Conveners: CPA member Rob Stuart and colleague Andrew Briggs

Location: Online via Zoom

Language: English

The climate crisis is upon us. 

Since 1988, the IPCC has been warning of the dangers of unmitigated fossil fuel usage. Governments have been meeting annually since 1995 to try and what to do. For all intents and purposes, their attempts to limit dangerous carbon emissions have failed. 

What then can we do, as individual citizens of democratic nations? What insight can be gained from other non-democratic nations? Such is the urgent need to act on the crisis that it brings into focus individual and societal barriers to acting. 

We contend that the climate and ecological emergency draws attention to a long running crisis in western capitalist democracies that, in turn, forces us to consider whether we have any power to effect policy making and political action by our elected leaders at all. 

These meetings will give us an opportunity to think about the meaning of these dual crises - of climate and democracy - on all of our lives.  

Listening Post Format

Part 1: The sharing of preoccupations and experiences

Task: to share preoccupations and experiences. 

Task: to reflect upon the experiences of the large group and enquire (in our minds) what this may be telling us about society. 

Part 2: Identification of major themes and tentative hypothesis formation

Task: to reflect upon the experiences of Part 1 and enquire (with others) what this may be telling us about society. 

Task: to produce at least one tentative hypothesis ready to feedback in Part 3. 

Part 3: Plenary 

Task: to feedback at least one tentative hypothesis (and supporting themes) from Part 2. 

Task: to reflect upon the hypotheses that are presented and enquire (with others) whether they help deepen our understanding of society. 

Listening Post Report

The meeting will be recorded to allow a short report to be written up by the convener(s) and published on the OPUS website. 

About OPUS

If you would like to find out more or support the valuable work of OPUS by becoming a member, please visit our website: 

https://www.opus.org.uk/