Psychic numbing is a widely known psychological phenomenon, causing us to feel apathetic towards tragedies and looming existential threats. How do all of us, compassionate, concerned human beings, continue to fall into this trap? How do we become psychologically numb to the two most dominant existential threats, the prospect of nuclear war and climate disaster? Not only does this webinar aim to answer this question, but also educate us on how we can combat psychic numbing and turn our concern into action. How can we individually and collectively combat the two biggest threats to our future, climate change and nuclear proliferation?

This will be a student-led event, aiming to educate all, and most importantly young people, on how we can combat psychic numbing and work to save the future of our planet.

Join us on March 26th at 4pm to take part in this important conversation!

Speakers:

Dr. Becky Alexis-Martin

Dr Becky Alexis-Martin is a pacifist academic at the University of Bradford. Her work explores nuclear warfare, social justice, humanitarian and environmental issues, and human rights. Her expertise is focused on nuclear geographies and decolonizing disarmament policy in the Pacific. She has authored over sixty-five news articles, book chapters, and peer-reviewed articles. Her first book, “Disarming Doomsday: The Human Impact of Nuclear Weapons Since Hiroshima”, critically considers the social, cultural, and spatial harms perpetuated by nuclear warfare and was the recipient of the 2020 L.H.M. Ling Outstanding First Book Prize.

Yerdaulet Rakhmatulla

Yerdaulet Rakhmatulla is a Kazakh emerging global security expert and peace & justice advocate. He is the Co-Founder of Steppe Organization for Peace (STOP), the first Central Asian youth-led initiative for nuclear justice, representing the voices of his generation at UN high-level conferences and working groups. Yerdaulet has actively collaborated with prominent organizations such as the United Nations, UNESCO, CTBTO, Schmidt Futures & Rhodes Trust, and others on more than 30 national and global projects. Currently serving as the Diversity-Equity-Inclusion (DEI) Working Group Author at EVN BASIC, a global network of high-potential technical and policy experts, Yerdaulet’s work focuses on advancing inclusive nuclear governance in the NPT agenda. Moreover, as a Hungaricum Scholar at Ludovika – University of Public Service in Budapest, Hungary, Yerdaulet leads a research project centered on AI governance and safety.

Susan Lemont – Extinction Rebellion

For the past 4 years, Susan Lemont has worked with Extinction Rebellion Boston as a climate activist. She is often a spokesperson for the group and collaborates with the Media and Messaging group. Susan also participates in the chapter’s Red Rebel Brigade. Previously, she worked in cancer research as an information systems manager.