Click to listen to Stephanie LeMenager, professor of English at the University of Oregon, who was interviewed on the CBC radio program The Current with Anna Maria Tremonti about the role of the arts and humanities in climate change response. Podcast and summary summary reposted below.
Find out how “The Day After Tomorrow” and other apocalyptic fiction can help with the hard reality of climate change in Checking-In today. And when we aired some of Dennis Saddleman’s gripping poem “Monster” the reaction was overwhelming, we speak with him as we look back at stories of the week.
Our Friday host, Piya Chattopadhyay joined Anna Maria in studio to help go through our listener feedback.
Climate Change Report: Monday on The Current we looked at a new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The report says few people will remain unaffected by climate change. It predicts that by the end of the century, millions of people could be displaced, resulting in more violence and the global economy could tank.
This story had many of you hitting the keyboard. Brian Mahoney on Facebook posted:
“The earth got along quite well before man ruined it and the earth will get along quite well after we all disappear.”
Chris Donnelly sent us his two cents:
“To paraphrase Darwin: Adapt or die.”
And Colin Wright of Richmond Hill, Ontario had a different perspective:
“What is apparent is that the IPCC’s series of reports on climate change has spawned an entirely new industry that bridges multiple disciplines. The latest report posts that climate change may increase the risk of violent conflicts and societal breakdown. So now we get to hear from a whole new range of ‘experts’ who will share their alarming projections and scenarios alongside those of the physical scientists toiling away in the engine room of the climate change industry.”
Speaking of the possibility for “violent conflicts and societal breakdown” spurred by Climate Change, part of what we were trying to answer on Monday was how to think about climate change, and where it could all be leading… especially if it’s leading to the end of the world.
Well, there’s a new course this year at the University of Oregon that suggests one of the best ways to grapple with climate change, is through culture — namely the books, films and other cultural artifacts that imagine the ways climate change is changing our future.
You can call the genre, “Cli-Fi.” The course is called The Cultures of Climate Change and it’s taught by Professor Stephanie LeMenager, and she joined us from Eugene, Oregon.
