Category Archives: Speaking

I was interviewed by Fabienne Kinzelmann at the Swiss paper Blick about the environmental crisis and how we best respond (link is not in English): https://www.blick.ch/ausland/physiker-und-wirtschaftswissenschaftler-laurie-laybourn-langton-31-ueber-die-waldbraende-in-kalifornien-greta-und-die-schweiz-beim-klima-verlieren-wir-die-kontrolle-id16111422.html

I gave a presentation before a panel discussion as part of the Great Unraveling? conference, organised by the Post Carbon Institute and Anthropocene Actions.

In this final video of the series, I challenge the false binary beliefs that tell us we still have time to prevent crises like climate breakdown or that it’s too late and hopeless, and argues strongly for honest appraisal of our predicament and urgency in responding to the interconnected environmental and societal challenges we faceContinue reading “Video: What now? A personal reflection on the future as part of the Great Unraveling? series”

More and more individuals and communities are struggling to cope with the psychological and emotional toll of environmental and social systems gone awry, with this trend likely to get more severe in the coming years and decades. In this episode of the “Great Unraveling?” series, Leslie Davenport joins me to explore the emotional and psychologicalContinue reading “Video: Emotional and Psychological Resilience to Current and Looming Crises. Leslie Davenport”

Around the world today you see societies in varying degrees of stability and instability. Looking back throughout history, we may be able to identify certain patterns in how societies develop, change, fall into crisis, and evolve into new phases of development. In this episode of the “Great Unraveling?” series, Daniel Hoyer joins me to exploreContinue reading “Video: The Cycles of Societies and Where We Find Ourselves. Interview with Daniel Hoyer”

Access to energy is of foundational importance for societies, but constraints on our abilities to meet societies’ energy requirements are growing. Foremost among them is the pressing challenge of transitioning to a zero-carbon energy system. In this episode of the “Great Unraveling?” series, Richard Heinberg joins me to explore the crucial role of energy inContinue reading “Video: The Critical Need for and Challenges Facing the Energy Transition. Interview with Richard Heinberg”

Regressive political movements have increased in size and power over the last decade, with dissatisfaction with the status quo and political conflict on the rise. In this episode of the “Great Unraveling?” series, Walden Bello joins me to explore the factors behind the rise in political fragmentation in both the global south and global north,Continue reading “Video: The Rise of Far-Right Counter-Revolution around the World. Interview with Walden Bello”

Despite prevalent claims that economic well-being has been on the rise in recent decades globally, the post-colonial period has been one of increasing, not decreasing, inequality between the Global North and Global South. Growing economic and social inequality is a driving factor in a range of major problems, from poor health to political fragmentation, butContinue reading “Video: Growing Economic and Environmental Inequality. Interview with Jason Hickel”

The coronavirus pandemic is impacting the global geopolitical balance, the shifting of which was already underway. As ever, this opens up new threats and opportunities for peace and security across the world. In this episode of the “Great Unraveling?” series, Christine Parthemore joins me to discuss how growing destabilisation, in part driven by the worseningContinue reading “Video: Geopolitical Balance in an Increasingly Unstable World. Interview with Christine Parthemore”

Over 70 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide, with large increases in recent years having been driven by a complex mix of factors, including environmental shocks, conflict, and economic crisis. As ever, the vast majority of these people stay within countries or regions and suffer. Meanwhile perceptions of migration — which are often incorrectContinue reading “Video: What’s Driving the Migration of Humans and Other Species? Interview with Sonia Shah”