Book Talk | North: The Future of Post-Climate America

Climate change is already fundamentally reshaping where and how we live. Join Perry World House for a conversation with Jesse M. Keenan on his new book, North: The Future of Post-Climate America (Oxford University Press).

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.

The discussion will explore how shifting climates are altering the physical and demographic landscape of the United States, creating a new era of migration, market adaptation, and transformed electoral politics.