The new age of illusion – Climate Change, Overshoot, and the Future of Civilization
Wednesday, May 1 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
VSHA Speaker Series
Free** And Open To All!
The new age of illusion – Climate Change, Overshoot, and the Future of Civilization
Prof. William E. Rees
Abstract:
Climate change is a crucial issue but society’s singular focus on climate is a distraction that guarantees global heating will continue. Climate chaos is merely a symptom of a greater meta-problem, ecological overshoot. Overshoot is the cause of climate change and numerous co-symptoms, including plunging biodiversity, over-fishing, ocean acidification, tropical deforestation, land/soil degradation, resource shortages, pollution of everything, etc., etc. No major symptom of overshoot can be solved in isolation of the others. Indeed, current efforts to reverse global heating are not fixing the climate and are worsening overshoot. Overshoot is a terminal condition.
Bionote: William Rees, PhD, FRSC
William Rees is a population ecologist, ecological economist, Professor Emeritus and former Director of the University of British Columbia’s School of Community and Regional Planning in Vancouver, Canada. He researches the implications of global ecological trends for the longevity of civilization, with special foci on urban (un)sustainability and cultural/cognitive barriers to rational public policy. Prof Rees is the originator and co-developer of ‘ecological footprint analysis’ (EFA), a quantitative tool that estimates human demands on ecosystems and the extent to which humanity is in ‘ecological overshoot.’ He has authored hundreds of peer reviewed papers and popular articles on these topics.
Wednesday, May 1st, 2024 – 7:00-8:30 pm
Cook Street Activity Center
380 Cook St. (Cook St. Village), Victoria
Free Parking
Please Use The Side Entrance
Coffee/Tea nearby at The Mocha House – BYO!
Important note: We are obliged to lock the outside door at 7:05 pm for security purposes. Please don’t be late!!
See you there! Bring a friend or two.
**Donations gratefully accepted
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www.VSHA.ca