Welcome to the University of Bergen, 8 – 9 May 2023! The preliminary conference programme is available here.
The cross-disciplinary research project, CLIMLIFE, headed by professor Kjersti Fløttum, aims to generate new and vital knowledge about the role of climate in lifestyle issues, revealing barriers and opportunities for action, and highlighting conflict and consensus. While there is broad agreement on the urgent need for action to mitigate climate change, people must also go on living their daily lives, attending to their needs and interests of themselves, their families and their community.
Climate change concerns all aspects of our lives and affects how we think about everything from our personal lifestyle choices as consumers, our political behaviour as citizens, to how we perceive the fate of our planet and the future of humanity. In addition to political measures, often related to taxes, energy and huge infrastructure projects, the willingness and interest among individuals and local communities seems to be a prerequisite for necessary actions.
Focus areas of CLIMLIFE are
- the relationships between people’s (notably young people’s) preferences and choices,
- how politicians, at various levels, perceive and prioritize people’s everyday matters within their seemingly larger and more important issues, and
- how media cover everyday lifestyle matters.
At the core of CLIMLIFE’s focus are citizens’ potential motivations or strategies for action or non-action, such as activism, responsiveness, resignation or rejection.
Confirmed keynote speakers (by August 2022)
- Andrew C. Revkin, Independent journalist and Climate Communication Advisor, Columbia Climate School
- Connie Hedegaard, Former European Commissioner for Climate Action and Danish Minister for the Environment and for Climate and Energy
- Maria Ojala, PhD, Associate Professor (docent) in psychology, School of Law, Psychology, and Social Work, Örebro University
- Håvard Haarstad, Professor of Human Geography, Head of Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation (CET), University of Bergen
- Kyrre Kverndokk, Professor of Cultural Studies, University of Bergen
Media Conversation on the role of journalism in climate change and lifestyle issues
with Professors Michael Brüggemann, University of Hamburg, Mike S. Schäfer, University of Zurich, and Brita Ytre-Arne, University of Bergen
Panel Debate
moderated by Anne Jortveit, Deputy Director of the Norwegian Climate Foundation: What can various generations learn from each other in matters regarding a climate-friendly lifestyle?