Ashley Lavalle - Australia in 2050

SUMMARY:
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I was genuinely struck listening to Dr Ashley Lavalle’s talk — a clear, urgent wake-up call about Australia’s future to 2050. Drawing on years of research in politics and public policy, Dr Lavalle maps a world of economic shocks, political upheaval and accelerating climate change, and explains why Australia can’t stay on the sidelines any longer. He discusses rising global tensions, the legacy of the 2008 recession and COVID, the science from recent IPCC leaks about Antarctic and Greenland ice melt, and what a 3–5°C world might mean for our cities, food and energy. He’s frank about the limited action so far from Australian governments, questions the adequacy of schemes like emissions trading, and connects these crises to broader shifts in social democracy, radical politics and family politics. This is essential viewing for students, activists and anyone thinking about what kind of country Australia will be in 2050 — unsettling but galvanising. If you care about our future, this talk will make you want to act.

RUMBLE DESCRIPTION:
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Welcome — this is a full recording of Dr Ashley Lavalle’s lecture on "Australia in 2050". Dr Lavalle (lecturer in politics and public policy and author of books on social democracy and political betrayal) opened by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land and then took us through a wide-ranging, often sobering survey of the political, economic and environmental forces shaping our near future.

What you’ll hear in this talk:
- A global context: post‑2008 recession, COVID, rising geopolitical tensions and recent popular uprisings
- Climate science and urgency: leaked IPCC findings, accelerating Antarctic and Greenland ice melt, and what a several-degree rise could mean for Australia
- Australia’s position: why we have appeared relatively insulated until now, why that may be ending, and critical assessment of current policy responses (including emissions trading and government inaction)
- Political consequences: challenges for social democracy, shifts in radical politics, and the intersection with family and social change
- Practical implications: infrastructure, energy, displacement and democratic choices

This talk is candid and sometimes bleak, but intentionally so — Dr Lavalle argues that understanding the scale of the problem is the first step toward collective action. If you find the lecture useful, please like, comment and share — tell us what parts you want to unpack in a follow‑up. Subscribe for more lectures, Q&A sessions and panel discussions on Australian politics, climate policy and social movements.

Useful for students, researchers, community organisers and anyone thinking seriously about the next thirty years. Timestamped highlights and sources in the pinned comment.

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