Sustainable Adaptation

How do we adapt to the rapid global environmental changes that are happening around us? How do we do so in a way that is sustainable, enhancing human and environmental wellbeing, now and in the future? In this course, we will explore these questions through an interdisciplinary lens, drawing from the social sciences, engineering, and public health. We will focus on people's responses to a range of impacts related to global environmental change from sea level rise to extreme weather events. Example responses include changes in fishing practices, taking protective action during wildfires or hurricanes, and migrating to a new location. Often, we will draw case studies from frontline communities, those who experience the "first and worst" of global environmental changes. Through readings, film, and field trips, we will ask what adaptation to global environmental change is, what does it mean to be sustainable, and how can it be sustained.