Journal / Issues / Volume 1 / Volume 1, Issue 4 / Ecological Economics: Solutions Now and in the Future (ANZSEE 2019 Conference)

ANZSEE 2019 Conference

Ecological Economics: Solutions Now and in the Future

24–26 November 2019
RMIT University, Melbourne

Worried about our future on a planet where humans already use around 75% more of Earth’s resources than the planet is capable of regenerating? Then the ANZSEE 2019 Conference 'Ecological Economics: Solutions Now and in the Future’ is the conference for you, whether you’re an activist, scholar or simply curious.

The heterodox transdisciplinary field of ‘ecological economics’ encompasses incredibly diverse interpretations and explanations regarding our contemporary reality, and theories and methods for addressing it. The ANZSEE 2019 conference will debate roles for ecological economics in our future and the future of ecological economics as we face the challenges of momentous environmental crises caused by human activities.

Our great set of keynote speakers and panels starts with the black humour of the inimitable Rod Quantock at our vegetarian conference dinner, to a panel on the School Strike for Climate (SS4C) movement, featuring students and climate campaigner David Spratt.

Joshua Farley, a professor at the University of Vermont (Burlington, US) will speak on the future of ecological economics. Renowned in ecological economics circles, Farley teaches in the Economics for the Anthropocene graduate training and research program, a North American university partnership that uses ecological economics to create real-world environmental solutions.

A super-panel on Indigenous perspectives is comprised of Yorta Yorta strategist and campaigner Karrina Nolan, who will speak on organising to protect country and the activities of Original Power; Emeritus Professor Jon Altman, ANU Foundation Director of the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, on a hybrid economy model and recent Indigenous peoples’ developments in Australia and Canada; and award winning Indigenous writer–researcher Dr Tony Birch (Victoria University), talking on climate change and indigenous knowledge.

Environmental scientist Ian Lowe AO (Emeritus Professor at Griffith University) will expand on population issues in Australia and join RMIT University Emeritus Professor Mike Berry discussing urban challenges.

Further, we have 20 special sessions with around 60 speakers from across Australia and beyond. Programmed sessions, typically with three speakers per panel and 30mins of Q&A involving all conference registrants, range over the following topics:

• ethics and steady state economies;
• sustainable regional and rural futures;
• energy, carbon emissions and climate change;
• just transitions, enterprises and regions;
• macro-economics for the 21^st century;
• energy, appropriate technology and the 4th Industrial Revolution;
• the ‘blue economy’, turtles and limits to overfishing;
• health, resilience and systems thinking;
• First Nations and Indigenous economies;
• practitioners;
• radical futures and ecological economics;
• deep ethics and commons;
• lessons on limits;
• the future of ecological economics;
• communicating ecological economics;
• water;
• ‘development’ and decarbonisation;
• learning ecological economics;
• economics for the Anthropocene;
• money; and
• governance for the 21^st century.

Registrations are inexpensive and places limited so please register now: http://anzsee.org/register-for-anzsee-2019/

This conference is organised by the Australian and New Zealand Society of Ecological Economics (ANZSEE), a regional chapter of the International Society of Ecological Economics. ANZSEE gratefully acknowledges the critical support of the Centre for Urban Research at RMIT University, which has provided venues and technical support, as well as the active partnership with New Economy Network Australia (NENA) and the Australian Earth Laws Alliance (AELA). 

Anitra Nelson

Anitra Nelson is an activist scholar affiliated with the Centre for Urban Research at RMIT University (Melbourne, Australia). Widely published, in 2018 she co-edited Housing for Degrowth: Principles, Models, Challenges and Opportunities, published in the Routledge Environmental Humanities, and was the sole author of a book on eco-collaborative housing Small is Necessary: Shared Living on a Shared Planet (Pluto Press, London). Anitra is Vice-President of the Australian New Zealand Society of Ecological Economics (ANZSEE) and Chair of the Organising Committee of the ANZSEE 2019 Conference at RMIT University 24–26 November 2019.

See all articles by Anitra Nelson

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