Energizing Energy Politics

Imre Szeman (Director of the Institute for Environment, Conservation and Sustainability at University of Toronto, Scarborough; Full Professor of Human Geography) and Jennifer Wenzel (Professor of English and Comparative Literature and Professor of Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies, Columbia University)

Chaired and co-organised by Dr Jamille Pinheiro Dias (ILCS/CLACS) and Dr Gianfranco Selgas (British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, UCL)  

Scholars, writers, and scientists concerned about climate change have, for the most part, viewed climate action as a failure. But what would happen if, rather than failure, we turned our critical attention to the remarkable successes of the environmental and climate justice movements? In this presentation, we intend to explain what we can learn from flipping the typical narrative of climate action from one of missed opportunities to new political possibilities. In doing so, we will also ask: what, exactly, constitutes success or failure with regard to climate action and energy transition?