ACAN AKADEMI #1 - ELECTION SPECIAL!

This night will be the premiere of ACAN Akademi - a series of lectures and social events on various aspects of community building and how the construction industry could keep its impact within the planetary boundaries. As the European Action Week is the week running up to Sweden’s national elections on sept 13th, we will combine the premiere with an Election Special Social Event, stressing Urgency and highlighting Climate Action!

For our first session, we welcome Professor Martin Hultman from the University of Gothenburg. He will give his talk "At the end of Holocene - how do we create transition on a heated planet? Degrowth, Ecological Masculinites and Rights of Nature.”  and join ACAN in a conversation about the dire situation the world is in. 

Where do we go from here? What is the role of the construction industry in the climate- and planetary crises, and how do we handle the transition? Is it even possible for the construction industry to stay within the planetary boundaries? If so, then how?

The construction industry is currently one of the industries that has the largest impacts on several of the planetary boundaries: climate change, biodiversity loss, land use, novel entities.. That is rarely taken into enough consideration in the discussion about what should be built, where, and how. A fundamental transition is needed. 

We also need to look at equity - how do we manage the transition to stay within the planetary boundaries, in a socially sustainable way.

Since the night of the event is just days away from the Swedish elections, we will also discuss the role of climate policy, and the development of democracy, both in Sweden and internationally. Sweden has for 4 years had a government that has closed down the Environmental Ministry, dismantled nature protection and effectively reversed progress made in previous years. We desperately need a shift in priorities, and we need this election to be focused on climate, nature and a just transition!

Whether you are a built environment professional, student, politician or concerned individual this event will hopefully be both informative and inspirational - everyone welcome!

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Martin Hultman is a professor of sociology with a specialization in science and technology studies (STS). 

For the past twenty years, he has researched, taught and participated in the societal debate primarily in four areas: energy, climate, environmental legislation and economics. Within these, he has zoomed in on climate obstruction, gender, masculinities, the Rights of Nature, as well as ecopreneurship and the circular economy. His interdisciplinary contemporary and historical research deals with human existence on earth together with other creatures. The research asks questions such as: How can we shape just and caring societies within the planetary boundaries?

Among Hultman's books we find: Climate Obstruction (2022); Att ställa frågan - Att våga omställning (2021); Naturens rättigheter (2019); Ecological Masculinities (2018).

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Info:

Registration for the event opens on Tuesday, 25th August 

Drinks and Pizza will be available for purchase from the bar

Language: Swedish

The lecture will be livestreamed, and published afterwards.