A new one-day summit at The Blavatnik School of Government will showcase how Oxfordshire leads the global charge in addressing the climate emergency.

Ox to Zero unites the county’s most innovative thinkers, investors and entrepreneurs exploring the potential of new ideas, technologies, and companies to accelerate the net zero transition.

Curated by founding partners Oxford University Harwell, UK Atomic Energy Authority and OxLEP (Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership), the September 1 programme includes thought leaders in fusion energy (Tokamak Energy, First Light Fusion), transport (YASA, ARRIVAL), storage (Johnson Matthey, Faraday), systems (Low Carbon Hub, SSE), CO2 removal (Oxford Net Zero, OUI) and innovation (STFC, Cleantech).

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Keynote speakers include ocean advocate Emily Penn and Simon Mundy, Moral Money editor at the Financial Times and author of climate change book Race for Tomorrow.

Chas Bountra, from Oxford University, said: “After the pandemic, the climate emergency will potentially destroy even more lives, make parts of the world uninhabitable, and produce irreversible changes to our surroundings.

“Ox to Zero provides an insight into how the Oxford ecosystem is once again pulling together to take on the biggest challenge facing our planet.

“I hope we can create hope and solutions for humanity.”

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Sebastian Johnson, of OxLEP, said: “Oxfordshire has a history of delivering pioneering solutions to the world’s greatest challenges. The expertise and desire that exists in the county can be a critical driver to tackling the climate emergency head-on, at pace.

"Ox to Zero will showcase further solutions that can drive the world towards a zero-carbon future.”

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Tim Bestwick, of UKAEA and Harwell, said: “Ox to Zero will showcase the big ideas and solutions that, coupled with investment and supported by Oxfordshire’s innovation ecosystem, can make an important impact on the sustainable future of our planet.”

The summit will feature experts from a variety of fields dedicated to supporting the drive towards a zero-carbon future, including more leading figures from green finance, business and academia.

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It will also be one of the first opportunities to watch Star Makers: The Energy of Tomorrow, a new documentary about the fusion energy record achieved on the Joint European Torus at Culham Science Centre. Harwell Science and Innovation campus is a collaboration between government, academia and industry working to accelerate progress on key issues.

For more visit oxtozero.com.

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This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF