Earth Futures

Is there really “no going back”? The Earth has entered a state of unprecedented change. The world’s landscapes are already responding to transformations in climate, biogeochemistry, land cover, ice and water. Whether the future of the Earth needs to be one of tragedy and destruction or creative possibility or renewal, remains an open question. Professor Robbins will lead an informed discussion on current state debates concerning Earth Futures. Thinking about changing weather and geography allows us to together get both a scientific and emotional grasp on a changing planet.

Professor Paul Robbins is the director of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he guides the institute in serving as a world leader in addressing rapid global environmental change. Professor Robbins is author of the foundational textbook Political Ecology: A Critical Introduction and numerous research articles in publications that address conservation science, social science, and the humanities. His award-winning book Lawn People: How Grasses, Weeds, and Chemicals Make Us Who We Are is widely recognized as one of the most accessible books on the environmental politics of daily life.

Paul Robbins' talk is presented in conjunction with the exhibition, Our Good Earth, on view at MMoCA.