Together with the Cabot Institute, the Schumacher Institute will hold an afternoon of interdisciplinary discussion mapping the intersecting interests across the areas of climate, land-use, soils and social justice.

The workshop aims to help seed some new research agendas that link the areas of climate, land-use, soils and social justice. We also aim to inform the forthcoming Schumacher Institute led workshop at the Society for Ecological Restoration conference in August 2015 ‘Eco-geoengineering the planet for biodiversity and social justice’ and the forthcoming Workshop and discussion paper to be developed by the Convergence Alliance and the Greenhouse think tank in the lead up to the Paris climate talks. 

The Schumacher Institute is an independent research institute based in Bristol, UK that utilises systems thinking to place people at the heart of sustainability. The Institute has recently concluded an FP7 project ‘re-thinking globalisation’ arriving at commitments to ‘Convergence: Equity within planetary limits’. Systems modelling of local food systems in Tamil Nadu, India and Bristol, UK, led to further discussion of the ability of restoration to leverage benefits supporting both equity and climate stabilisation. We are leading on an initiative the ‘Convergence Alliance’ to take forward this agenda and policy development.

Workshop Format

12 noon – 12. 20 Welcome and aims of workshop – Dr Jenneth Parker, Schumacher Institute

12.20 – 12.50 Land use and climate science – Dr Jo House, Leverhulme Fellow

12.50 – 1.10 Ecological restoration, soil and social justice – speaker from Social Change

and Development, Tamil Nadu, NGO working with 500 villages

1.20 – 2.30 Roundtable and mapping of participants’ research and expertise

2.30 TEA BREAK

2.45 Development of transdisciplinary research agendas/projects drawing from

the above – small groups organised according to areas of interest that

emerge

3.30 Feedback and discussion of ways forward

4.00 CLOSE

Please note that this event is by invitation only.