Eco talks at BRLSI – Degrowing towards an equal world

How do we build a sustainable future? If you’re looking for something to inspire you this season ‘Eco Talks at BRLSI ‘ delivers inspiring and thought provoking content on the issue of climate change and conservation. Continuing with Degrowing towards an equal world with Professor Manfred Lenzen, BRLSI will deliver monthly talks and films exploring how to best futureproof the planet against rising global challenges and invite you to become part of a community who feel the same way that you do.

For more than three decades, climate science has documented the risks of global warming with increasing confidence. We understand the consequences of exceeding 1.5°C and 2°C, the scale of emissions reductions required, and we have developed a growing suite of policy and technological solutions. Yet global emissions remain near historical highs, fossil fuels continue to dominate energy systems, and climate action remains politically fragile.

This talk asks a simple question: why are we not changing? Drawing on the work of Kari Norgaard, Sally Weintrobe, and Robert Costanza, the talk argues that the gap between knowledge and action cannot be understood solely as a technological, economic, or policy problem. Instead, it reflects deeper social and psychological processes, including denial and collective attachment to growth-dependent ways of life.

Bio

Professor Manfred Lenzen is Professor of Sustainability Research with the ISA team in the School of Physics at the University of Sydney. He has a PhD in Physics and experience in renewable energy technologies, life-cycle assessment, and carbon footprinting. His current research interests focus on the link between environmental/resource impacts and international trade. He currently leads the development of cloud-based collaborative-research platforms for building large-scale global economic-environmental models that enable environmental impact analysis across global supply-chain networks. In addition, his research deals withn climate change mitigation, resource use, and sustainable development. He is a leading contributor to industrial ecology and environmental-economic modeling and currently investigates post-growth futures and the societal barriers to climate action.

Please note that Professor Lenzen will be speaking live from Australia and will not be appearing in person. You can buy a ticket to watch the talk on the large screen at 16 Queen Square, or a ticket to watch online wherever you are.