The social (human) sciences and the SDGs in the Anthropocene

We live in the age of the Anthropocene, created by what social scientists call the “capitalocene”. While the human population has tripled since 1950, the size of the global economy has increased by a factor of more than 15 (the Great Acceleration).

At the same time, inequality has never been greater, with the number of people without decent work growing fast. We all carry Artificial Intelligence (AI) in our pockets – wrapped in plastic and charged with energy. AI uses more of both than any technology before, but creates few jobs.

Our breakfast seminar (and the following workshop) asks: if the social sciences and the humanities are implicated in this development, how can we contribute with knowledge to confront the challenges of the Anthropocene age?

When humans induce changes to the earth’s system with lasting effects on nature, how should we construct the marketplace? Should we create technologies that reverse inequalities and promotes human well-being for all? How do we create a robust democracy strong enough to handle the many contradictory demands the global challenges make on our lives and actions?

Eira Garrido
, Student, University of Bergen


Tone Fløtten
, Director, The Fafo Institute for Labour and Social Research, Oslo


Dan Banik
, Professor, Centre for Environment and Development (SUM), University of Oslo




Lillian M. Baltzrud
, Senior Adviser, Science and the Research System, Research Council of Norway


Carolyn Medel-Anonuevo
, Senior Programme Specialist/Head of Education Unit, UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa


Alfredo Brillembourg
, Founding partner of Urban-Think Tank (U-TT)

Moderator

Bjørn Enge Bertelsen
, Director of Global Research Programme in Inequality (GRIP), University of Bergen.

This debate is free and open to all!

This is a debate in a series of meetings with relevance to UiB’s engagement with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. It is a collaboration between
Forum for Science and Democracy,
SDG Bergen and Bergen Global. This particular debate is part of Day Zero of the
SDG Conference Bergen 2020.

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