Chris Skidmore and Debbie Hopkins on the politics of sustainability

Green Templeton College on Thursday 27 February welcomed former UK Energy Minister Chris Skidmore and Associate Professor in Human Geography Debbie Hopkins for the second of three Green Templeton Lectures on Sustainability Education.

The series, convened by Research Fellows James Robson and Mark Hirons, has explored the role of education in tackling the climate crisis and its interlinked problems of biodiversity collapse and social injustice. Mr Skidmore’s talk looked both backwards and forwards, describing the political circumstances and process, five years ago, of signing into law the UK’s commitment to curtail emissions to net zero by 2050 – but also acknowledging the current backlash against the consensus which had made that possible. He argued for more inclusive communication strategies which present Net Zero as an economic opportunity rather than a culture war issue, empowering local authorities and communities so that sustainable action become normalised and diffused, and so more difficult to uproot in the future.

Dr Hopkins responded by highlighting the power of narratives to create hope and imagine new futures. Education needs to make these narratives possible by helping people recognise and articulate complexity: the backlash against Net Zero, for example, can only be understood in a wider socio-cultural context of ‘petro-masculinity’ which also includes attacks on ‘DEI’. The conversation with the audience which followed was lively and wide-ranging, covering ‘degrowth’ as a prerequisite for sustainability, the problems with this as an often-alienating term, and tactics for more engaging messaging; food systems and supply chain; the need for more a thoughtful and deliberative politics; barriers to innovation; and the responsibilities of educators.

The next, and final, lecture in the series will turn to questions of hope and humility, with Sam Barratt, Chief of the Youth, Education and Advocacy Unit at the United Nations Environment Programme, and Ann Finlayson, CEO of Sustainability and Environmental Education (SEEd). More information and register

Find out more about sustainability at Green Templeton.