2020 Virtual Forum on Earth System Governance
Between precarity and possibility: Implications of disruption for Earth System Governance
Virtual Event, 15-17 September, 2020.
We are delighted to announce the 2020 Virtual Forum on Earth System Governance, to be held 15 – 17 September 2020, the first ever Earth System Governance event to bring together the global research alliance in a virtual setting.
This three-day event aims to spur academic debate and discussions within the domain of earth system governance, meanwhile providing stimulating and meaningful opportunities for our community to engage and interact. We invite you to save the dates to participate in this Virtual Forum.
Both precarity and possibility are confronted by societies and governance across all scales. While increased precarity confronts those who live in wealthier countries, it is already a reality for many across the globe in less wealthy societies. At the same time, new possibilities arise for rethinking social norms and values, and reimagining and transforming governance. Yet, this does not happen on a blank slate, as existing patterns of power and inequality inescapably shape politics and governance.
Guided by the five analytical lenses structuring the Earth System Governance Science and Implementation Plan, the 2020 Virtual Forum will interrogate the interplay of precarity and possibility that arises at this historical moment. What are the limits of existing governance architectures for dealing with disruption, and what potential exist for transforming these architectures? How do existing patterns of power influence opportunities for radical shifts in society and governance? What are the implications of overlapping crises for resource allocations across local to global scales, and are there new possibilities for enhancing justice? How are experiences of precarity reflected in imaginations about the future, and what possible narratives may open up? To what extent can societies adapt to precarity, and how can reflexivity create new possibilities in governance?
The 2020 Virtual Forum is hosted by the Earth System Governance Project, its organizational efforts led by the International Project Office, based at the Faculty of Geosciences, University of Utrecht, the Netherlands. The 2020 Virtual Forum on Earth System Governance builds upon a long tradition of global annual events on earth system governance, from Amsterdam (2007 and 2009) to Colorado (2011), Lund (2012), Tokyo (2013), Norwich (2014), Canberra (2015), Nairobi (2016), Lund (2017), Utrecht (2018) and Mexico (2019).
The 2020 Virtual Forum will be co-hosted with several partners of the Earth System Governance network, with announcements of these partnerships to follow.
Further information about registration and the programme for the 2020 Virtual Forum on Earth System Governance will be communicated in due time on the website.
