Faculty of Science and Technology

Half-day workshop

In the last few years geo-engineering has been transformed from a "wild-card" proposal into "Plan B" for tackling the effects of anthropogenic-induced climate change. This mini-workshop brings together speakers from geography,sociology, and the history of science to address the politics and histories of these rapidly developing technologies. Questions to be addressed will include: What does it mean to experiment at the level of the globe? What is the "nature" of the "geo" in geo-engineering? What kinds of "makings" are involved in engineering the stratosphere? And, what understandings of control and risk are being invoked in public discourses around geo-engineering? What are its cold war histories and contemporary technocultures? How are the "promises" of geo-engineering situated in understandings of ecological modernity and technological innovation? Presentations will seek to situate geo-engineering in its cultures, politics and histories, while speculating on whether geo-engineering represents a fundamentally new type of geo-politics.

Open to all. Masters and PhD students are especially encouraged to attend.

Speakers:

• Prof. Phil Macnaghten (Geography, Durham University)
• Dr Nigel Clark (Geography, Open University)
• Prof. James Fleming (History of Science, Colby College, US)
• Dr Maia Galarraga (Sociology, Lancaster University)
• Dr Vladimir Jankovic (History of Science, University of Manchester)
• Dr Bronislaw Szerszynski (Sociology, Lancaster University)
• Dr Kathryn Yusoff (LEC, Lancaster University)

For details, please contact: Kathryn Yusoff (k.yusoff@lancaster.ac.uk)