On campus...

I paid a second visit to the University of York campus the other day. This time it was alive with students but even that couldn't save the sadly tired and surprisingly dated 70s (?) architecture. I loved watching and listening to the students as I waited for Wendy's friend Wayne in the library. Wayne and I spent a special hour sharing stories over a coffee and then I headed off to a public lecture given by Lord Nicholas Stern on climate change. This was the man who drove much of the British contribution at the recent Copenhagen summit on climate change. Economist, global mover and shaker and formidably impressive in his command of the topic. No powerpoint, little reference to notes, just a cogent call for global action based on evidence and suggestions as to what that action might constitute. I was very interested in his comments on first/third world tension over the climate change issue and his comparative optimism regarding the speed at which substitute technologies will emerge. He described Copenhagen as chaotic and disappointing but a springboard for further action.