Contemporary Urbanization: Problem or Panacea for the Planet?
This honorary lecture is part of the yearlong celebration of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences 125th anniversary. Learn more about the 125th anniversary.
About the talk
Urbanization is one of the biggest megatrends transforming societies and Earth’s biosphere. This talk will examine some key urbanization trends and their implications for sustainability, including impacts on climate change, diets, and croplands.
About the speaker
Karen Seto is the Frederick C. Hixon Professor of Geography and Urbanization Science at the Yale School of the Environment. An urban and land change scientist, she is one of the world's leading experts on contemporary urbanization and global environmental change. Her central research focus is how urbanization will affect the planet. A geographer by training, she integrates remote sensing, field interviews, and modeling methods to study urbanization and land change, future urban land expansion, and the environmental consequences of urbanization at scale. Her research has generated new knowledge on the links between urbanization and food systems, the effects of urban expansion on biodiversity and cropland loss, urban energy use and emissions, and urban mitigation of climate change. Professor Seto is a Coordinating Lead Author for the urban mitigation chapter for the IPCC 5th and 6th Assessment Reports. She is an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Suggested readings
- Projecting global urban land expansion and heat island intensification through 2050
- Carbon Lock-In: Types, Causes, and Policy Implications
- Hidden linkages between urbanization and food systems