So, all the political anoraks who used to skulk around the fringe events at the party conferences hoovering up the sandwiches and grog will recall the “Climate Clinics”.  They were funded by a bunch of the usual suspects (ethical businesses, not-very-ethical businesses wanting to look like they were and so avoid regulation, a few NGOs) and ran the same-ish events/debates/talkshops at each of the  Labour, Lib “you’ll be sorry” Dems and Tory conferences.

Well, this year, when the Arctic is melting and the need for political movement on climate is more urgent than ever (if that’s possible)… nada.  They’ve shut up shop.  We’ll try and get hold of someone for a comment, but doubtless it will be anodyne “many successes, political climate [ho ho] not conducive, renewed focus on energy security etc etc”.

Meanwhile, we went to the Labour Party conference site and typed in “Climate” to the search box. It came up with this. (We’ve added a couple of events it didn’t list)

Monday, 1st
08:30 Changing aid for a changing climate: How well are we prepared for fighting floods and famine in the 21st century
Manchester Central – Exchange 7
New Statesman and Islamic Relief
Chair Mehdi Hasan
Speakers Rushanara Ali MP, Shadow Minister for International Development

13:00 Energy – can the market be truly competitive?
The Midland Hotel – Fairclough Suite
IPPR in partnership with Which?
Chair Will Straw, IPPR
Speakers Caroline Flint MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change

17:45 Will the Green Deal help tackle fuel poverty?
Novotel Manchester Centre – Rylands 1
Policy Exchange & Rockwool
Chair Geoffrey Lean, Contributing Editor – Environment, The Daily Telegraph
Speakers Luciana Berger MP, Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change; Thomas Heldgaard, Managing Director, Rockwool; Guy Newey, Head of Environment & Energy, Policy Exchange;

Monday 1st October: 7.30pm. Transformational Economics (Transforming the North).
Venue: The Palace Hotel – Directors Suite.
Speakers: Jane Thomas (FoE), Sir Richard Leese, Leader, Manchester City Council; Hillary Benn MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

which clashes with this.

Tuesday, 2nd
08:00 Keeping the lights on: Energy security in Europe and the UK
Manchester Central – Dods Central 7
European Commission
Chair Tony Grew, Parliamentary Editor, PoliticsHome & The House magazine
Speakers Philip Lowe, Director General for Energy, European Commission;Linda McAvan MEP, Member, Environment Committee;Shane Tomlinson, E3G, Third Generation Environmentalism;Paul Spence, EDF Energy
12:45 Flagship green policy: Green deal or green gamble
Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel – Dickens / Thackery
Micropower Council, PRASEG and SERA
Chair Damian Carrington, Head of Environment, the Guardian
Speakers Luciana Berger MP, Shadow Minister for Climate Change; Dr Alan Whitehead MP, Chair, PRASEG; Representative from Which? (invited)

17:45 Low carbon and lower bills: Can the circle be squared?
Novotel Manchester Centre – Rylands 1
Policy Exchange and RWE npower
Chair Damian Carrington, Head of Environment, The Guardian
Speakers Caroline Flint MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change; Guy Newey, Head of Environment & Energy, Policy Exchange; David Reiner, Director of the MPhil, Technology Policy Programme & Assistant Director, Electricity Policy Research Group, University of Cambridge;

6pm – WWF, Oxfam and RSA Insurance will be hosting a fringe event with Mary Creagh MP and Richard Howett MEP: ‘Growing pains: Can the politics of sustainability survive the economic downturn?’

Wednesday, 3rd
08:30 Building a green economy: The case for new energy infrastructure
Manchester Town Hall – Reception Room
New Statesman and Energy Networks Association
Speakers Caroline Flint MP (invited), Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change

12:00 The energy-industrial revolution: How the UK can lead the world in low-carbon
Manchester Town Hall – Lord Mayor’s Suite
Friends of the Earth, IPPR and WWF
Chair Sue Ferns, Prospect Union
Speakers Caroline Flint MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change; Andrew Pendleton, Friends of the Earth; Will Straw, IPPR; Nick Gardiner, BNP Paribas; Dimitri Zenghelis, London School of Economics; David Nussbaun, WWF

13:00 Rethinking fossil fuels
Manchester Central – Dods Central 5
Dods PoliticsHome
Chair Paul Waugh, Editor in Chief, PoliticsHome & The House magazine
Speakers Tom Greatrex MP, Shadow Minister for Energy & Climate Change;David Anderson MP, Secretary, Clean Coal APPG