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Epistemic pluralism and climate change

Hosted by the Hayek Programme in Economics and Liberal Political Economy

In-person and online public event (Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House)

Speaker

Professor Mike Hulme

Professor Mike Hulme

Chair

Professor Sir Tim Besley

Professor Sir Tim Besley

This lecture explores the merits of epistemic pluralism in understanding climate change today. Epistemic pluralism emphasises the need for diverse ways of knowing, analysing, and interpreting climate change—drawing insights from the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. 

This event is based on a recently published book Climate Change Isn’t Everything” by Mike Hulme. In this talk, Professor Hulme will discuss “climatism”, an ideology that reduces politics and society to the singular goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by a given date. Accordingly, this event seeks to broaden the conversation. Hulme critiques climate reductionism, which frames contemporary problems exclusively through the lens of climate science and which overemphasizes the role of climate in shaping the future. Instead, he advocates for a more holistic approach that acknowledges the complexities and indeterminancies of social, political, and ecological systems. Through this lens of epistemic pluralism, he will argue that multiple forms of knowledge, inquiry and judgement can help liberal democracies better address the intertwined challenges of climate change, social justice, and political freedom. 

Meet our speaker and chair

Mike Hulme is Professor of Human Geography at the University of Cambridge, and Geography Director of Studies at Pembroke College. His work examines the epistemic, cultural, and historical construction of climate change and its material and discursive effects. Hulme has contributed extensively to the field through interdisciplinary research, including as the Founding Director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and Editor-in-Chief of WIREs Climate Change. He is recognized globally for his efforts, including his contribution to the UN IPCC’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning work.

Tim Besley is School Professor of Economics and Political Science and W. Arthur Lewis Professor of Development Economics in the Department of Economics at LSE. He is also a member of the National Infrastructure Commission. He is a Fellow of the Econometric Society and British Academy and a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Economic Association and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His main research interests are in political economy and development.

More about this event

This event will be available to watch on LSE Live. LSE Live is the new home for our live streams, allowing you to tune in and join the global debate at LSE, wherever you are in the world. If you can't attend live, a video will be made available shortly afterwards on LSE's YouTube channel. 

Modern economic thinking needs to reaffirm and engage with sound Hayekian ideas in this age of global interconnectedness, when the world is coming to grips with multitude of challenges, including global pandemic, climate change, social inequities and inequalities, and politico-media complex. This can only be achieved through fostering dialogue among stakeholders, which include researchers, policymakers, experts, and key decision-makers. The Hayek Programme in Economics and Liberal Political Economy at LSE provides a space where this dialogue can happen. This programme aims to contribute to the research and public debate suited to the demands of 21st Century.

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How can I attend? Add to calendar

This public event is free and open to all. This event will be a hybrid event, with an in-person audience and an online audience. 

For the in-person event: No ticket or pre-registration is required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis. For any queries see LSE Events FAQ.

For the online event: Registration for this event will open in the first half of January.

For any queries email events@lse.ac.uk.

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