Science Festival events target climate change

Orkney International Science Festival has been packing out venues around Orkney with talks, family events, walks and online lectures.

With a few days still to go there’s plenty to see.

Tuesday, September 6, at 2pm, sees two talks which call directly for change to help combat climate change.

The Phoenix Cinema will host Roger Crofts discussion of what are the best trees to plant.

In his wide ranging talk on trees, woodlands and forestry, he challenges the commercial tree planters and Forest Scotland to halt the serious damage done to the land in preparing for planting and at harvesting.

This would also involve radical changes to the Forestry Grant Scheme, and improving management of existing woodlands, including reducing support for planting Non Native species especially Sitka spruce.

While in the Orkney Theatre, zoology graduate Derek Pretswell will discuss an approach to regenerating the whole ecosystem of land and wildlife and people, that diverges from the compartmentalisation and institutional thinking that dominates today.

New Life of the land and Wildlife and People is on at 5.15.-6.15pm.

Then at the Orkney Club from 9-10pm, Brian Cromarty will introduce his field recordings. These are four pieces of music inspired by Orkney’s energy story.

Brian will tell the story of how they developed, and there’s will be time to ask him more about the process.

This event is held in association with Orkney Renewable Energy Forum. This event can be accessed online via Zoom by contacting office@oref.co.uk, free to OREF members, £3 for non-members.

Tickets for Orkney Science Festival events can be purchased at the venues before the talks or online at https://oisf.org/oisf/tickets/