The people of Bristol are grappling with massive increases in their energy bills, the impact of inflation on everything from rent to the weekly shop – and on top of all this we are now facing a crisis of supply chain which means that basic products like tomatoes are no longer on the shelves.
Tickets for the SMALL IS THE FUTURE event are on sale now. Over half have already sold out, so book now to avoid disappointment.
The city has a history of radicalism – it recently made international news when Black Lives Matter protesters toppled the statue of Edward Colston in the harbor to end the reverence given to British slaveholders in the city.
Activists, community leaders, academics and those at the heart of the current crisis living in the city will already appreciate the causes – from the climate crisis hitting salad crops in Spain, the war unfolding in Ukraine which is driving up gas prices across Europe, with the slow recovery from the Covid pandemic driving prices higher.
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But what can “heterodox” economics add to our understanding of our current situation?
Dr Ann Pettifor, political economist and author of The case of the Green New Deal, will speak at the SMALL IS THE FUTURE event in Bristol on Saturday June 17, 2023 organized by The environmentalist in partnership with the Schumacher Institute.
She will discuss the transition to a low-carbon economy that is now needed to avert the climate crisis – and how it will also create secure, well-paying jobs for people in Bristol, as well as people across the world. country.
Professor Herbert Girardet will explain how Bristol could be transformed from a Petropolis, dependent on fossil fuels and extractive industries, into an Ecopolis that produces much of its own food and goods and regenerates the natural environment. Professor Girardet is the author of our MEGAMORPHOSIS series and trustee of the Resurgence Trust, which publishes The environmentalist.
Dr. James Meadway, director of the Progressive Economy Forum, will explain how seemingly different crises – environmental, social and economic – all intersect with the same root causes. He will also advocate for significant policy changes both nationally and internationally.
The event will also include panel discussions with Satish Kumar, Editor Emeritus of the Resurgence & Ecologist magazine, Amy Hall, co-editor of the New internationalistand Ruth Bergan, Bristol resident and director of the Trade Justice Movement.
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The United Nations has predicted that 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas such as Bristol by 2050. We know that 1.5 degrees of global warming above pre-industrial levels is now virtually inevitable, with a calamitous warming of three degrees a very real possibility. We have no choice but to radically change the way we live together in cities.
