There is a broad range of opinion on the action needed to create a thriving and sustainable planet for all. It is vital that we can understand and respect differences of opinion and communicate well about climate and sustainability. To explore this, we are hosting a community dialogue on the question:

Who leads the change in climate and sustainability: Policy, profit or personal responsibility?

This experimental format marks a departure from our standard seminar format and is a chance to try out a new way of engaging with complex issues together. The seminar will involve a diverse range of participants offering their opinion on the question in a roundtable format, plus a facilitator. The audience will also have the opportunity to join the dialogue. Topics of discussion will therefore emerge on the day, but could relate to issues such as fossil fuels, economic growth, nuclear energy, diet, and other contentious issues in climate and sustainability.

What is dialogue?

Dialogue is often mentioned in education, but it is not always clearly defined. At King’s we understand dialogue as a way of communicating that goes beyond monologue – where one voice dominates – and debate, where positions are defended with the goal of winning. Instead, dialogue creates space where different perspectives can be voiced, heard and explored. In dialogue, the focus is on understanding and learning through four key practices:

• Listening, or paying genuine attention to what others are saying.

• Respect, or recognising the dignity of all voices, even when we disagree.

• Suspension, or pausing before reacting, noticing assumptions and setting them aside to better understand others.

• Voice, or speaking openly and thoughtfully, with care for how our words land with others.

Roundtable participants

All attendees will have a chance to participate in the dialogue, but we'll begin with our roundtable participants, who are a mix of staff and students from King's and KCLSU:

Prof Frans Berkhout, Assistant Principal for Climate & Sustainability and Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression

Frances Doyle, undergraduate student (War Studies)

Matilda Elliott Bunn, undergraduate student (European and International Studies)

Dr Christopher Ince, King's Academy

Hasnain Jafer, Vice President for Education (Health), KCLSU

Aalia Moore, undergraduate student (Geography)

Harjeet Moore, Deputy Director of Inclusion, Belonging and Wellbeing

Dr John Owens, Ethics and Public Policy

Prof Mark Pennington, Political Economy and Public Policy

Dr Gabby Samuel, Social Health and Global Medicine

The session will be facilitated by Dr Emma Taylor, lecturer in Education (King's Academy). Please join us for what is sure to be an interesting and engaging session!