Sustainable development and climate transition at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities

The concept of a climate emergency has quickly become established and is now used within the EU, the UN, and the research community to describe the accelerating climate crisis.

By using "emergency", the seriousness of the situation is emphasised, as something that must be addressed immediately. An increasing number of organisations, municipalities, and states have currently declared a climate emergency. So have at least 7 000 universities worldwide. But none in Sweden.

"We are in a climate emergency. This is becoming increasingly clear, from both research reports and climate disasters. It’s important that we intensify our efforts and mobilise around the declaration that it is indeed an emergency. An urgent situation", says Ola Ståhl, professor of design.

The Centre for Climate Emergency Studies is an interdisciplinary platform for research and education. It focuses on questions such as What does the concept of a climate emergency mean for individuals, society, and climate policy? and What opportunities does it offer for action and climate transition? Climate emergency studies sit at the intersection of scholarly expertise and climate-related action. In the centre, theoretical, critical, and artistic perspectives converge.

Read more about the Centre for Climate Emergency Studies here.

We need to create a more sustainable fashion sector, where the survival of the Earth takes precedence over economic growth.

This is the core idea behind the Earth Logic project. The starting point is to tackle the significant adverse effects of the fashion industry on climate, environment, and people.

“The collective body of research gives us less than a decade to transition to living within our planet’s limits and distributing resources fairly. That’s why we propose that Earth Logic – the logic of the Earth – should replace the logic of economic growth that prevails in the fashion industry today", says Mathilda Tham, professor of design.

Three key themes for acting according to Earth Logic are:

• Less: consume less to stay within the planet’s limits.
• Local: root everything in the needs and creativity of local communities.
• Diversity: promote diversity and social justice, in both nature and society.

The project has resulted in policy initiatives for the global fashion sector (European Environment Bureau), new media platforms, and a series of discussions with the industry. Earth Logic was initiated by Mathilda Tham at Linnaeus University and Kate Fletcher at the University of the Arts, London.

• Read more about Earth Logic here
• Contact: Matilda Tham

The climate changes and climate crisis of our time are described extensively in many scientific reports.

However, most people do not learn about the climate crisis through scientific reports, but rather through various types of media, such as films, novels, news reports, art, or educational materials in compulsory and upper secondary schools.

”Research reports are typically very complex and aimed at the research community. Some researchers may say that many films about the climate crisis tend to be simplified or exaggerated. But what films gain over science is our emotions. We are affected by what we see. For example, by images of a bleak future, with extreme weather and rising sea levels”, says Jørgen Bruhn, researcher in intermediality.

Jørgen is part of a research group that studies how different media, such as film and literature, convey research findings about the climate crisis. For instance, how are scientific facts dramatised in a Hollywood film such as "Day After Tomorrow"? What aspects can be "translated" from natural science to film? What is left out? What is brought to the fore? And what advantages does climate literature have compared to a scientific report?

• Read more about Mediations of Climate and Ecological Emergency here
• Contact: Jörgen Bruhn

What will we be eating in the future? What will our eating habits look like?

No one knows for sure; what we do know, however, is that we need to transition to a more sustainable way of eating, since today’s food production is a significant contributor to the climate crisis. Such transition faces significant practical challenges, but also cultural ones, as people’s eating habits are deeply rooted in customs and identity.

In the project "Future Food Cultures in the Anthropocene", researchers investigate how eating and dietary habits are portrayed in what is commonly referred to as climate fiction – that is, films and literature set in a world where the climate has collapsed or where people have successfully transitioned to a sustainable society. In these depictions, people have often been forced to rethink what they should eat and how food should be produced. The idea is that these narratives can provide us with innovative visions of new eating habits – and assist us in the process of dietary transformation.

"We don't have any images of the food of the future. It’s difficult to imagine what it could look like, and therefore, it’s also difficult to bring about a change. But climate fiction can help us generate ideas – positive ideas – about a more sustainable diet. These narratives often depict societies that look completely different but still function in sustainable ways", says project manager Johan Höglund.

"Climate fiction can help us, both consumers and the food industry, realise how we need to change our dietary habits. And what future awaits if we don’t."

• Read more about the project Future Food Cultures in the Anthropocene here
• Contact: Johan Höglund