Underskog

The ambition of The Oslo Sustainability Summit is to create a “mini-Davos” on sustainable future: a forum, where international researchers, experts and students can debate innovative solutions to the current environmental and social crisis. The Summit, which is a joint venture of the University of Oslo and BI Norwegian Business School, comprises The Arne Naess Symposium and the Business and Governance Forum.

The overarching theme of the 2011 summit has been inspired by the famous apocalyptic film, The Age of Stupid – a futuristic documentary which points to the tension between stupidity and wisdom in human actions. Modern Western cultures have made a fetish of specialized knowledge at the expense of wisdom. We ask what is wisdom in culture, business and governance? And does wisdom hold an underestimated adaptation potential for addressing the sustainability crisis?

Tentative programme

The Arne Næss Symposium

09.00 – 09.15 Welcome: Erik Solheim, The Norwegian Minister for the Environment and Development (to be confirmed)

09.15 – 10.00 Opening Address: Robyn Eckersley: Wise Leadership for Sustainable Future

Break 10.00 – 10-15

Panel Debate: How Can We Reclaim Ecological Wisdom?
Chair: Nina Witoszek

10.15 – 10.30
Roger Scruton: A Conservative Perspective

10.30 – 10.45
Michael Hardt: A Radical Perspective

10.45 – 11.00
Sunita Narain: Contested World Perspectives

11.00 – 11.15
Paul Ehrlich: A Scientific Approach

11.15 – 11.30
Young Researchers Challenge the Panelists

11.15 – 12.15
Debate between the panelists, researchers and audience

Lunch 12.15 – 13.15

The Governance and Business Symposium

13.15 – 13.30
Camilla Moneta, Snøhetta: Eco-Modernity – An Architectural Perspective

13.30 – 14.15
Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker: The Sustainability Challenge to Business and Society

Break 14.15 – 14.30

Panel Debate: Policy and Business – What are Wise Strategies?
Chair: Atle Midttun

14.30 – 14.45
Robert Horn: 40 Must-haves in a “Nobody-in-charge World”

14.45 – 15.00
Mohan Munasinghe: Sustainable Production and Consumption. A View from the South

15.00 – 15.15
Catherine Cameron: The Three Wise Monkeys

15.15 – 15.30
Jørgen Randers: When have I done my fair share?

15.30 – 16.30
Debate between the panelists and the audience