Chaired by Rebecca Omonira-Oyekanmi

World over, the poorest and most oppressed communities have long felt the sharpest impact of climate breakdown and environment degradation. In countries rich and poor, the poorest suffer most. Be it polluted water, devastating storms, deadly factories spewing killer chemicals, or swathes of indigenous lands and rainforests stolen for industrial extraction. World over, people of colour in poorer countries have resisted, raised the alarm and challenged powerful vested interests.

Yet the stories we tell about climate action and resistance rarely feature people of colour. We portray environmentalism as a modern Western phenomenon. Why is this?What role does the media play in setting these narratives? Do white journalists see heroism and resistance only when it happens on their doorsteps or the activists look like them? What would climate reporting look like if national newsrooms were truly diverse? Come and join our panel of journalists, activists and climate experts to discuss the role of people of colour in telling stories about climate change and the environment.

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah 

Simmone Ahiaku 

Dalia Gebrial

Damian Gayle

One of the UK’s foremost poets, regularly anthologised and headlining festivals nationally and internationally. A BBC regular, Salena Godden has written and presented several arts and music programmes – a film of her poem Titanic was aired as part of BBC poetry programme We Belong Here. A short-fiction Blue Cornflowers was shortlisted for the Guardian Short Story Prize 2016. Her essay Shade was published in 2016’s literary sensation The Good Immigrant, which won the Reader’s Choice Book Of The Year Award. A new piece Skin was commissioned for The Essay and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in February 2017. Her live album LIVEwire showcases a broad range of her work and has attracted rave reviews since launching with indie poetry label Nymphs and Thugs. The LIVEwire limited edition vinyl launches with the N&T ‘Summer of LOVEwire’ UK tour in spring 2017.