Conference Organization

Animals, Climate Change and Global Health

Pigs who survived the hurricane and escaped their farm, sleep at the edge of a flooded road. North Carolina, USA. Credits: WeAnimalsMedia.

A collaboration between the University of Berne, Johns Hopkins University & Wageningen University. “Animals, Climate Change and Global Health” is a series of seminars with leading international experts in animal studies, critical animal studies, animal ethics, animal politics, animal law, environmental studies, environmental law, migration studies, as well as climate law/studies, with the aim of inspiring an in-depth conversation at the nexus animals x climate change x global health.

Six webinars, each lasting around 2-2.5 hours, held online via Zoom with 300-500 participants, taking place over six months in Fall 2020.

Topics covered:

  • Session 1: Animals, Pandemics and Global Health – September 18, 2020

Speakers: Michael Greger (NutritionFacts.org), Mia MacDonald (Brighter Green), Astra Taylor (Documentary filmmaker and writer)

  • Session 2: COVID-19 Research: With or Without Animals? – October 16, 2020

Speakers: Aysha Akhtar (Center for Contemporary Sciences), Elizabeth Baker (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine), Thomas Hartung (Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing), Lindsay Marshall (The Humane Society of the United States/ Humane Society International)

  • Session 3: Animals in Crises – November 11, 2020

Speakers: Clemens Driessen (Wageningen University), Leslie Irvine (University of Colorado), Jo-Anne McArthur (We Animals Media)

  • Session 4: Animals Affected by Climate Change – November 20, 2020

Speakers: Irus Braverman (University at Buffalo), Jonathan Lovvorn (Yale Law School), Shaina Sadai (University of Massachusetts)

  • Session 5: Animals as Drivers of Climate Change – December 9, 2020

Speakers: Jeff Sebo (New York University), Natalie Khazaal (Texas A&M University), Marina Bolotnikova (Journalist)

  • Session 6: Future Areas of Research – Date tba

Speakers: Will Kymlicka (Queen’s University), Claire Jean Kim (University of California)

Sessions are recorded and uploaded at https://animalsclimatehealth.com/webinars/.

 

 

Animal Labour: Ethical, Legal and Political Perspectives on Recognizing Animals’ Work

Queen’s University, Workshop “Animal Labour: Ethical, Legal and Political Perspectives on Recognizing Animals’ Work,” The Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning, Kingston ON, May 18-19, 2018

Co-organized with Will Kymlicka and Kendra Coulter, sponsored by the Animals in Philosophy, Politics, Law, and Ethics research group (APPLE) at Queen’s University and the Humane Jobs Initiative at Brock University (11 speakers; 40 participants).

Topics covered:

Are animals workers?
Under what conditions could animal labour become a source of meaning and well-being for animals?
What legal, political and social changes would be required to create interspecies workplaces that are just? How can we ensure that talk of animal work is not used to gloss over existing forms of exploitation?
Is there a post-work world for animals?

Invited speakers:

  • Omar Bachour, Queen’s University
  • Alasdair Cochrane, University of Sheffield
  • Charlotte Blattner, Queen’s University
  • Jessica Eisen, University of Alberta
  • Nicolas Delon, University of Chicago
  • Kendra Coulter, Brock University
  • Renée D’Souza, Queen’s University
  • Alice Hovorka, Queen’s University
  • Dinesh Wadiwel, University of Sydney
  • Sue Donaldson, Queen’s University
  • Will Kymlicka, Queen’s University