About the discussion

The 2050 Today virtual discussion "Can speculative fiction help us prepare for the future?" is an invitation-only, reconfigured session of the recently postponed "2050 Today" event that was set to take place end of April.

With the world experiencing a pandemic that seems straight out of science fiction, it may be that novelists are as invaluable to our work on 2050 planning as climate-economy modellers. Join three award-winning authors of speculative fiction, Kim Stanley Robinson, Chinelo Onwualu and Brenda Cooper, in a discussion about climate futures, moderated by the director of Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination, Ed Finn.

Please register for the workshop before Friday, June 6th to receive prep materials and a Zoom link for the video conference.

DESCRIPTION:

As we imagine a climate future based on science and policy projections, fiction writers are increasingly imagining climate-impacted worlds of their own. These imagined futures might appear unbelievable or unsettling, but they can also be informative and open our minds to trends and influences from different angles in a more holistic vision of the future.

Additional virtual workshops as a result of postponement of 2050 Today event:

• "Super pollutants, health and the interaction with CO₂" will be held on Thursday, June 11 (TBC).
• “China and the Global Food System” - Wednesday, April 29 - 6:00 - 7:30 am PDT.
• “Brain hacking for the climate: Using behavioral insights to make our strategies more effective” - Tuesday, April 28 - 10:00-12:00 pm PDT.
• "Navigating the social and economic transition: From mobilization to durable policy action" - Tuesday, April 28 - 8:00-9:45 am PDT.