CCOUC Participates in University of Oxford Workshop on Ethics and Preparedness for Uncertain Futures

The Collaborating Centre for Oxford University and CUHK for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response (CCOUC) participated in the workshop “Prepping for After the End: What Ethics Should We Carry with Us?”, held from 6 to 9 July 2026 and organised by the AFTER THE END project at the University of Oxford, involving the Ethox Centre. Dr Chunlan Guo and Caroline Dubois represented CCOUC at this interdisciplinary gathering, which brought together scholars from architecture, business, geography, public health, nuclear policy and other fields to explore the ethical and practical challenges of preparing for uncertain, disrupted or potentially catastrophic futures.

The workshop examined the concept of living in the “pre-end” moment and considered how societies might prepare for major disruptions while preserving ethical values, collective memory and hope. Professor Patricia Kingori from the University of Oxford introduced the workshop, followed by presentations addressing different dimensions of preparedness. Kezia Barker from Liverpool John Moores University explored the relationship between precarity, prophecy and survival imaginaries, while Lewis Ziska from Columbia University discussed the implications of climate change and rising carbon dioxide levels for food systems and plants.

Other sessions examined long-term and emerging challenges, including the regulation of longevity technologies, deep time, nuclear decommissioning and collective memory. Presentations by Jake Hecla from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Melodie Yashar from the University of California, Los Angeles, further explored preparedness for radioactive environments and the development of habitats beyond Earth, including the Moon and Mars.

Through participation in these discussions, CCOUC engaged with international scholars on the ethical dimensions of preparedness and the values that should guide decisions before, during and after major crises. The workshop highlighted the importance of integrating interdisciplinary perspectives, humanitarian ethics and long-term thinking into disaster risk management and resilience building.