GPSS Workshop: "Beyond Extractivism and Romanticism: What Attitudes Toward Nature Can Help Us Address the Climate Crisis?"

On November 29th, the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science (GPSS) hosted a workshop titled "Beyond Extractivism and Romanticism: What Attitudes Toward Nature Can Help Us Address the Climate Crisis?" The event featured an invited speaker, David Rozen from the University of Pardubice in the Czech Republic, with Dr. Laÿna Droz from the Sustainable Society Design Center serving as the discussant.

David Rozen argued that: "Attitudes toward nature play a crucial role in shaping human environmental behavior, which is widely recognized as the primary driver of the ongoing climate crisis. In Western civilization--historically the largest contributor to this crisis--two predominant attitudes toward nature can be identified: the extractivist attitude, often cited as a root cause of environmental degradation, and its counterpart, the romantic attitude."

In his presentation, David Rozen critically examined the romantic attitude, challenging its perception as a solution to the climate crisis and arguing that it, too, contributes to the problem. As an alternative, the speaker proposed an attitude of kinship with nature, which holds promise for fostering more sustainable environmental behavior.

The workshop concluded with a dynamic discussion, exploring other potentially beneficial attitudes toward nature, with a particular focus on insights from diverse cultural perspectives.