#blogtakeover SWISP Lab STI project by: Jack Beardsley
Topian futures: Speculating dystopian and utopian futures from climate change induced sea level rise
The ties between geography and the work SWISP lab do, is that both have a serious passion around Anthropogenic climate change, analysing temporal scales, and speculating futures. As Co-directors of SWISP, A/Prof Kate Coleman and Dr. Sarah Healy have collectively encouraged me to use my degree in Science (Geography Major), as well as data provided by the lab to devise a project that will be taken to the United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan in November. Initially overwhelmed, I decided to utilise my experiences throughout university as well as my connections to climate stories to formulate a project which resonates/encapsulates who I am as a person. Both Kate and Sarah have assisted me with designing a project which discusses climate change induced sea level rise on the local and global scale.
My climate story
From the ages of 6-18 I grew up by the beaches of Noosa, QLD, where the coastline wrapped around this small, low-populated town, away from the faint hum of any city, where stars effortlessly painted the sky, undisrupted by light pollution. I never knew whether it was because I had lived in the chaos of London as a young kid, or if it was just my over-imaginative mind, but the ocean to me was so beautiful, yet so terrifying. I never learnt to surf, which comes to a surprise to many once they discover I had 12 years to attempt it. I didn’t like swimming, or boats, and never learnt to fish. After attending SWISP Labs Hackathon, I was immensely inspired by the speculation and subjectivity of sharing climate stories.
My climate story is more of an amusing and exaggerated fear I developed as young kid, tsunamis. So, one night, when I was about 7 years old I was sleeping on a houseboat with my friend and his family, which I had reluctantly agreed to, probably due to my pride (as a 7-year-old). As I lay there that night, completely frightened by the constant rocking of the boat, I decided the most logical solution to said rocking just had to be a tsunami. So as this tsunami was about to hit our boat, I grabbed my friends mum, beside myself, trying to explain my theories and calculations. I think she had tried for about an hour to explain to me that we weren’t even near the ocean, but in fact were sitting peacefully in the Noosa River. However, my speculative brain had decided that our spatial surroundings did not in fact matter because rocking meant danger. I like to use this experience as a way on tackling Anthropogenic climate change, rocking does mean danger, but only when applied with the right evidence. There is evidence of climate change on the global scale, there is evidence that sea level will rise with global warming, and there is solid evidence that cities will suffer from sea level rise in the near future. It is important to speculate our futures, whether it’s out of fear or confidence. So I based my project around this outlook, that signs of rocking, mean signs of danger.
My Project
After spending a few weeks to put together a plan for my project with incite from Kate and Sarah, I have decided to formulate a speculative podcast which considers the potential dystopian and utopian futures for cities under the threat of climate change induced sea level rise. I chose the sea level rise as the main topic of my project because It’s an aspect of climate change which will affect almost every coastal city/nation on the global scale. Utilising this knowledge, I have decided that speaking to water/climate experts from around the world will allow this project to maintain its credibility as well as display a broad understanding of ‘big data’ which highlights the omnipresence of sea level rise vulnerabilities around the world. The podcast consists of separated 10–15-minute conversations with individuals passionate in climate change. Additionally, I’ve obtained and integrated ‘water’ sounds I associate with the topic to act as an auditory experience to the listener, balancing out the project and acting as a unique transitional tool between speakers.
Using a Coastal Risk Screening Tool, I was able to identify specific geographies where I believe sea level rise will be most detrimental. Locally, it is coherently necessary to examine and speculate Melbourne’s future regarding sea level rise. On top of this, I specifically targeted densely populated, vulnerable areas to sea level rise, Bangladesh, Florida, and the Netherlands. Speaking to experts who understand these locations benefits the validity of my projects speculation, in search of understanding spatial vulnerabilities, projected futures, dystopian/utopian predictions, as well as mitigation opportunities.
Melbourne
Bangladesh
Florida
Netherlands
For my project to be successful I am searching for individuals who are willing to speak to me about climate change, sea level rise, and cities that they are familiar with. From this, I can collect speculative research and dissect the idiosyncrasies of each individual’s climate stories.
To conclude
The opportunities in speculative research I’ve been fortunate enough to obtain are attributed towards the SWISP Lab and its Co-directors, Associate Professor Kate Coleman and Dr. Sarah Healy. I believe that speculative research is an emerging field which promotes outward thinking, pushing boundaries, and revaluating the constructs of data collection – by integrating climate stories, conversational data, and actively searching for new topographical, digital, and educational data.
I find comfort in my experience and hope to encourage and inspire individuals to speculate futures and recognise Anthropogenic climate change. As a Geography student, I’m honoured to have walked through temporal and spatial scales in search of impactful answers that have shaped my project. I again thank everyone at the SWISP Lab for your guidance, patience, and encouragement. Never stop questioning if rocking means danger.