SLS-France Fall 2023 Week 10 

in Photos + "Ecocritical Threes"

October 30, 2023

Brigitte Stepanov

Welcome to another round of "Ecocritical Threes," a brief three-point summary of the week's theory (in-class discussions) and practice (community engagement and experimental learning). The "Ecocritical Threes" series shares questions posed, reflections had, and anecdotes told, providing a glimpse into the interdisciplinary and intersectional thinking with which we are approaching climate change and climate justice this semester. 

Climate Fresk/La Fresque du Climat

The Climate Fresk is a collaborative workshop that teaches participants the fundamental science behind climate change and empowers them to take action against its consequences. The SLS program participated in two Climate Fresk activities: 1. the Fresk itself, followed by an in-depth debrief discussion, and 2. a Fresk training session. Both activities were facilitated by Léa Ovet, an AgroParisTech engineer specializing in climate and environmental management. After a year traveling around the Mediterranean basin and meeting various actors involved in adapting to climate change, Léa became aware of the urgency of the current ecological crisis. Deciding to devote her professional life to the fight against climate change, she now facilitates workshops focused on environmental issues, such as the Climate and Biodiversity Fresks.

1. SLS students first participated in a Climate Fresk, focusing on identifying the causal links between anthropogenic climate change and global crises, including the crossing of Planetary Boundaries. See Governing Our Planetary Emergency: Charting a Safe Path for a Workable Future and updates from the Stockholm Resilience Center for more on Planetary Boundaries. 

2. Following this experience, they undertook the Climate Fresk Facilitator Session, which trains individuals to become Climate Fresk facilitators. Having completed this training, the SLS group is now a part of the Fresk facilitator community. This means that we can lead Climate Fresks, facilitate environmental workshops, and organize Climate Fresk-related events. 

3. During the debrief discussions following both the Climate Fresk and the Fresk training workshop, students spoke about the ways in which they envision planetary futures and the need for interdisciplinary thinking when it comes to addressing ecological crises. We also examined how the Climate Fresk's problematics appeared in other disciplinary thought this semester - from philosophy to literature, from political science to sociology, from environmental science to visual culture.