Climate Change: a Panel Discussion in the Age of Stupid

This second post to SANBI-snippets goes back to an evening held at Kirstenbosch a few weeks back................

On 16 Sept 2010, the thought provoking film, "The Age of Stupid", was screened at SANBI's Kirstenbosch Research Centre to an audience of approximately 100. This was followed by a discussion session, led by a panel of climate change scientists. The panel comprised:
Dr Peter Johnston (Chair), Climate Systems Analysis Group at UCT; Drs Guy Midgley and Phoebe Barnard, Bioadaptation and climate change programme at SANBI; Dr Suzanne Carter British Consulate General Climate change policy office; and Akhona Nokeva, Social Science student at UCT .

The evening was hosted by the Climate Action Partnership, Conservation International, SANBI, the Endangered Wildlife Trust, and the British Council (who had screening rights for the film). STEPS and SANBI did the video recording.

The set of clips posted to You Tube are as follows:

VIDEO LINKS

,

· Guy Midgley comments on the Film:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raR3wtZMMiE

· Akhona Nokeva gives the student perspective:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFAg8nUIZm0

· Phoebe Barnard remains optimistic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6BcuvFeBtU

· Suzanne Carter talks about policy and negotiations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq4LHI-s0HE

· Guy addresses the equity issue:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk6Pi2aq8l0

· Peter Johnston leads the panel’s summary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9y03NV-vTM

 

 

Some good input came from the floor, but unfortunately the sound was not good enough for postable clips. However, if you would like to view the footage for any reason, contact George Davis at g.davis(at)sanbi.org.za

The CareTakers short film series, phase 1, is now complete

VISIT the website  www.caretakers.co.za

This set of eight short films relate personal stories of people whose passion is biodiversity, and its protection. They cover a diverse range of South Africans working on a diverse range of projects, all focused on the diversity of nature. This set of films forms a set of resources that can be used by communicators wishing to inform their own constituencies about various aspects of nature in South Africa. The materials are available on request, on a cost recovery basis, and can be viewed at the project website www.caretakers.co.za . A users' guide is in preparation, which will provide background information on the individual films, and will suggest lessons that can be drawn from the material, both from the perspective of nature conservation, and life experience.


These 8 films form the basis for a more extensive project, in which an extensive film resource based on personal story telling will be developed for teaching, skills development, as well as understanding and appreciation of nature.


George, 12 Oct, 2010

The Kirstenbosch Botanical Art Biennale

VIDEO LINK to Julia Dabusch explaining the biennale

 

 

VIDEO LINK to Stephen Hopper's opening address  

 

 



Julia Dabusch, Kirstenbosch Scholar

 

Prof Stephen Hopper, Director of Kew

On Saturday 4th Sept, the 2010 Botanical Art Biennale was opened. As part of the exhibition, Kirstenbosch Scholar Julia Dabush was tasked with setting up a horticultural display of threatened plants. Listen to her explain the context of the exhibition on You Tube ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nClJfWlzmTw ). In this video she describes the relevance of both art and horticulture to the conservation of rare and endangered plant species.

The exhibition was opened at the Old Mutual Conference Centre, and the opening address delivered by Prof Stephen Hopper, Director of the RBG at Kew. His short opening address can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2ldOvKFlcs

Getting going on a new blogsite

This is a the first posting on an experimental blog site, where I hope to be able to encourage threads of conversation that cross the divide between, what we from the inside refer to as, the biodiversity sector and the mainstreams of society. My starting point is to say that biodiversity, as ungainly and problematic as the word is, is pretty well at the centre of human life on planet Earth.... and becoming frighteningly more central as it erodes and takes with it the functioning ecosystems that provide the services that keep us alive.

This site, if successful in it's purpsose, will articulate some of the conversations, insights and opinions that are generated within the biodiversity sector, and will make them available for scrutiny and comment by interested mainstreamers. I am hoping to use video as a medium to carry some of the messages on this blog (or with links to You Tube), In doing so, it will hopefully contribute to finding human resolve for addressing the addressable, and to provide opportunity for speaking wisely and listening attentively across the (imagined?) divide.

Unfotunately, a vehicle like this is unlikely to reach deep into the mainstream of society, where poverty and exclusion are monstrous barriers to participation in debate and idea sharing. Ironically our discussion will be happening between strata of society that are consuming natural resources at a rate three or four times greater than planet Earth can sustain them. Surely there are some very real lessons to be learned from people who know how to do with less? Democracy and equity have everything to do with sustainability.

The field is wide open, and the stakes are high. Can the ingenuity and imagination of Homo technologicus save the day, or do we have to dig deep into our faded memories woven in the fabric of life as H. ecologicus?

George Davis,
serving the SANBI mandate in a personal capacity