Deep Adaptation, Deep Solidarity

Jem Bendell and Gehan Macleod in conversation, chaired by layla-roxanne hill.

What does climate breakdown mean for us in practice?

How do our lives need to change to respond to an increasingly unstable and unpredictable future?

How do we ensure that we don’t leave anyone behind?

Jem’s paper ‘Deep Adaptation: a map for navigating climate tragedy’ predicts inevitable collapse, probable catastrophe and possible extinction. Hosted by Enough!’s layla-roxanne, Jem and Gehan will discuss the core themes of the Deep Adaptation agenda – resilience, relinquishment and restoration – with a view to social, environmental and racial justice, grounded in a Scottish and global context.

Details and bookings

Saturday 21st September, 10am – 1pm

The Brian Cox Studio Theatre, Scottish Youth Theatre, 105 Brunswick Street, G2 3EZ

Tickets £5 / free (concessions). Click Here to get yours from the Brown Paper Tickets event page.

Bios

Professor Jem Bendell originated the concept of Deep Adaptation to help people explore individual and collective responses to the future collapse of society due to climate chaos. His research paper on the topic has been downloaded over half a million times and is widely credited with influencing the founders of the Extinction Rebellion protest movement, which Professor Bendell advises. An author of many books, papers and UN reports on aspects of sustainable development, Bendell now focuses on supporting people from various professions to explore our challenging predicament. In particular, through the free Deep Adaptation Forum – www.deepadaptation.info

Gehan Macleod comes from a 90s background in environmental and anti-nuclear activism – which lead to her involvement in co-founding the GalGael Trust, an organisation that originated around a protest fire at Pollok Free State, an anti motorway camp. Growing tired of being anti-stuff – for the last twenty years, she’s been caught up with being for-stuff at GalGael – a working community based in Glasgow that makes, decides and learns together. She’s kind of had it with rearranging-deck-chairs-on-the-Titanic kind of change and, so for now she collects and hoards half-formed notions that suggest a more effective use of energy in the face of all that is going down. This includes: approaches informed by solidarity and love; systems thinking; pondering the nature of power; or exploring countercultural and prefigurative ways of organising that dismantle old norms and prototype new narratives… ways that will perpetuate the culture shift needed. @gehan_macleod

layla-roxanne hill is a writer/curator-artist/activist-organiser whose areas of interest lie in decolonisation/(de)construction of cultural production, marginality and Black Scottish lives. she writes for Bella Caledonia, is curator for Enough! – Scotland’s response to our ecological, economic and social crisis and is a Director at The Ferret – Scotland’s investigative journalism co-operative. layla-roxanne advocates for non-commodifiable collective liberation, is also active within the trade union movement, holding positions within the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and is Chair of the Scottish TUC Black Workers’ Committee. She has recently co-authored a chapter in Accessibility, Inclusion, and Diversity in Critical Events (Routledge) and can be found riffing and retweeting at: @LRH151

The aftercare bit: The Deep Adaptation framework suggests that societal collapse happens through climate breakdown. Some people may find this a difficult conversation. There will be a chance to spend time together after the event at the Clydebuilt Festival, and we will point out existing support groups for follow-up conversations.