CLIMATE CHANGE: VIEWS FROM THE HUMANITIES
A NEARLY CARBON-NEUTRAL CONFERENCE
Panel 1: Flying and Focusing on the Everyday
[easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,linkedin,mail” counters=0 native=”no” image=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/yusuke-asai-waf-1.jpg url=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/?p=12640 facebook_text=Share twitter_text=Tweet linkedin_text=Link text=”Panel on Flying and Focusing on the Everyday at #ehi16 nearly carbon-free conference.”]
The Inner Lives of Climate Scientists
Peter Kalmus, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (speaking on his own behalf)
Climate scientists routinely attend talks about the rapidly dying biosphere after which we ask a few polite questions and then shuffle back to our offices. We also routinely have some of the largest carbon footprints of any humans on Earth due to frequent flights to conferences and meetings. This talk discusses these bizarre tribal practices and inner lives of climate scientists, employing a combination of anecdote and survey (more).
A Strategy for Flying Less in Academic Communities
Parke Wilde, Tufts University
This presentation will (a) briefly review the climate impact of flying, (b) explain the strategic focus on university and research communities, (c) review the wonderful diversity of methods available for universities and professional associations to reduce flying without greatly impairing academic research productivity or quality of life, and (d) summarize responses to common questions or objections that arise in conversations with academics about this issue (more).
The Nature of the “Less than Meaningless” and “Self-righteous, Self-referential, Ascetic Bullshit” in the Anthropocene
Joseph Nevins, Vassar College
This paper interrogates four major ideas: 1) the implicit assumption that nature only unfolds on one scale—that of the biosphere; 2) an understanding of nature as singular, rather than plural; 3) a perception of the individual and collective as distinct; and 4) a failure to appreciate that “nature” is produced in such way that it is inextricably tied to power and inequality (more).
Q & A
Have questions or comments? Feel free to take part in the Q&A!
Before posting, you must first register. Note that questions and comments can be intended for individual speakers, the entire panel, or anyone who has posted to the Q&A. Respond directly to a particular question/comment by way of the little “reply” below it. The vertical threadlike lines are there to make it easier to see which part of the discussion (i.e. “thread”) you are taking up. You can choose to be notified via email (see below) whenever a question, answer, or comment is posted to this particular Q&A. Because the email notification will contain the new comment in its entirety, you can both follow the discussion as it is unfolding, as well as decide whether you would like to step in at any point. You can choose to receive email notifications for as many of the conference Q&A sessions as you like, as well as stop notifications at any time. Because the Q&A sessions will close at the end of the conference, all email notifications will also end at this time. Although only registered conference participants can pose questions and make comments, Q&A sessions are visible to the public and will remain so after the conference has ended, as we hope that they will become cited resources.
Back in 2009, the country of Bhutan made a hefty promise to remain carbon neutral for the rest of time. In an inspiring TED talk by Tshering Tobgay, it is revealed how this little country tucked deep within the Himalayas, and sandwiched between the two super powers of China and India, has not only kept its promise, but today stands as the most carbon negative country in the world. Blessed with a lineage of enlightened monarchs, Bhutan has consistently balanced national economic growth with cultural preservation, environmental sustainability, and social development. (source).
[easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,linkedin,mail” counters=0 native=”no” image=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/tobgay.jpg url=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/?p=12760 facebook_text=Share twitter_text=Tweet linkedin_text=Link text=”Carbon Neutral Bhutan”]
Johnny Clasper’s hypnotic free-form stonework is a swirling spectacle that garners its fair share of attention, and rightly so. The stonemason’s passion for his craft is apparent in every detailed design. From drystone sculptures to pebble mosaics and stone balancing acts, Clasper has a skill for transforming the commonplace material into works of art. The artist credits his upward trajectory on a passion for stone that carries him in many different directions. (source).
[easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,linkedin,mail” counters=0 native=”no” image=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/clasper1.jpg url=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/?p=12756 facebook_text=Share twitter_text=Tweet linkedin_text=Link text=”Swirling Stonework”]
A team of Illinois-based scientists have developed a form of “Martian concrete” that could be used to build architectural structures on the surface of the Mars. The most important feature of the material is that it construction material that combines Martian soil with molten sulphur and – unlike regular concrete – it is produced without water, which is in scarce supply on Mars. The majority of water that exists on the planet today is frozen. Another advantage of the material is that it it entirely recyclable, so it could be melted down and reset into a new form. It also has a natural resistance to acid and salt, and can endure very low temperatures. (source).
[easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,linkedin,mail” counters=0 native=”no” image=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/martian1.jpg url=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/?p=12751 facebook_text=Share twitter_text=Tweet linkedin_text=Link text=”Martian Concrete”]
Panel 1: Flying and Focusing on the Everyday
/38 Comments/in 2016 EHI Conference /by Rick Thomas, UC Santa BarbaraCLIMATE CHANGE: VIEWS FROM THE HUMANITIES
A NEARLY CARBON-NEUTRAL CONFERENCE
Panel 1: Flying and Focusing on the Everyday
[easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,linkedin,mail” counters=0 native=”no” image=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/yusuke-asai-waf-1.jpg url=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/?p=12640 facebook_text=Share twitter_text=Tweet linkedin_text=Link text=”Panel on Flying and Focusing on the Everyday at #ehi16 nearly carbon-free conference.”]
The Inner Lives of Climate Scientists
Peter Kalmus, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (speaking on his own behalf)
Climate scientists routinely attend talks about the rapidly dying biosphere after which we ask a few polite questions and then shuffle back to our offices. We also routinely have some of the largest carbon footprints of any humans on Earth due to frequent flights to conferences and meetings. This talk discusses these bizarre tribal practices and inner lives of climate scientists, employing a combination of anecdote and survey (more).
A Strategy for Flying Less in Academic Communities
Parke Wilde, Tufts University
This presentation will (a) briefly review the climate impact of flying, (b) explain the strategic focus on university and research communities, (c) review the wonderful diversity of methods available for universities and professional associations to reduce flying without greatly impairing academic research productivity or quality of life, and (d) summarize responses to common questions or objections that arise in conversations with academics about this issue (more).
The Nature of the “Less than Meaningless” and “Self-righteous, Self-referential, Ascetic Bullshit” in the Anthropocene
Joseph Nevins, Vassar College
This paper interrogates four major ideas: 1) the implicit assumption that nature only unfolds on one scale—that of the biosphere; 2) an understanding of nature as singular, rather than plural; 3) a perception of the individual and collective as distinct; and 4) a failure to appreciate that “nature” is produced in such way that it is inextricably tied to power and inequality (more).
Q & A
Have questions or comments? Feel free to take part in the Q&A!
Before posting, you must first register. Note that questions and comments can be intended for individual speakers, the entire panel, or anyone who has posted to the Q&A. Respond directly to a particular question/comment by way of the little “reply” below it. The vertical threadlike lines are there to make it easier to see which part of the discussion (i.e. “thread”) you are taking up. You can choose to be notified via email (see below) whenever a question, answer, or comment is posted to this particular Q&A. Because the email notification will contain the new comment in its entirety, you can both follow the discussion as it is unfolding, as well as decide whether you would like to step in at any point. You can choose to receive email notifications for as many of the conference Q&A sessions as you like, as well as stop notifications at any time. Because the Q&A sessions will close at the end of the conference, all email notifications will also end at this time. Although only registered conference participants can pose questions and make comments, Q&A sessions are visible to the public and will remain so after the conference has ended, as we hope that they will become cited resources.
Inside nearly every one of us is a 5 year old who’s just pissed that we didn’t end up becoming astronauts. It may be too late to live out that dream, but it’s not too late to watch Mickael le Goff’s music video for Robot Koch’s Eclipse, which really is the next best thing. Comprised of real images of space culled from NASA, ESA and GoogleEarth, the video takes you on a tour of the solar system, showing you the big-name attractions like Saturn’s rings, as well as the out-of-the-way clusters of stars that only locals know. (source).
[easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,linkedin,mail” counters=0 native=”no” image=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/eclipseedit.jpg url=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/?p=12585 facebook_text=Share twitter_text=Tweet linkedin_text=Link text=”Eclipse”]
In northwestern Poland, close to the village Nowe Czarnowo, lies the Krazywy Las-forest, which roughly translates to “The Crooked Forest.” No one knows exactly why the trees grew the way they did, and with that uncertainty all the more theories have arisen, varying from rational to spiritual ones, from tales about Nazis to tales about witches. The mist gives the already macabre forest an eerie, almost horrorlike quality, one that is only fed by its own myth. The trees were planted during the start of the World War II by the German army, but it’s not clear whether they are the ones responsible for the unusual growth of the trees. This month the German landscape photographer Kilian Schönberger drove to Poland to capture the mysterious forest in his aptly-named photo series The Crooked Forest. (source).
[easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,linkedin,mail” counters=0 native=”no” image=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/crookedforest1edit.jpg url=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/?p=12579 facebook_text=Share twitter_text=Tweet linkedin_text=Link text=”Geometric Beasts”]
Filipino ilustrator Kerby Rosanes’ Geometric Beasts series imagines Earth’s most majestic creatures breaking out from polygonal crystal chrysalises with a satisifying crackle. Whether you interpret it as a rise against humanity’s tendency to trap and impress members of the animal kingdom, or a fantastical scenario a lá the ressurrection of the stone creatures in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, it’s a formula that works. Each animal, from a ram, to a lion, to a T-Rex, brings more joy from Geometric Beasts‘ simple conceit. (source).
[easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,linkedin,mail” counters=0 native=”no” image=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/georhino.jpg url=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/?p=12575 facebook_text=Share twitter_text=Tweet linkedin_text=Link text=”Geometric Beasts”]
Ophelie Veron, (Extra)Ordinary Activism: Moments of Ruptures and Everyday Life in the Vegan and Environmental Movements
Wednesday, March 9 / 2-4 PM, McCune Conference Room, HSSB 6020
[easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,linkedin,mail” counters=0 native=”no” image=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/yusuke-asai-waf-1.jpg url=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/?p=12552 facebook_text=Share twitter_text=Tweet linkedin_text=Link text=”Ophelie Veron on (Extra)Ordinary Activism”]
Panel 1: Flying and Focusing on the Everyday
/14 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Ken Hiltner (UC Santa Barbara)CLIMATE CHANGE: VIEWS FROM THE HUMANITIES
A NEARLY CARBON-NEUTRAL CONFERENCE
The EHI’s 2016 carbon neutral conference: “Climate Change: Views from the Humanities”
In this talk, EHI Director Ken Hiltner explains the rather unusual format of this year’s conference and the rationale behind it.
Note that this talk was recorded by Hiltner in his home using a standard computer, a Logitech C615 webcam, and the QuickTime software preinstalled on all Apple computers. No other special equipment was used. The Q&A session on this page is made possible by Wordpress.
[easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,linkedin,mail” counters=0 native=”no” image=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/yusuke-asai-waf-1.jpg url=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/?p=12048 facebook_text=Share twitter_text=Tweet linkedin_text=Link text=”UC Santa Barbara’s upcoming carbon neutral conference explained!”]
Q & A Session
Karen Henwood, Energy Biographies, Psychosocial Research, and Sustainable Living
Wednesday March 2 / 2-3 PM, SSMS 2134
[easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,linkedin,mail” counters=0 native=”no” image=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/yusuke-asai-waf-1.jpg url=https://live-ehc-english-ucsb-edu-v01.pantheonsite.io/?p=12491 facebook_text=Share twitter_text=Tweet linkedin_text=Link text=”Karen Henwood on Energy Biographies”]