Issues in climate change

This session will feature three speakers addressing issues related to climate change.

Alex Pace: The problem with climate deniers

Denial is a challenging state of mind to digest. It’s a fortress we build to protect the roots of our worldview. A prickly layer, difficult to shake and shed. In the discourse about global warming, vested interests have cleverly stoked fears about societal change. They have characterised concern about climate change as a threat to essential aspects of the modern identity, successfully fostering a sizable population that strongly identifies with a denial of human-induced climate change. As we face the urgent need for a widespread uptake of climate solutions and a sturdy democracy, we must call these skeptics in. Arguably the first step is to lead with compassion and admit their fear is legitimate. The average “climate denier” is a lost soul standing in the eye of a storm, wound up by a swirling clash between a past based on fossil fuels, combustion and excess against a future based on renewable energy, efficiency and clean(er) tech. Change is scary. Drawing from personal anecdotes, literature and journalism, we will explore the evolving denial of the climate emergency and we will attempt to imagine a world where more and more skeptics are invited into a world based on sustainability, agency, science and justice.

Antoine Léger and Pramila Choudhary: Plastics and climate change

The environmental impact of plastic due to durability and decomposition resistance poses significant challenges. The main problem with plastic is its life cycle. This presentation explores different strategies for tackling this environmental issue by examining simple methods for recycling plastic waste with CP3, Concordia’s Precious Plastic Project.