North: The Future of Post-Climate America. Book Talk with Jesse M. Keenan

Climate change is already influencing how and where people live.

Jesse M. Keenan discusses his new book, North: The Future of Post-Climate America (Oxford University Press), which explores how climate change is shaping the physical and demographic future of the United States. North documents a new era marked by shifts in population that are transforming everything from the physical landscape of cities to electoral politics. At the dawning of this post-climate era, emergent geographies of risk and opportunity are coming into focus as a consequence of both physical climate impacts and the adaptations of market economies.

North offers a critical reframing of adaptation science and the role that people, markets, and public institutions play in shaping human mobility and the capacity of American communities to adapt. With fast-moving markets and slow-moving governments, everyday people are caught in the crosshairs. While some will seek to preserve the status quo, others will relocate from places that are increasingly uninhabitable, too risky, or too expensive for permanent settlement. As the era of Sun Belt migration comes to an end and climate impacts accelerate, everything from local relocations to transcontinental climate migrations are already well underway.

At the same time, new geographies of opportunity are receiving zones for those who are seeking a more sustainable and less precarious way of life. North is not just a collection of scientific observations and projections about America's future in the face of climate change. It is also a projection of optimism about America’s capacity for decarbonization, environmental stewardship, and population mobility.

Climate change is already influencing how and where people live.

Jesse M. Keenan discusses his new book, North: The Future of Post-Climate America (Oxford University Press), which explores how climate change is shaping the physical and demographic future of the United States. North documents a new era marked by shifts in population that are transforming everything from the physical landscape of cities to electoral politics. At the dawning of this post-climate era, emergent geographies of risk and opportunity are coming into focus as a consequence of both physical climate impacts and the adaptations of market economies.

North offers a critical reframing of adaptation science and the role that people, markets, and public institutions play in shaping human mobility and the capacity of American communities to adapt. With fast-moving markets and slow-moving governments, everyday people are caught in the crosshairs. While some will seek to preserve the status quo, others will relocate from places that are increasingly uninhabitable, too risky, or too expensive for permanent settlement. As the era of Sun Belt migration comes to an end and climate impacts accelerate, everything from local relocations to transcontinental climate migrations are already well underway.

At the same time, new geographies of opportunity are receiving zones for those who are seeking a more sustainable and less precarious way of life. North is not just a collection of scientific observations and projections about America's future in the face of climate change. It is also a projection of optimism about America’s capacity for decarbonization, environmental stewardship, and population mobility.

This event will also be live streamed - more details coming soon.