Press Release: Keynote speaker announced for the SEE Summit

The keynote speaker for the SEE Summit on the Environment will be Nick Bridge. Nick is the Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Climate Change and is directing the UK’s global diplomatic climate change work, currently focused on COP26.

Nick says, “The urgent and compelling need to tackle climate change is clear to us all. The UN Climate Change conference – COP26 – will be hosted by the UK in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November 2021 and bring together Heads of State, officials, campaigners & business to make new commitments that can help us avoid catastrophic impacts.

“Ahead of COP26, the UK is working round the clock with partners around the world – every country, sub national governments & cities, businesses, and a full array of civil society – to reach the most ambitious possible agreement in key areas such as finance, energy, transport and nature, and limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.

“I am delighted therefore to support the UK optical sector’s SEE Summit for the Environment, which will provide practical ideas and support for eye care practitioners, practice owners and suppliers so they can minimise their carbon footprints and contribute to a sustainable global economy for the benefit of current and future generations.”

Book your place at the inaugural SEE Summit on the Environment on 4 October 2021 to hear more from Nick and gain inspiring and practical tips from a range of key figures in the industry.

Visit www.abdo.org.uk/events/see-event/  to book. 

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. Media enquiries to Antonia Chitty achitty@abdo.org.uk / Carol Smith, csmith@abdo.org.uk
2. Hi res images are available
3. The SEE Summit aims to promote environmental sustainability in the UK optical sector and contribute to the government’s goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It takes place in the run-up to the COP (Conference of the Parties) climate change summit in November 2021. Running from 7-8.30pm, the event offers a packed agenda with inspiring speakers talking about how they have moved towards environmental sustainability in practice and in manufacturing. Attendees will also receive practical advice on the changes that can be made at work.
4. This event is supported by the Association of Optometrists (AOP), the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO), the Association of Contact Lens Manufacturers, the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA), the College of Optometrists, FODO, the General Optical Council (GOC) and the Optical Suppliers Association (OSA).
5. Nick Bridge is a diplomat & civil servant. He was appointed as the Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Climate Change in 2017, directing the UK’s global diplomatic climate change work, currently focused on COP26. Nick was previously Permanent Representative & Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the OECD & IEA from 2011 to 2016. He was Chief Economist at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. He has served for over a decade in diplomatic postings to China, Japan and the United States. Nick also worked in the Treasury, where he co-led a $4 billion facility to immunize half a billion people in the developing world, and began his career as an economist in the Ministry of Agriculture. Nick has served on various boards and published many international media articles on climate change & the environment. He studied economics at the University of Nottingham and was a Senior Leader and Government fellow at Harvard.