The UK hosts the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow from 31st October – 12th November. With the stakes so high this is set to be one of the most important climate summits in history.
There is increasing recognition of the urgent need to change humans’ interaction with the planet and other species. UCL Anthropocene’s purview is building a network of experts in the social sciences, arts, humanities, environmental, and health sciences, and using their combined knowledge and research to discuss and address the problems that the Anthropocene poses for our collective future.
Throughout COP26 and beyond, we will be publishing a series of short reflections from UCL Anthropocene members investigating the questions of ‘what should be happening at COP26?’ and ‘what should we take from it moving forward?’ from the point of view of their varying disciplines. Their responses show a range of creative, scientific, and political ways of thinking about the climate emergency.
Lara Choksey
Dr Lara Choksey (English Language and Literature) on why we should be reading and using the energy of survival differently
Claudia Fernandez de Cordoba Farini and Carina Fearnley
Claudia Fernandez de Cordoba Farini and Dr Carina Fearnley (UCL Warning Research Centre, STS) on the need for preventative health warning systems that integrate environment and society
Rodney Harrison
Professor Rodney Harrison (Archaeology) on the importance of public participation in climate action and action for climate empowerment
Sahra Gibbon and Jennie Gamlin
Medical anthropologists Professor Sahra Gibbon (Anthropology) and Dr Jennie Gamlin (Institute of Global Health) on the importance of valuing the knowledge and ontological insights of indigenous and activist communities
Simon Faithfull
Five drawings by artist Simon Faithfull (Slade) act as a creative 'consciousness raising' response to our place on the planet
Richard Taylor
Professor Richard Taylor (Geography) on progress on finance for climate change adaptation
A number of those in the UCL Anthropocene network are in Glasgow for the conference. Find out more about UCL’s full COP26 team here.
To find out more about COP26 and UCL’s wider involvement, head over to the Climate Hub website.
Read published articles
Gaia Vince: To avert climate disaster, we need resilient societies built on love, not just technology
Simon Lewis: At Cop26 the stage is set for a battle over the next phase of capitalism
David Wengrow: Humanity is not trapped in a deadly game with the Earth – there are ways out