A cross-posting from my Passed the point of no Return blog.
I made notes during the sessions that I attended at the PTI Geography Symposium.
The two Climate Change sessions on the first day were particularly useful and had lots of research links mentioned.
Bill McGuire was up first. I have a copy of his latest book: 'The Fate of the World'. This is the key resource for this session.
Image: Alan Parkinson
It's a bit bleak in its prognosis for the atmosphere, but physics doesn't care what people think or hope.
He started by explaining that we've never been in the situation we are in now, where the atmosphere is changing so rapidly. We have left the Holocene where we have been for 12 000 years.
We are burning "ancient sunlight" in the form of fossil fuels. Plants captured and drew down that energy.
There are 3 possible climate futures: the Pliocene, the Eocene and the Miocene.
We may end up with a permanent El Niño - like effect.
He also mentioned a report which the Government originally suppressed on ecosystem collapse and national security.
Produced by the Joint Intelligence Committee.
He used some ideas from Tom Harris's Substack.
Following Bill - and a tea break - we have Olivia Taylor from the University of Sussex.
Image: Alan Parkinson
Olivia started by talking about the inter-disciplinary nature of the problem that we face. A "wicked problem".
She referred to the UNFCCC report, and 2015's Paris agreement.
With COP31 coming up, every tenth of a degree increase in temperature will make a difference.
She referred to the three pillars of the response:
- mitigation
- adaptation
- loss and damage (compensation or reparations)
She also referred to the impact on Small Island States who have had the least impact on the carbon in the atmosphere.
There were connections also with the EMO-GI project as she referenced a paper by Hickman et al which explored young people's thoughts on climate change and climate anxiety and another by Panu Pihkala - someone else whose work has influenced our thinking on the EMO-GI project.
She referred to the need for "trusted messengers"/
She also referenced the excellent work of Robin Wall Kimmerer, particularly her book 'Braiding Sweetgrass', which is recommended, with references to indigenous knowledges.
We need "critical hope".
The GA posted a quick review of the event from Becky Kitchen with some images from Toby Smith.
I hope the event returns next year. If so, make sure you are there...
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