David Zavoral, Czech Academy of Sciences; Ingmar Lippert, IT University of Copenhagen
virPrague 20: Climate Change, Anthropocene, Geosciences
STS, like other institutionalised fields of research and teaching, form both an infrastructure and a professional community. As such, this academic field is not only brought into being by intellectual scholarly interactions, but also enrols existing technological systems, e.g., transportation and communication, demanding considerable amounts of energy and resources. STS practice implicates mobility, computing, carbon, paper, water and many more environmental realities at risk. This means that the academic knowledge production is inextricably embedded in broader socio-political, ecological and economic realities. The main goal of this Making&Doing is to provide a space that positions both scholars and students to think creatively about the sustainability of conventional STS practices and create the opportunity to reconsider institutional and personal accountability. In this space we aim at mapping of STS infrastructure and its ecological entanglements and implications. We will analyse the entities and relations of this infrastructure and draft a policy proposal for sustainability actions for individual academics and STS community and institutions.
With this Making&Doing, we address the complexities and uncertainties of the ecological relations of STS. Where do our agencies and responsibilities lie in generating a more sustainable STS?