The University of Bath, England will host one of the world’s leading sustainability conferences in September 2026, welcoming hundreds of researchers and experts from across the globe.

Bath, Somerset - a UNESCO World Heritage city - will host the annual Earth System Governance conference, the world’s largest interdisciplinary research network, advancing knowledge at the interface between global environmental change and governance. The conference brings together researchers, policymakers and civil society partners who study how we respond to big environmental challenges like climate change, pollution, and loss of nature.

More than 500 researchers from around the world are expected to attend the conference in the historical city of Bath. They’ll share ideas, research, and real-world solutions to help create fairer and more effective ways of tackling global environmental problems.

The conference chair, Dr Yixian Sun from the Department of Social and Policy Sciences, the Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change and the Centre for Development Studies at the University of Bath said:

We’re proud to bring this important event to Bath. It’s a chance to showcase the University’s work on sustainability and to be part of vital global conversations about how we protect our planet.

Previous conferences have taken place in Toronto, Utrecht, Lund, Canberra, and most recently Johannesburg, South Africa in August 2025.

The University of Bath is known for its research on climate change, energy, and sustainable development, and will work with international partners to deliver a packed programme of talks, discussions, and public events.