The Wizards of Climate Change: How Can Technology Serve Hope and Justice?
2023 Summer Conference of the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science, to be held at Star Island, NH, USA, Sunday June 25 to Sunday July 2, 2023.
Technological wizardry has been pitched against prophecies of environmental catastrophe since at least the mid-20th century. Innovate! Create! Only then can everyone win!--Simplify! Change your ways! Or all will be lost! The scientists on the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, for example, tell us that large-scale deployment of carbon dioxide removal technologies is “unavoidable” if we are to prevent further dangerous temperature increases. They also argue that we must live less energy-intensive lifestyles to substantially reduce emissions. Addressing the many dimensions of climate change—such as energy and industrial production, urban and infrastructure planning, building construction and design, and land use—will require both new technologies and lifestyle changes.

The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a co-sponsor of the conference. AGU members will receive a discounted registration rate (registration will open early 2023).

In this conference, we will critically examine how technology can be developed, deployed and governed responsibly, to address climate change in ways that foster hope and justice. We will respectfully engage a multiplicity of world views, including religious perspectives, as we learn how countries throughout the world determine and apply climate and technology policies.

​We will address the following questions:

• How do we assess the future of our climate and technologies? Knowledge about climate change and evolving technologies that address it relies on simulations using models; but the world is phenomenally complex, and unintended consequences abound. How do we best make decisions in light of the uncertainties in our models?
• How do we ensure that technology is responsibly developed and regulated? Regulation of new technology will require new modes of organization in areas such as government, industry, education, and religion. How can we plan for adaptive policies?
• How can we curate sources of hope in regard to technology? In the last few centuries, the use of technology has accelerated rapidly, often without full consideration of the consequences. There are legitimate fears that we may not be able to control future impacts. We have reached the point where we must negotiate a “collective rite of passage from childhood to adulthood” in order to live as a responsible member of our planet’s ecosystem. Imagery, vision, ritual, new paradigms: how can these and other sources of hope assist us?
• How do we deploy technologies to foster justice and equity? The impacts of climate change are unevenly distributed. Technologies addressing climate change are likely to show similar inequities—and vulnerable populations such as impoverished, minoritized, and Indigenous peoples could continue to suffer disproportionately—if we do not take preventative measures. How can justice best be considered in policies on climate and technology?

Presenters will consider these questions in the context of the fields of science-and-religion, public policy, and science communication.
Plenary speakers (besides the co-chairs Arthur Petersen, Bruce Naylor, and Constance Bertka) will include:

• Willem B. Drees, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy of Religion and Ethics, Leiden University and Philosophy of the Humanities, Tilburg University
• Frances Flannery, Professor of Religion, James Madison University and Co-founder, BioEarth
• Lisa Graumlich, Professor of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington and President, American Geophysical Union
• Noreen Herzfeld, Nicholas and Bernice Reuter Professor of Science and Religion, St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict
• Janot Mendler de Suarez and Pablo Suarez, Advisers, World Bank and Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre
• Bonnie Nadzam, Writer and Editor, Co-author of the climate fiction work Love in the Anthropocene
• Kenneth Oye, Professor of Political Science, Professor of Data Systems and Society, and Director of the Program on Emerging Technologies, MIT
• Leonard A. Smith, Professor, College of Engineering, Virginia Tech and author of Chaos: A Very Short Introduction
• Billy M. Williams​, Executive Vice President, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, American Geophysical Union

Submissions

We invite proposals for short papers on the four themes of the conference in the context of climate and technology. The topic can be approached from various perspectives, such as science, engineering, environmental studies, philosophy, religious studies or theology, history, literature, law, political science, futures studies, psychology, or sociology. They may consider different religious traditions; science fiction; modeling of climate and technologies; regulation of new technologies; curation of sources of hope in technology; assessment of justice and equity; and so on.

Proposals for papers on other topics regarding science and religion are welcome too.
Proposals will be peer reviewed. The two proposals deemed strongest will be selected for Shapley-Booth fellowships, which cover recipients’ registration, room and board, and a portion of travel expenses.
Presenters whose papers are accepted for presentation, but are not among the Shapley-Booth awardees, may wish to apply for other financial support opportunities through IRAS and Star Island, including:

• Two IRAS Memorial Student Scholarships for current undergraduate and graduate students, which cover recipients’ registration, room and board.
• Two Griswold Scholarships, available for first-time IRAS conferees over the age of 55, which cover registration and a small portion of room and board expense.
• Need-based financial support offered collaboratively through IRAS and Star Island.  All conferees are eligible to apply.

 The deadline for proposals is January 16, 2023. We intend to inform on acceptance and on fellowships before the end of February 2023. Proposals should include an abstract of not more than 400 words, prepared for anonymous review, with 5 to 10 keywords. Proposals can be submitted using the form below.

With questions on short papers, please approach Arthur Petersen, arthur.petersen@ucl.ac.uk