SustainabilityControversy X: Learning from history – or not? The past, present, and future of (un)sustainability

Following his bestselling book “Bloodlands”, historian Timothy Snyder has recently published his new work “Black Earth”. We will discuss Snyder’s ideas in the context of the current discourse on sustainability. “Eco-dictatorship”, “values”, and “participation” are buzzwords in this discourse. Against this background, it is worthwhile to explore potential lessons to be learned from the past in the search for (“sustainable”) paths of development that are compatible with democracy, freedom, prosperity, and peace. Following his keynote speech, Timothy Snyder will discuss his ideas with:

• Ingolfur Blühdorn, WU Institute for Social Change and Sustainability
• Johannes Koll, Senior Scientist at the WU Institute for Economic and Social History and Head of the WU University Archives
• Verena Winiwarter, Department of Social Ecology, Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt-Wien-Graz
• Melanie Wolf, student of the WU Master’s Program in Socio-Ecological Economics and Policy

Moderator: Fred Luks, WU Competence Center for Sustainability