The Doomsday Clock is now set at 2.5 minutes to midnight. This is 30 seconds less than in 2015. It is judged by an international panel of scientists on the evidence of threats from climate change and nuclear war in particular. Framing Catastrophe is a day event which aims to explore how we respond to those two intertwined issues when their very gravity may induce feelings of powerlessness, denial and a sense of being overwhelmed. How, then, might activists address the problem in ways that encourage effective movement-building and mainstream public discussion?

The choice of these two topics has an immediate resonance in a year when the UN is working on the new Global Nuclear Arms Ban Treaty and the Paris Climate Change Agreement is being directly challenged by President Trump. The event will consider political and cultural responses to both these challenges with panels and keynotes presented by both academics and activists - and indeed, academic activists. Speakers include Nigel Young, founder member of Bradford University's pioneering Peace Studies Department, Natalie Bennett, former leader of the Green Party, and Steve McGiffen campaigning writer on the 'anthropocene'.

This is a joint event between the Social Movements and Climate Change Networks of Meccsa and The Cultural Communication and Computing Research Institute at Sheffield Hallam University. It is free and all are welcome. We are providing lunch and refreshments, so everyone who wishes to attend is asked to register beforehand through the link above. The venue is at the university's central site, five minutes from the bus and rail stations. Full details of the day's programme will be sent out immediately after registration closes.

Please register by Friday, 1st September 2017 by following the Eventbrite link.

A buffet lunch will be provided at the event. If you have very specific dietary requirements please let us know in advance via email to c3ri@shu.ac.uk.

We look forward to seeing you,

Rosalind Brunt, Rinella Cere, organisers, Shared Solidarities 3.

Shared Solidarities III: Framing Catastrophe