Hall sustainability seminar examines the past and future of river deltas

On Friday 2 May, St Edmund Hall hosted the fifth seminar in the “Conversations in Environmental Sustainability” series, with an expert panel addressing the question “Who cares about deltas? Growth vs. culture vs. climate change”.

Hosted by the Principal of St Edmund Hall and Oxford Professor of Biodiversity, Professor Baroness (Kathy) Willis, a panel of guest speakers explored the past and future of river deltas and how we can ensure a sustainable future for their communities, biodiversity and entire ecosystems. River deltas are vital ecosystems supporting rich biodiversity, unique cultural traditions, and millions of livelihoods through fisheries and agriculture while also serving as critical buffers against storm surges and coastal erosion. Central to the development of the modern global trade and ecosystem, they are increasingly threatened by climate change impacts, sea-level rise, altered river flows, extreme weather events and continuing forms of colonial and ethno-nationalist exploitation, to name just a few.

The panel of expert speakers included Professor Jim Hall, Professor of Climate and Environmental Risks at the Environmental Change Institute, Oxford University; Professor Veronica Strang, School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, Oxford University; Dilip da Cunha, Architect; and Professor Katherine Ibbett, Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, Oxford University. After each presenting on the topic, the panel came together for a fascinating Q&A session with questions provided by the audience. The dialogue continued in the drinks reception which followed the event, and over dinner in the Old Dining Hall. Hall student Eve Aspland (2022, Fine Art) kindly provided some of her artwork to display during the event, with the pieces drawing on her father’s lineage of fenmen and inspired by Norfolk rushes, one of the most common and rigorous wetland plants in the fens.

The “Conversations in Environmental Sustainability: beyond greenwashing” series presents a termly seminar which brings together leading thinkers and decision-makers from across academia, business, government and NGOs to look beyond greenwashing. Each term, a panel examines a specific issue related to environmental sustainability, exploring how to effectively marry environmental, social and governance goals with financial returns, innovation and other business imperatives.

Catch up on the latest seminar on the Hall’s YouTube channel.