Cascading Failures, Compounding Risks, and Social Instability

Droughts, storms, floods, wildfires, heatwaves, and similar weather-related events have been increasing in recent years. These billion-dollar disasters are expected to continue to increase over the next few decades due to climate change, putting stress on infrastructure, institutions, communities, and people. Predictions of future climate change are critical to preparing for impacts. Most planning for future impacts has been based on mid- and lower-end predictions from earth system models, but impacts and implications for society could be much worse under extreme climate change scenarios.

This meeting of the Geographical and Geospatial Sciences Committee will address the implications of these scenarios and the role novel geospatial data sources and analytics can play to improve understanding for basic research, policy, and responses.

At 11.10 am, Luke Kemp will be making a keynote speech on the panel, Extreme Climate Change Scenarios. 

Discussants:

• Diana Liverman - Emeritus Professor of Geography, Development and Environment, University of Arizona (remote)
• Susan Cutter -  Carolina Distinguished Professor and Co-Director of Hazards Vulnerability & Resilience Institute, University of South Carolina (remote)
• Moderator: Kathleen Stewart - Member, Geographical and Geospatial Sciences Committee