CREAF

TITLE: "How mindsets of connectedness and systems thinking literacy are barriers to environmental progress"

DATE: Friday 25th March 2022

TIME & FORMAT: form 12 to 1pm CET - Online

Seminars will combine online and onsite formats (CREAF, Sala Graus II, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain) but in all cases, talks will be always streamed (not recorded), so they can be followed online.

HOW TO CONNECT: Direct link to Tom Oliver's conference.

SUBSCRIPTON FORM: Subscribe to Tom Oliver's talk!

“I used to think the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that with 30 years of good science we could address these problems. But I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy, and to deal with those we need a spiritual and cultural transformation, and we scientists don't know how to do that.”

In line these words from Gustav Speth, founder of the World Resources Institute and former
UNDP Administrator, this presentation will explore a personal journey from ecology to sustainability, and from political economy to psychology and spirituality. In recognition that ecological problems cannot be solved by ecology alone, I discuss recent transdisciplinary innovations around harnessing evidence from integrated spatial modelling into participatory processes of environmental governance. Furthermore, I will highlight the critical need to take a systems perspective that incorporates deeper leverage points around individual mindsets. In particular, the urgent need to better understand complex feedback process between self-identity and global environmental change. Bridging disciplines in this way presents a more credible approach to reversing environmental decline and meeting ambitious targets for sustainability transformations.

Our free seminars are open to everyone. Have a look at the CREAFTalks 2022 programme!

For more information, please contact CREAFTalks coordinator Teresa Rosas t.rosas@creaf.uab.cat