When we think of the climate crisis and the existential threat it poses to humanity, it is easy to fall into a two common narrative frames: either “there’s nothing I can do about it” or “I’m sure someone will solve the problem in time”. Even the title of this conference, “Sustainable Development: What kind of future should we want?”, assumes that “we”, i.e. human civilization, will have a future and that sustainable development will be a part of that future.

 

But that underlying assumption is not self-evident. Our governments have known about the pending climate disaster for decades, yet they’ve not stepped in to protect us. Economic markets are not suited to massive changes in status quo. Our cultures are based in colonialism and repression at worst or mere tolerance at best, and we still revel in stories about how one man (and almost never a woman) can save the day. It is clear that our political, our economic, and cultural models are insufficient to the task of literally preserving human civilization.

 

No one is coming to save us.

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We must stand up and save ourselves.

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This workshop is based on the work of Extinction Rebellion and will turn theories of social change into practical applications in order to create brave spaces capable of fostering an environmentally just transition to decentralized politics, circular markets, and regenerative cultures.