Upcoming
Links
Livestream (Youtube)
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Live Q&A (Mentimeter)
Abstract
Climate change and the destruction of nature threaten the breakdown of planetary systems, the extinction of a million species and the collapse of human civilisation, a situation widely described as a planetary emergency. An emergency is an urgent and dangerous situation requiring us to focus our attentions on the problem at hand, yet most researchers and scientific institutions continue as normal, in the belief that simply providing more information will somehow lead to the required transformations in our societies and economies. However, this theory of change in naive because governmental decisions are not influenced primarily by evidence but by corporate lobbying and public opinion. In this talk, Dr Gardner makes the case that those with the greatest understanding of the emergency, such as scientists, have a moral obligation to step beyond their research and additionally engage in practices that have greater potential to bring about change, in particular by joining and supporting non-violent civil resistance movements.
Speaker
Dr Charlie Gardner is a conservationist and activist with a particular interest in the intersection of the climate and ecological crises. He is an Associate Senior Lecturer at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (University of Kent), and spokesperson with Scientist Rebellion and Scientists for Extinction Rebellion.
Title
From Publications to Public Actions: The Role of Scientists in a Planetary Emergency
Agenda
2022
- January 27 | Charlie Gardner
- February | TBD
- March | TBD
2021
- May 6 | Paul Behrens | Futures from the Frontiers of Climate Science
- June 17 | Jaap van der Stel | Klimaatcrisis vergt aandacht voor onze mentale gezondheid
- September 16 | Christel van Eck | Climate Communication: from Awareness to Action
- October 21 | Frank Biermann | Climate Engineering: Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis?
- November 18 | Maartje Janse | Climate activism – A historical perspective
- December 16 | Matthijs Schouten | Who do we think we are? A new perspective on humans and the natural world.
About ‘Future Scientists’
By now, most people are aware of the seriousness of climate change and the ecological crisis (e.g., see this 2019 EU Survey). However, awareness by itself may not lead to behavioral change, let alone system and cultural change.
In the Future Scientists webinar series, we explore how to go forward in the decisive decade to come. As scholars and scientists, what is our role in contributing towards the “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society” (IPCC) required to stay below 1,5 °C of warming? What system or cultural changes need to be discussed more widely, and how to best communicate that? Lastly, taking a more introspective view, how do we cope with emotions coming from the barrage of “bad news” regarding the state of our planet?
