We can’t solve climate change without addressing global poverty. The world’s poor are not willing to avoid deforestation or fossil-fuel based development if it comes at the cost of their livelihoods and their children’s well-being. We also can’t solve global poverty without addressing climate change, because rapidly rising emissions worsen lives for the most vulnerable.

This project begins from the observation that environmental protection and international development are inextricably linked. But although the crises are existential, they have not generated sustained global efforts at structural transformation. Therefore, we ask: can incremental reform add up to major change of the kind that is necessary to head off climate catastrophe and recharge the decline of global poverty? We adopt a problem-solving approach, and our goal is an edited volume assessing pragmatic efforts from around the world. We ask what we can learn from strategies employed in developing countries.

Topics our group members are studying include:

*textile recycling in slums in north India

*salinity-induced health crises in coastal Bangladesh

*sustainable development as understood by native populations in Latin America

*street children in developing countries

*technological advancements for sustainability

VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS

Over the summer we are holding virtual workshops. Email Sarai Richter for the Zoom links, and/or to join the group: [email protected]

Workshop 1

Thursday, May 1, 1PM Eastern time

Enrique Pumar, “Pragmatic vs. Revolutionary Visions of Sustainability”

Discussant: James Linn

Workshop 2

Wednesday, May 21, 12PM Eastern time

Jennifer Keahey, “Indigenous Critiques of Sustainable Development”

Discussant: Monica Prasad