Governing institutions, whether at a local municipality or a national government, must be prepared to react to changing environmental circumstances which threaten the safety and well-being of community members. Building resilient societal/communal responses to environmental changes frequently requires a shift in some tradition/accepted convention to mitigate causes of disaster (esp. climate-related) such as alternate power sources, changes in construction, changes in agricultural methods and food security.
The concept of resilience (in this case, implemented after an environmental issue) focus on “bouncing back better” from some a crisis. Highlighting the goal of improving the system after a disaster, rather than building back to the original state, offers the opportunity to encourage policymakers to implement positive changes to address the root cause of the problem, such as changing development policies on wetlands after flooding or incentivizing the use of alternate energy sources.
What is more, for many of us, kindness or compassion begins with our family. However, research tells us that Kindness or Compassion was a part of our prehistoric past and linked to our survival. Today, in our polarized world, science and technology promise to save us from many of the problems that face us, not the least of which are the effects of climate change. Whether by the goal-driven model of applied science or the curiosity-driven model that belies pure science, how can [ethics] kindness and compassion inform our outcome?
This session is cross-promoted with the STAR-TIDES Fireside Chat series. Coordinated through George Mason University's Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities (C-RASC), the mission of STAR-TIDES is to build capacity for resilience. We achieve our mission by facilitating a global knowledge-sharing network focused on the following seven platforms: Energy, Housing & Infrastructure, Water & Sanitation, Agriculture & Food Security, Information & Communications Technology, Mobility & Transportation, and Health Care.
To learn more about STAR-TIDES, please visit
https://star-tides.net.
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