LSE: Public lectures and events

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 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?

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.

We know the importance of data and evidence in tackling global crises like climate change, but is it stories rather than statistics that will drive change? Our panel discuss how art, literature and performance can be used to connect and inspire people, and how this feeds into activism.

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.