Climate change specialists from some of the UK’s foremost businesses and organisations are among key speakers at a major Midlands conference examining the way technology will help tackle climate change.

More than 350 people have already signed up for Tech Severn – a two-day free event on June 16 and 17 – which is attracting registrations from across the globe thanks to its focus on innovation and sustainability ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference COP26.

The high-profile virtual conference, organised by Shropshire Council, brings together leading technological and environmental experts to help set out a roadmap to a green future. Speakers including BT’s head of environmental sustainability Gabrielle Giner, Sarah Tennison, head of clean growth at Innovate UK, Dr Niall McCann, conservation director for National Park Rescue and Ellen Wilson, sustainability and smart cities expert at Microsoft.

Shropshire Council chief executive Andy Begley said he was delighted with the initial registrations to date – and urged still more businesses and organisations to sign up for the event.

“We have gathered together speakers from the cutting edge of business to share their vision of how technology can help us reduce our emissions, develop a truly sustainable future and protect the environment for generations to come.

“As a council we have set a deadline of 2030 to be carbon neutral and we hope to show through this brilliant event how technology can help us reach that goal – and also inspire people across our area and beyond to match our commitment.

“The quality of the line-up, bringing together both national and local experts, innovators and specialists, has already attracted registrations from overseas as well as across the UK and we know that this will be an event not to be missed.”

Other key speakers include Mark Thompson, managing director of Telford-based battery and energy storage pioneers AceOn, and Parveen Begum, the chief executive of Telford clean energy specialists Solisco, along with Coventry University bioleaching expert Sebastien Farnaud, Mike Barry, Cambridge University sustainability expert and Fflur Lawton, head of public affairs at Smart Energy UK.

Areas the conference will focus on include the role of technology and how new innovations can help the public and private sector:

• Reduce its carbon footprint and achieve ‘net-zero’
• Drive a new generation of global sustainability
• Mitigate the impacts of climate change
• Protect its built and natural environments.

The event, supported by The Marches Growth Hub Shropshire, has been funded through the Shropshire Council-led ARG Economic Recovery Programme and is aimed at businesses of all sizes and sectors, voluntary, community and public sector organisations, schools, colleges and universities and the general public.

The Recovery Programme is a £3.2m series of projects, utilising Additional Restriction Grant (ARG) funding from Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to fund wider business support activities.

To book your place and for more information visit: https://techsevern21.co.uk/