Sydney Environment Institute

Why does environmental crisis persist?

Outside the Square—the new series of Q&A-style discussions designed especially for graduates of the University of Sydney—is now underway.

Held just off campus in Chippendale’s Creative Precinct (a 5-minute stroll from Central Station), our previous sessions all sold out. The next panel—see below—is sure to do the same.

There’s drinks. There’s catering by the renowned chefs of Olio Restaurant. But the best part: Outside the Square gives you direct access to our speakers. Come along and you’ll be able to comment and quiz our experts live, via your phone, as the conversation unfolds.

ARE HUMANS THE ONLY BEINGS THAT MATTER? HOW TO BE SUSTAINABLE: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES

We have the science. We know why things are bad (and how bad they really are). In most cases, we even have the technologies to do things differently.

So… why does environmental crisis persist?

Part of the problem lies in the way we talk about the environment. The language used is formal and opaque—carbon dioxide, emissions, biodegradables—disconnecting our daily lives from the realities of climate change, irreversible pollution and species extinction.

It’s also in how the majority of us have been conditioned to understand the environment as something separate; ignoring how thoroughly entangled and immersed everyday life is with the non-human.

Scientists can offer evidence but they can’t offer us the desire to change. The role of the arts and humanities here is crucial: through culture and politics we can begin to understand what is being lost and what that loss means.

Join our expert panel as they address the prickly myths surrounding the ways we live and offer ideas on how we can all truly be sustainable.

Click here to purchase tickets

PANEL:
Professor David Schlosberg – Co-director of the Sydney Environment Institute
Dr Astrida Neimanis – Lecturer of Gender and Cultural Studies
Dr Alana Mann – Chair of the Department of Media and Communications