The Response: A story of fire and flood in Britain’s new world of extremes: Newcastle University

Wildfires destroying homes in the suburbs of London. Downpours so intense they can trap and drown people in basements. Record-breaking heatwaves disrupting railways, hospitals and daily life. What once seemed unimaginable is becoming reality as our climate grows more extreme. Even in Britain, one of the world’s wealthiest nations, we remain far from prepared for many of the risks ahead. Yet these dangers are not inevitable. In this lecture, journalist David Shukman will explore the new extremes that our bodies, buildings and landscapes now face in Britain and around the world - and what we can do about them.

David Shukman is a journalist, author and speaker. He began in journalism while studying for a BA in Geography at the University of Durham, later working in local newspapers and then the BBC in 1983. He reported from Northern Ireland during The Troubles, witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall as Defence Correspondent and then became Europe Correspondent based in Brussels. He went on to lead the BBC’s coverage of climate change and other environmental issues, first as Environment & Science Correspondent from 2003-2012 and then as the BBC’s first Science Editor from 2012-2021. David set out to help the public understand the state of climate science, the impacts of climate change and possible solutions, with broadcasts from as far afield as the Antarctic and the Amazon. David’s assignments took him to more than 100 countries and his reports were published on the BBC’s main news outlets in the UK and worldwide. Since leaving the BBC a few years ago, David has worked independently.