Forthcoming Events in our 2025-2026 Programme
Our meetings are held at Seven Arts 31A Harrogate Rd, Chapel Allerton, Leeds LS7 3PD.
If possible please arrive by 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start. There will be a £6 entrance fee to cover costs.
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Our Scheduled Events in 2025-26:
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Forthcoming Talk:
The next meeting will take place on Wednesday 11th March starting at 7.30pm, at Seven Arts 31A Harrogate Road
Chapel Allerton, Leeds LS7 3PD. Please arrive by 7.15pm to allow a prompt start.​
​`Beyond Net Zero: What Wartime Britain Can Teach Us About Rapid Social-Ecological Transition'. A talk by Dr Richard Baernthaler, Sustainability Research Institute, University of Leeds
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About the Talk:
The world is on track for dangerous levels of global warming – far beyond the 1.5C limit scientists say is safe. Current policies could lead to 2.5–3C of warming by the end of the century, and incremental change is no longer enough. At the same time, the global political order is shifting, creating new challenges for cooperation and climate action. This talk explores why traditional “net zero” strategies are failing and argues for a rapid transition to a sufficiency economy – one that guarantees a decent standard of living for all while setting limits on excessive production and consumption. Achieving this will require strong state action, democratic planning, and bold industrial policies. To illustrate what this might look like, we draw lessons from history: the radical economic mobilisation in the UK during World War II, which restructured production, consumption, finance, and labour at unprecedented speed and scale – while improving health, reducing mortality, and leaving lower social strata better off than before the war. Could similar principles guide a just and fast eco-social transition today?
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About the speaker:
Richard Baernthaler is a political ecological economist at the Sustainability Research Institute, University of Leeds, where he leads the Economics and Policy for Sustainability (Econopol) research group. He serves on the board of the European Society for Ecological Economics, is an associate editor at Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, a lead author for the Austrian Panel on Climate Change, and an expert member of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures.
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​​​​​​​​​​​​Forthcoming Talks ( Updated)
April 8th Prof Mark Stuart `AI and the Future of Work in the UK -- employers' adoption and use and the implications for workers'.
May 13th Tax Justice Network 'Wealth inequality, the case for taxing wealth in the UK and how it could be done effectively'.
June 10th Mark Parker. School of Earth & Environment ‘AI in food production: how much should we worry about big tech ?’
July 8th; Members’ Talks
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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​You can contact use via email at cafeeconomqiueleeds2019@gmail.com, and visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/cafeeconomiqueleeds.
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