Storytelling

Of Sandboxes and Hourglasses: Reflections of a Young Person in Times of Change

Author: William Capps, University of Bristol Will is a 23-year old sustainability advocate and recent graduate from the University of Bristol. With a critical perspective on Higher Education, he is keen on exploring the more-than-necessary radical and disruptive ideas about how universities can lead the transition to a more just, equitable and environmentally sound future. Continue reading “Of Sandboxes and Hourglasses: Reflections of a Young Person in Times of Change”

Applying Systems Thinking to the Implementation of the SDGs

Before the UN SDG Summit to be held in New York, US, this September, UN Member States must decide on their priorities for accelerating progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We argue that Member States can prioritize some Goals above others, to boost progress on the 2030 Agenda. To be able to doContinue reading “Applying Systems Thinking to the Implementation of the SDGs”

HISTORY NOW

I encourage anyone reading this on New Year’s day to watch Simon Schama’s BBC TV series called “History Now” Schama is always a compelling presenter but in this series, he is more than a messenger, offering something of a call to arms as he emotionally recounted memories of watching Václav Havel address crowds of CzechContinue reading “HISTORY NOW”

NO MORE FAIRY TALES

Research by Dr Denise Baden shows that stories which introduce climate change solutions in the context of an otherwise mainstream story are more likely to inspire greener behaviours than catastrophic tales of climate change. In her guest blog she introduces the latest Green Stories anthology No More Fairy Tales—Stories to Save Our Planet. Blog by DeniseContinue reading “NO MORE FAIRY TALES“

A SHIP FROM DELOS

Annually a sacred ship would set sail around the Island of Delos, and until its return, Athenian society would not partake in public executions due to religious observance. Socrates trial at Roayl Sota and sentence occurred during this period. Whilst waiting for the sacred ship and the fate to follow, the 70-year-old Athenian philosopher defendsContinue reading “A SHIP FROM DELOS”

A Brave New Wild

A new report entitled ‘Count the cost of 2020: a year of climate breakdown’, published by the charity Christian Aid, has once again highlighted the existential crisis we face from Climate Change. Unsurprisingly, the burden falls disproportionately on poor nations, like Bangladesh, where the 2020 floods covered almost a quarter of the land area ofContinue reading “A Brave New Wild”

A LIFE ON OUR PLANET

I was invited to a virtual event last Sunday by WWK-UK to hear from Sir David Attenborough about his new film on Netflix. A Life on our Planet is a feature-length documentary which tells the story of life on Earth and the ecological changes of the last century, many of which have been filmed andContinue reading “A LIFE ON OUR PLANET”

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”

Storytelling and Climate Change

I am increasingly thinking and indeed currently reading about the myths we are telling ourselves about climate change and the Anthropocene. It’s strange that the word myth is nowadays used to convey a false belief or idea which is somewhat different today than in former times. It used to mean more weighty matters such asContinue reading “Storytelling and Climate Change”