Guest Blog by Barry Carney, Research Associate with Change Agents UK The UK is legally committed to net zero emissions by 2050. This target was put forward by the Government’s statutory advisor, the Committee on Climate Change, for delivering on the UK’s commitments to the Paris Agreement. The measures are a continued response to theContinue reading “Climate Assembly UK: Talking about the whether…”
Category Archives: Climate Change
CIVIC UNIVERSITIES and CIVIC RENEWAL
There is a growing interest in the idea of civic universities. It’s an idea which has a new resonance with many who believe its time for a reassessment of what a university is for(see my earlier blogs on From Green Academy to Ecological Universities and What is a University For?). I was particularly struck byContinue reading “CIVIC UNIVERSITIES and CIVIC RENEWAL”
ABSURDITY AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CRISIS
Albert Camus published his novel, The Plague, in 1947, and there are many similarities with our current response to the pandemic. Camus describes the ineffectiveness of the authorities; the complacency of the citizens in the early days and the challenges and dilemmas forced on individuals. The novel highlights the powerlessness of individuals to affect theirContinue reading “ABSURDITY AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CRISIS”
MAKE UNIVERSITIES MATTER
The text below is the opening page of a short and powerful guide on how universities can empower their students make a difference. I was really impressed by its argument and its 12 reasons why universities should address their purpose. Universities can help people step out of their comfort zone to make a difference. ItsContinue reading “MAKE UNIVERSITIES MATTER”
Consciousness and Climate Change
Guest blog by Emma Hickling Amidst all the doom and gloom of Covid-19, I decided to read a recently published book about the philosophy of consciousness, which has the engaging title of “Galileo’s Error”. The author, Philip Goff, is an academic who manages to make a complex subject very accessible to the lay reader. TheContinue reading “Consciousness and Climate Change”
NEW WAYS of THINKING AND ACTING in the ANTHROPOCENE
Guest Blog by Barry Carney: MSc (Centre for Alternative Technology, UK); Change Agents UK research associate. In the age of the Anthropocene, we urgently need new ways of thinking and acting. Economists are predicting that biophysical limits will determine the post-growth world and, as things stand, this will be characterised by mass migration, profound naturalContinue reading “NEW WAYS of THINKING AND ACTING in the ANTHROPOCENE”
IDEAS FOR A GROWN-UP ECONOMY
As we enter week 8 of the lock down, along with thoughts of returning to work or sending children back to school, there is a growing chorus of voices talking about the need for a new form of economics. One of these voices is called the Wellbeing Alliance (WEALL for short: https://wellbeingeconomy.org/ ) WEALL isContinue reading “IDEAS FOR A GROWN-UP ECONOMY”
THE HIDDEN POWER OF SYSTEMS THINKING Governance in a Climate Emergency
In many of my recent blogs I have begun to focus on how we can implement transformational change. During my time as the CEO of a new company in the fastest growing city in the UK- Milton Keynes in the late 1990s, I found myself engaging with some of the foremost creative and influential academicsContinue reading “THE HIDDEN POWER OF SYSTEMS THINKING Governance in a Climate Emergency”
TRANSITIONING FROM THE PANDEMIC: Sound Advice from the OECD
As governments proceed to reduce the lock down measures implemented to contain Covid-19 they are being encouraged to implement a 5-step decision making framework which takes account of longer-term impacts of climate change. We do not need gung-ho business as usual changes which stimulate carbon intensive industrial and consumption growth, knowing only to well thatContinue reading “TRANSITIONING FROM THE PANDEMIC: Sound Advice from the OECD”
SHOULD UNIVERSITIES BE A FORCE FOR SOCIAL GOOD?
Imagine if a university totally reoriented itself around redeveloping its locality. It would only offer teaching and research directly relevant to this mission. It might bring in local employers, partner with private training providers, and only carry out research that would benefit its local communities.This idea by a leading consultancy firm was headlined in theContinue reading “SHOULD UNIVERSITIES BE A FORCE FOR SOCIAL GOOD?”
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