goodall and campaigner Briony Worthington. Louise Carver, of the Population and Sustainability Network delivered a presentation called "Climate Change and Global Warming: Population Left Out in the Cold?", which illustrated the way in which population growth will contribute to green house gas emissions and inhibit adaptation in the world's poorest countries. Louise also described to the panel how access to family planning in developing countries is at an all time low, while demand is simulatanously increasing and how this access to family planning will dictate whether we reach a medium or higher population pathway in 2050. 

The Manchester Report was published at the end of Festival drawn from the panel's reactions and selection of the top ten solutions. 

The report will be made available to the world online but will also be printed and distributed to policymakers in advance of the critical Copenhagen summit in December. Recipients will include British MPs, American members of Congress and policymakers in India, China and other regions; business leaders, think tanks and many others.

400,000 copies of the report was also distributed to Guardian readers in a special supplement in July. Read it here.