The Battle of Ideas weekend festival took place on October 28-29, 2006. Over the weekend, nearly 200 heavyweight speakers from the world of politics, business, media and academia debated the most important issues of our time - reflecting the Institute of Ideas’ commitment to open and robust debate

One of the debates over the weekend, “Carbon, carbon everywhere?”, opened up the discussion of what, if anything, we can do to address the problem of carbon pollution. The environment has become one of the top issues on the global agenda and Sir Nicholas Stern's Review on the Economics of Climate Change published today adds fuel to that debate. In the report, the former World Bank chief economist argues that government has to address the causes and effects of climate change if we are to avoid a major global recession. Will we have to reign in our aspirations for our way of life – or is it too late? We asked two of the panellists from the debate to kick off the discussion on Times Online.

To hear what Austin Williams, director, The Future Cities Project, has to say – click here

And to listen to what Lucy Siegle, author of Green Living in the Urban Jungle, has to say on the issue – click here

What do you think? You can post your comments in the form below.

To listen to the opening arguments of the live debate, click here

Jointly sponsored by BDP (Building Design Partnership) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

From the school run to cheap flights, from the energy labelling of buildings to turning off the TV standby, reducing carbon has become the major obsession of our time. Energy use now preoccupies all of society and debates about wind-farms, oil or nuclear power all seem to centre on carbon reduction above all other considerations. World summits focus on the need for governments to reduce carbon equivalents while even on a personal level, insulating one’s loft, installing a solar panel and walking rather than driving have become signifiers of responsible citizenship. The media have made a hero of ethical man. Just as low carbon-rated vehicles signify a better class of concerned driver, politicians who choose eco-friendly bandwagons are chastised for not doing more. Carbon quotas, carbon credits and carbon rationing may be policy mantras, but what do these moral preoccupations tell us about our relationship with nature and our ambition for the future?

The panellists at the debate are:

Dr Myles Allen, head of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics Department, University of Oxford; Natural Environment Research Council research fellow

Richard Rees, architect; urban design director, Building Design Partnership; author, Urban Design Futures (2006)

Lucy Siegle, columnist, Observer; author, Green Living in the Urban Jungle (2001)

Austin Williams, director, The Future Cities Project

Chair: Tony Gilland, science and society director, Institute of Ideas; national co-ordinator, Debating Matters