Kim Stanley Robinson: From science fiction to climate action

14 June 2022 - 17:00

Join us as we talk about science fiction and the climate emergency with bestselling author Kim Stanley Robinson. The below video is a recording of the event.

Now that climate change has become a matter of life and death for the species, [Robinson argues] it’s time for scientists to abandon their scrupulous neutrality and enter into the messy arena of politics.

Tim Kreider, The New Yorker

At Hertford College we’ve committed to being a pioneer of sustainability and opportunity, applying academic excellence to the practical challenges of the future. Join us for this interactive and lively evening, in which academics and thinkers from Oxford and beyond will join Kim Stanley Robinson to tackle some of the challenges presented in ‘The Ministry for the Future’, his most recent climate fiction novel.

How can universities be part of the solution to the climate crisis? Kim Stanley Robinson and our guests will take a deep dive to explore the key themes and solutions, including literature, technology, geoscience, politics and economics. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from leading thinkers and “one of the greatest living science-fiction writers” at this one-of-a-kind event.

Panellists

Professor Gordon Clark – Director of Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford (2013-2018)

Professor Rebecca Henderson – University Professor, Harvard Business School and Visiting Professor, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

Professor Roger Luckhurst – Professor of Modern Literature, Birkbeck, University of London

Professor Gillian Rose – Head of School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford

Professor Michael Wooldridge – Senior Research Fellow, Hertford College and Head of Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford (2014-2021)

Moderators – Tom Fletcher and Professor Anette Mikes

Details

Location: Weston Library Lecture Theatre, Broad Street, OX1 3BG