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Nicholas Stern talks to Katya Adler

The Growth Story of the 21st Century: The Economics and Opportunities of Climate Action

Hay Festival 2026, 

At a pivotal moment for our climate, economist and academic Nicholas Stern comes to Hay Festival with a powerful message: we do not have to choose between prosperity and the planet.

Drawing on decades at the forefront of international climate policy – including his landmark Stern Review – Stern argues that climate action is the growth story of the 21st century. The real risk lies not in acting, but in failing to act. Bringing together economics, finance, politics and behavioural science, he sets out a bold, practical vision for transforming our economies to deliver sustainable, inclusive growth while tackling the climate and biodiversity crises head on.

As Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics, Stern offers an unrivalled insight into what must happen next. Urgent, authoritative and solutions-driven – this is an essential Hay Festival conversation about the future we choose. He talks to the BBC’s Europe editor Katya Adler.