Geographers declaration to be launched at IAG/NZGS Combined Conference 2021

From 6–9 July 2021 the Institute of Australian Geographers and New Zealand Geographical Society combined Conference will take place at the University of Sydney on the stolen, unceded lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.

It is at this conference that we plan to launch the Climate and Biodiversity Emergency Declaration by Geographers in Australia:  

We, geographers in Australia, declare that the world is facing multiple and interlinked emergencies of climate change, biodiversity loss and social inequality. We declare that we have a responsibility to care about and respond to a diversity of threats including human-induced climate change, threats to biodiversity and socio-economic inequality. We are concerned about the differential impacts experienced by people, places, and the human and natural systems that connect and sustain them. Now is the time to act.

Read the full declaration here.

We invite all geographers - individuals: students, teachers, academics, professionals; societies, institutions, study groups, collectives, departments and schools - to take action and sign the declaration.

Attending the IAG/NZGS?

Endorsement by the IAG/NZGS 2021 Combined Conference delegation is being sought and all delegates are invited to vote here.
This form will be available between 8:30am - 7:15pm Wednesday 7 July 2021. Endorsement on behalf of the conference delegation will occur if the majority of votes indicate support.

Join us at 1:25pm on Wednesday 7 July 2021 as Susan Caldis, PhD Candidate and GTA NSW&ACT President, will present the declaration to the conference delegation as part of her keynote address: Understanding a climate emergency in and through geography education: What can geography educators declare.

Following the keynote the Geographers Declare Working Group will host a Geographers Declare 'Action' Workshop.

Starting at 2:20pm this is an interactive drop-in session to ‘action’ the ‘Climate and Biodiversity Emergency Declaration by Geographers in Australia’ launched at the prior session. This session provides an opportunity for you to drop in and let us know what activities and actions you plan to do to give life to the declaration. What can you/we/the discipline/policy makers do and how can we lead, enable, support, lobby and assist in making desirable change happen?

Full conference program is here. 

Developing the declaration

The declaration was prepared by the Geographers Declare Working Group; a volunteer group of 14 geographers from around Australia who wish to see our discipline take further action.

The working group was formed following the Geographers Declare? Symposium held in October 2020. The symposium brought together geographers from around Australia to discuss how and if the discipline should declare a climate emergency.

Members of the working group include: Susannah Clement, Carrie Wilkinson, Richie Howitt, Robyn Bartel, Caitlin Buckle, Clare Mouat, Francis Markham, Kaya Barry, Linda Wilson, Md Abdullah Al Mamun, Michael Hewson, Michelle Duffy, Scott Mooney and Teaneil Musfud.

Drafts of the declaration were shared with societies and groups over the first half of 2021. 

Is you have any questions and the declaration or would like to get involved please email us at geographersdeclareau@gmail.com.