Just published a provocative new article for Platform which is an online portal for sharing knowledge and intelligence on sustainability across Greater Manchester.
I explore this question by beginning at the beginning, with life. But with life comes death, existential anxiety, denial of dependency on nature and narcissistic hubris about our superiority over nature and our ability to transcend natural limits through the application of science and technology.
Drawing on social psychology and environmental philosophy, I argue that it is Manchester’s very history as a pioneering industrial city, as an early adopter of techno-science, that is now holding it back from shifting to a new paradigm and transforming into an eco-city that lives within nature’s limits.
Read my article on Platform here. It has also been published on Resilience.org
cultureprobe 
Really interesting blog. Definitely the case – although Manchester City Council leaders ‘get’ climate change they haven’t been able to shift out of the narrative of growth is good. Instead, we have an uneasy situation where climate change rhetoric sits alongside Chinese-funded airport expansion.
There is also definitely an, ‘independent republic of Mancunia’ thing going on too, like one city can lead the way against a global issue.
It feels that a new narrative is needed, one that links prosperity and security with justice, interconnectedness and sustainability – a non-growth based model that leaders and citizens can buy in to.