Once regarded as a universal æther impregnated with myth and imbued with astrological significance, the sky now bears the burden of heat-trapping gasses and erratic weather. These atmospheric alterations pose a formidable threat to the planet’s ecosystem, endangering the very breath of life for a vast amount of living beings. 

In these critical times, recent attention has turned to new geotechnologies, including solar geoengineering that artificially reconditions the stratosphere by mitigating solar radiation. However, our climate issues are not simply meteorological problems with technical solutions but are entwined with socio-political and economic challenges requiring us to fundamentally see the world reimagined. 

As always, developing new technologies is not a solution in itself; ethical governance and social awareness is just as essential. In the endeavor to rectify our original Promethean transgression, it becomes essential to consider both the indispensable possibilities as well as the risks of returning fire back to the sun. 

The symposium brings together technical, social-political, and philosophical perspectives to speculate on the significance and implications of shaping atmospheres. 

Keynote Presentations

Thursday, November 7, 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Holly Jean Buck (University at Buffalo)
Para-environmentalism as Popular Atmospheric Politics

David Keith (University of Chicago) 
Climate Engineering

Symposium Sessions

Friday, November 8, 10:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.  

10:00 a.m.  Coffee & Introduction

10:10 a.m.  Ala Roushan & Charles Stankievech, Shaping Atmospheres 

10:30 a.m. Oxana Timofeeva, Victory Over the Sun: the Bad Infinity

11:15 a.m. Carson Chan, It's in the Air

12:00 p.m. Dehlia Hannah, Blackout

12:45-1:45 p.m. Lunch Break

1:45 p.m. Afternoon Introduction

2:00 p.m. Kim Stanley Robinson, Geoengineering: Who Decides? And How? 

2:45 p.m. Teresa Kramarz, Governing Trade-offs in the Renewable Energy Transition

3:30 p.m. Paul N. Edwards, Is Climate Change Ungovernable?

4:15-4:30 p.m. Break

4:30 p.m. Jerry C. Zee, Permutable Stratosphere: High-Altitude Overflights and the Geopoetics of the Open Secret

5:15 p.m. Patricia Reed, Localisation and Model-based Semiosis

5:55-6:00 p.m. Closing Remarks

A detailed schedule can be viewed here.

The Shaping Atmospheres Symposium is organized by Ala Roushan (OCAD University) and Charles Stankievech (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto) with support from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

A parallel exhibition of the same title presents artistic perspectives on solar politics and shifting planetary ecologies in the Architecture + Design Gallery at the Daniels Building from October 2-December 21.

Image Credit: Courtesy Studio Stankievech.