The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on 1 - 12 November 2021. As part of our plans to contribute to the surrounding public policy debates, we will publish a collection of opinion articles addressing the key issues relating to climate change.
Note: this is for staff articles only. If you are an undergraduate or postgraduate taught student please see our writing competition page instead.
Our aim is to contribute to the global policy discussions on climate change and this article collection will form an important part of our programme of engagement with policy makers and the wider public. We are therefore seeking contributions from our academic community that help move the debate forward, bring scientific insight to a wider audience and offer practical solutions to the challenges posed by climate change.
Staff are now invited to pitch their ideas for articles, which should ideally relate to one of the following themes (NB: pitches that fall outside these categories but still relate to COP26 are also welcomed).
- Adaptation and resilience
- Nature
- Energy transition
- Clean transport
- Finance
- Cities and built environment
The deadline to submit your initial pitch is 15 March 2021. All pitches will be reviewed by an internal panel, following which successful entrants will be invited to write an article of up to 2,000 words in length on their chosen topic.
You can submit pitches as an individual or you can collaborate with others, including contributors outside the University. You may submit more than one pitch.
Key dates
Publication timeline
| 15 March 2021 |
Deadline to submit initial pitches (late pitches still considered) |
| 30 April 2021 |
Deadline for successful entrants to submit their articles |
| May 2021 |
Review process for articles |
| 14 June 2021 |
Publication of article collection |
Guidance for contributors
The following guidance is intended to help you develop your initial pitch and, if successful, your final article. Click here for an example of the sort of style we are aiming for.
- Write in a simple, plain English style. Your article should be written for a non-academic audience. Our aim is to make expert insight accessible to policy makers, journalists and the wider public.
- Offer practical solutions for policy makers, don’t just identify problems. What evidence can you share to move the public debate forward?
- Be concise, don’t repeat unnecessary information
- Avoid jargon and acronyms (unless well-known e.g. UN or EU) where possible and explain any technical terms you use.
- Aim to catch the attention of the reader early on. Why should they read the rest of your article?
- Use hyperlinks instead of citations. These should always link to open access publications or other sources that are freely available. Links to articles that are behind a paywall will be removed.
- You may include graphs, tables or other images in your article to help illustrate your points.
Support after publication
The University's communications teams may look to develop further content to complement your article and extend its reach. This may include video, blogs and other multimedia content.
Contact
publicaffairs@contacts.bham.ac.uk