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On World Environment Day, June 5, 2020, for which Montréal is the North American host city, Space for Life and the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity are organizing an event to reflect on and imagine the future of our planet (our cities, our spaces) as well as the cohabitation between species on Earth, humans included.
This spring, at a time when a health and economic crisis triggered by COVID-19 is causing an unprecedented global slowdown, this event urges us to take a step back and brings together a variety of people in an environment that is conducive to the sharing of our collective intelligence. Unlocking Human Potential for Biodiversity is the first phase of a vast project designed to find and implement solutions for the future.
Scheduled for June 5, from 9 a.m. to noon EDT, the meeting entitled Unlocking Human Potential for Biodiversity proposes to create a space to share and communicate on the subject of the environment with participants from various backgrounds (scientists, artists, educators, citizens, activists and Aboriginals) from Quebec, Canada and elsewhere in the world.
This virtual encounter brings together four committed scientists
on a unique panel that will address the theme of human potential
in order to identify solutions and make a difference.
Attend this panel on June 5 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Facebook Live.
Morning programme – in short
Against the backdrop of a global crisis, how can we collectively guide our future actions to preserve the biodiversity of our planet?
This question will be addressed at first by Valérie Plante, Mayor of the City of Montréal, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Acting Executive Secretary, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Barbara Hendrie, Director for North America, United Nations Environment Program, Richard Morgan, Executive Director, Commission for Environmental Cooperationand Charles-Mathieu Brunelle, Director of Space for Life.
Afterwards, participants will be divided into sub-groups to discuss and share their findings on topics such as our individual and collective relationship with nature and biodiversity, and attempt to answer questions such as :
- What should be the focus of our collective attention?
- What are the opportunities to be seized?
- What types of projects should be pursued, developed and implemented?
A review of the workshops will follow to share main outcomes with all participants.
Regenerating Human Potential
10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. EDT on Facebook Live
What do we need to understand about human beings—our motivations, our ways of thinking and acting—that could help us develop the most effective policies, actions, communications and projects?
- Anne-Sophie Gousse-Lessard, Ph. D., researcher in social and environmental psychology and committed citizen
- Matthieu Ricard, Ph. D., author and initiator of humanitarian projects
- Stanley Asah, Ph. D., Associate Professor, Conservation Psychology
- Vandana Shiva, Ph. D., eco-feminist and founder of Navdanya
Event hosted by Julie Bourbonnais, Ph. D., organizational revitalizer
This event is part of Montréal’s Space for Life’s Laboratory of Possibilities