HUNDREDS of people, including some of Britain’s finest environmental minds, will meet today for the fourth Oxford Climate Forum (OCF).

Global warming is on the agenda, and students from across the UK are being asked to help solve the problems presented by climate change.

The three-day event started last night and continues today at 5.30pm at the Said Business School in Park End Street.

Tomorrow, Oxford Hub in Turl Street, which is helping to coordinate the event, is staging a day of action, a free event aimed at the Oxford public.

It will take place in Broad Street and at the Turl Street Kitchen and will feature stalls from green and eco-friendly companies.

Oxford Hub spokesman Anna Dominey said the aim of the event was to get Oxford geared up to tackle problems which have crept on to its own doorstep, such as flooding.

She said: “This next edition of the conference promises to be the most exciting so far, with an emphasis on action – and leading politicians, entrepreneurs, activists and academics debating what they and others can, and should do, to help solve this greatest of problems.

“Faithful to its tradition, OCF 2013 will put forward high-level lectures and panel discussions.”

Speakers include leader of the Green Party Natalie Bennett, The Guardian’s environment editor John Vidal, and Charles Secrett, the former executive director of Friends of the Earth.

Representatives from Greenpeace and Oxfam will provide stalls, workshops and debates.

Green activist Chris Goodall, who lives in Oxford, said: “The Oxford Climate Forum is getting a good reputation and I think it’s a great idea.

“The forum is a really good way of keeping the topic of climate change alive in people’s minds, particularly undergraduates.”

Last year’s event attracted more than 500 people and, with a new location this year, even more are expected to attend.

Topics will include how developing and developed nations will share sustainable development, featuring a talk from Dr Ulrich Hoffmann, a senior UN trade policy adviser.

Plans to reignite environmental campaigning are also on the table.

An activism training workshop will also be held by Naomi Hicks, from the Grantham Research Institute.

The first OCF took place in 2010 and the following year, due to the success of the forum, the Oxford Energy Forum was staged to examine the UK’s nuclear energy potential.

The Oxford Hub is the focal point for charitable activities at Oxford University and connects students with local and national good causes.

Since it opened in 2011, students from Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University have signed up for voluntary work, including helping out with maths and English classes in local schools.

  • For more details on the forum, go to oxfordclimateforum.org. Tickets cost from £14 and can be bought at registration.