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June 11 @ 6PM EDT (7PM ADT / 4PM MDT / 3PM PDT)

Averting Climate Breakdown: Insights from Ecological Economics

Speaker: Tom Green

50 minutes

A small but growing group of economists has been warning for over half a century that the way modern society defines and measures economic progress is at odds with biophysical constraints. The more GDP goes up, the better off we are supposed to be. Yet soaring levels of inequality have pushed many into despair and aggravated the pandemic. Humanity urgently needs to bring carbon emissions down to zero, but despite climate agreements and policies, emissions continue to closely track the size of the global economy and the more the economy has grown, the more species we have left behind for eternity.

Ecological economists, who ground their theories in biophysical realities, offer new ways to understand the economy and wellbeing. In this session, we’ll explore why the economics profession has been so willingly blind to the climate crisis, and how aiming to live within the donut can be good for people and the planet. Ambitious climate action is stalled by those who see a course correction as a threat to economic progress and business interests. How can artists play a role in lifting society’s economic blindfolds and offer glimpses of alternative futures?

The Green Rooms is produced by English Theatre at the National Arts Centre and presented by FOLDA, in collaboration with the Canada Council for the Arts, The City of Kingston, The National Theatre School, and HowlRound Theatre Commons.

A Guide to the Green Rooms can be found here.