Football is more than a game. It’s a global cultural force with the power to shift norms, inspire communities, and mobilise collective action. As the climate crisis demands transformative change in how we live and consume, the world of sport, and football in particular, faces a critical question: can it become a genuine catalyst for climate action?

How can scientific evidence help us in an age of “alternative facts”? As chief data reporter for the Financial Times, John Burn-Murdoch uses statistics and graphics to dig into the most pressing issues of the day, covering everything from the economy to climate change, social issues and healthcare. His high-profile use of visualization and data science helped audiences around the world understand the complexities of the coronavirus pandemic. He helps to inject data and evidence-based argument into what can be very polarising topics.

Our current food system is a leading cause of biodiversity loss and global warming. It is also responsible for increasing the risk of diabetes, stroke, and heart disease, as well as public health threats such as antimicrobial resistance and pandemics emerging from industrial animal agriculture.

How can we reduce the inequalities and harms of commercial social media and the online world, while building spaces that better support our human need to connect and communicate?

We live in polarised times, when global problems seem to be turning us against each other, not bringing us together. Over Festival week we will explore ways of tackling the enormous challenges we face, but there will be no solutions without cooperation.

Join former US Secretary of State John Kerry for a wide-ranging conversation on global sustainability challenges and opportunities, reflecting on leadership, international cooperation, and the evolving intersections between sustainability, diplomacy and public policy.

The climate crisis is reshaping economies, societies, and livelihoods—but not everyone bears its costs equally.

This event brings together theatre and social science to explore some of the most urgent questions of our time, building on LSE IDEAS’ Geopolitics of Climate Change series.

Is the return of great power rivalry and conflict eroding the collective capacity and willingness of the international community to address environmental, trade, and public health crises globally?

Adam Met, climate advocate, educator and member of the multiplatinum band AJR, discusses how we can protect the planet and examines the future of climate communication in an age of political polarization, algorithmic media, and public distrust.