Environmental Studies Knight Distinguished Lecture

Karen C. Seto Frederick C. Hixon Professor of Geography and Urbanization Faculty Director, Hixon Center for Urban Sustainability, Co-Director, Yale Center for Geospatial Solutions, Affiliated faculty, Yale School of Architecture, Yale School of the Environment U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Council on Foreign Relations

Will Urbanization Save or Destroy the Planet? What does the latest science tell us?

Urbanization is one of the biggest megatrends of the 21^st century. It is transforming all aspects of society, including the economy, how and where we live, governance and institutions, and culture and norms. By concentrating people, infrastructure, and activities, urbanization can help save resources and land for nature. However, we will also need significant resources to build and operate future cities. Some estimates suggest that if we built future cities like those in the past, the embodied emissions to construct—not even power—those cities will exceed our remaining carbon budget to stay within 2° C. The expansion of urban areas has also converted prime agricultural land and destroyed biodiversity corridors. Using biodiversity loss, climate change, and food systems as entry points, this talk will discuss the implications of an urbanizing world for the sustainability of the planet.