Digital Conference – Climate Emergency: the search for hope beyond denial and despair
All Delegates should now have received their welcome pack. If this is not the case, please email office@modernchurch.org.uk.
The 2021 Modern Church Conference addresses the greater emergency that sits at present in the background of the coronavirus pandemic – the progressive impact of climate change. But it will not be two days of doom and gloom. Grave
as the emergency is, we shall be looking for positive directions in which to think, act, and pray.
Due to the impact of Covid-19 the conference will be held online via Zoom. The dates are 13-14th July 2021, and each day will run from about 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, with appropriate breaks, and beginning and ending each day with prayer. There will be presentations by distinguished speakers on different dimensions of the theme and also a chance for conference delegates to respond via the Chat mechanism in Zoom.
Conference Chair: Dr Christopher Southgate
Conference Secretary: Kenneth Wilkinson-Roberts
Conference Chaplain: Rev Helen Burnett
This is a full and high quality programme, and is very timely given the international UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) gathering in Glasgow in November.
The cost is £30.00 for the full or any part of the programme.
Please sign up for the conference using this link. Details on how to join the Zoom conference will be emailed to you closer to the date.
Programme
Tuesday, 13th July
9:30 – 10:00 – Introductions and Opening prayer.
10:00 – 11:15 – Anna Harper (University of Exeter): ‘Climate Change: The Science and the Solutions’.
11:15 – 11:45 – break
11:45 – 12:45 – Mike Hulme (University of Cambridge): ‘Beyond Climate Solutionism’, video of Nobel 55 lecture, with comments by Christopher Southgate and Q&A.
12:45 – 13:30 – Lunch Break
13:30 – 14:15 – Workshop 1, choice of:
Carla Grosch-Miller, ‘Climate change and the practice of lament’. Download the Lament for the Anthropocene
Helen Burnett, ‘From Denial and Despair to Action’.
Resources:
Walter Wink https://sojo.net/biography/walter-wink
Joanna Macey https://www.joannamacy.net/main
Jem Bendell https://jembendell.com/2019/05/15/deep-adaptation-versions/
https://spckpublishing.co.uk/time-to-act
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/314/314671/this-is-not-a-drill/9780141991443.html
Jennifer Reznicek https://youtu.be/9B8C4ywrXG4
Christians in Court https://youtu.be/PN0a-wI7uRw
14:15 – 14:45 – break
14:45 – 15:45 – Michael Northcott (University of Edinburgh): ‘God, Gaia and the Failure of the UN Climate Regime’.
15:45 – 16:15 – break
16:15 – 17:15 – Celia Deane-Drummond (Laudato Si’ Institute, Campion Hall, Oxford): ‘Why Grace Matters: Mercy and Wisdom in the Socio-Eco-Climate Emergency’.
17:15 – 17:30 – Evening prayers
Wednesday, 14th July
09:30 – 10:15 – Conference Liturgy, led by Helen Burnett.
10:15 – 10:45 – ‘Marketplace’ – Short presentations by organisations in this debate.
10:45 – 11:15 – break
11:15 – 12:15 – Gaia Vince: ‘The Courage for a Good Anthropocene’.
12:15 – 13:45 – Lunch Break
13:45 – 14:30 – Workshop 2, choice of:
- Patrick Woodhouse, ‘Climate change and contemplative prayer’.
- Mark Powley, ‘Climate Change: A Toolkit for Churches’.
14:30 – 15:00 – break
15:00 – 16:00 – Christopher Southgate (University of Exeter): ‘Seeing beyond the Obstacles to Hope’.
16:00 – 16:15 – break
16:15 – 17:15 – Conference response by Jeremy Law (Christchurch University, Canterbury) and Panel Discussion.
17:15 – 17:30 – Concluding prayers