Life in the Anthropocene: reflections on a couple of recent talks

Whenever You Breathe Out, I Breathe In (2014) - David Gasi

By Martin

A couple of talks I attended last week threw up some interesting links and comparisons, and offered some useful snapshots into the direction of travel among those interested in ideas about the Anthropocene and the nature of the human.

The Tragedy of Climate Change - forthcoming public lecture by Joshua Howe at King's College London

(c) Rosa Merk

On January 7th  the Department of Geography at KCL is hosting Joshua Howe for a public lecture on the history of climate politics in the US. Howe is the author of Behind the Curve: Science and the Politics of Global Warming, and will be talking to the title: 

The Tragedy of Climate Change:History, science, and the politics of global warming in the United States

Here's the abstract for the talk:

'Author of the recent book Behind the Curve, Joshua Howe uses the narrative lens of tragedy as a way to make sense of our collective failure to mitigate global warming in a meaningful way.  He tells the story of rising CO₂ – illustrated by the now famous Keeling Curve – through a variety of historical contexts.  In so doing Howe highlights the ways in which the well-intended efforts of scientists and environmentalists to use more and better science to shape global warming policy have at times undermined the political ability to implement solutions.  Although science is essential to understanding global warming, a primary and often exclusive focus on science in public discourse has left advocates for progressive climate change policy vulnerable to political opposition.  This is the tragedy of climate change.'

Vlad Jankovic, historian of science at the University of Manchester, will offer a response, before we move to a wine reception. The talk is free to attend and open to all, and registration can be completed here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-tragedy-of-climate-change-tickets-14189277511

It's set to be a really fascinating talk, and Howe's take on the role of scientists as advocates for political action will be of interest to anyone concerned with the politics of climate change.