Evidence/Proof, or Thoughts on How to Close the Gaps Between Knowledge and Action on Environmental Change by Jessica Seddon
Studio 3 Environmental and Geographical Sciences Building, Upper Campus, UCT, Cape TownEvent Details WHEN: Friday, 16 May 2025 TIME: 13:00 - 14:00 VENUE: Studio 3, Environmental and Geographical Sciences Building, Upper Campus, University of Cape Town EMAIL: Tselane.moiloa@uct.ac.za for enquiries About the topic The talk will discuss different ways of understanding the visible gaps between the science and experience of environmental change on the one hand, and the level of coordinated response to mitigating and adapting to its impacts on the other. Why do societies "know" so much more than they "do"? The talk will draw on her past work on the science and politics of air quality and climate change as well as ongoing efforts to create a framework for thinking about possible ways that institutional architectures can better connect human social dynamics with the chemical, physical, and biological changes around them. This gap is not unique to environmental change and Jessica is eager to discuss and learn from others' efforts and experience linking knowledge and action on other topics. About the speaker Jessica Seddon’s work on environmental governance focuses on how new sources of data can be leveraged to enable new (and more sustainable) ways of interacting with the environment around us. Her career in India and the U.S. spans academic, program leadership, and strategic advisory roles focused on institutional design for integrating science into policy and social initiatives. Seddon is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Deitz Initiative on Environment and Global Affairs at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs. She is a co-founder of The Institutional Architecture Lab (TIAL). She is also an Adjunct Fellow with the Chair in U.S.-India Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and serves on the academic council of the Indian School of Public Policy in New Delhi.
