ICS Seminar Series

Presenter: Chantel Carr

Discussant: Stephen Healy & Abby Mellick Lopes

Chair: Douglas Belton II

Abstract

Climate crisis has arrived, and as predicted it has brought with it uncertainty. More frequent and extreme weather events expose infrastructural shortcomings, signalling a future characterised by profound disruption. In this paper I argue that climate crisis demands more attention be paid to the deeply interwoven labours of repair and care. Reflecting on fieldwork across carbon-intensive sectors and places, I locate the work of repair and care within the context of adaptation and mitigation action. Capacities to repair and care for our world and each other are profoundly important for adapting to the conditions of planetary breakdown, and crucial for transitioning to low-carbon futures. A focus on this vital work suggests a deeply pragmatic and inclusive environmental politics, bringing into dialogue rich veins of work on labour and everyday life.