Join us for the first in a series of special Green Guest Lectures from the School of Geographical Sciences at the University of Bristol. Eminent Professor of Natural Resource Management, Thomas Elmqvist, will be giving this talk as part of Bristol Festival of the Future City. There will be opportunity to ask questions at the end, chaired by Associate Professor Sean Fox, from the School of Geographical Sciences and Cabot Institute for the Environment. 

 

We live in turbulent times - the Anthropocene - where rapid changes are occurring in biophysical conditions such as altered precipitation patterns, drought, flood, wildfire, and pandemics. In the Anthropocene, global urbanization is both a driver of these processes and extremely vulnerable to the risks generated. Managing urbanization in the Anthropocene would need the following questions to be addressed:

• Does global urbanization result in diversification or simplification of the intertwined system of people and planet?
• Is the increasing connectivity of cities becoming a force on its own in governing human affairs and in shaping the biosphere?
• What is the role of connectivity in urban resilience, is over-connectivity causing new types of vulnerabilities?

About Thomas Elmqvist

Thomas is a professor at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University. His research is focused on urbanization, urban ecosystem services, land use change, natural disturbances and components of resilience including the role of social institutions. He has led and coordinated several major international interdisciplinary research projects, such as the UN-initiated global project “Cities and Biodiversity Outlook” and the Future Earth Project “Urban Planet” He currently serves as Editor in chief for the Nature Research journal “npj Urban Sustainability” and as associated editor for the journals Sustainability Science, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. He has published over 100 papers, 30 books and book chapters and received the Biodiversa prize 2018 for “Excellence in science and impact” and the Ecological Society of America 2019 prize for best paper in “Sustainability Science”.

This event is free to attend and open to all.

 

 

This event is supported by Bristol Festival of Ideas and Cabot Institute for the Environment.