An Evening at the Steam Plant: Conspiracy of Cartographers

Join us for a evening of maps, history, and futurecasting with Jeffrey Linn—artist, cartographer, and visionary. Referencing past geographies and projecting them into the future, his work skewers our nostalgia, and reveals what our warming world will look like as CO2 levels continue to rise.

Featured in The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Forbes, Grist, and more, Linn’s work has been celebrated by the late Ursula K. Le Guin and examined by Snopes. Grounded in science but guided by creative vision, his maps challenge us not only to see what’s coming, but to respond and adapt.

Set inside the historic Georgetown Steam Plant—a relic of our fossil-fueled past and a Community HUB in transition for reimagined futures—this gathering invites us to confront the stark realities of climate change through Jeffrey Linn’s acclaimed "petrofuture" maps. With striking clarity and creative force, his work exposes glacial scars, rising tides, inundated cities, and the extractive systems that have helped to shape our present moment in geologic history—and continue to propel us into an uncertain future.

This evening’s conversation builds on the theme of this year’s Georgetown Steam Plant Science Fair, “Break the System.” Linn’s work doesn't just map the future of climate change; it provides us with a blueprint: a call for adaptation and mitigation, economic reform, de-industrialization, and to rewild the lowlands. It challenges us to imagine not collapse, but bold and necessary transformation.

There is still time to act—and still time to redesign our outdated industrial systems. The future isn’t written yet. We can reclaim it by showing up as active participants in a rapidly changing world.

Following Jeffrey Linn’s talk, the conversation shifts from imagining the future to community conversations on actively shaping it—together. These maps aren’t just projections; they’re powerful provocations. The Duwamish River Valley stands at a crossroads, and the choices we make today will define our future.

• How do we prepare for the impacts of climate change and sea-level rise—from infrastructure adaptation to ecological resilience?
• What will our world look like—and what will become of ocean ecosystems—if we fail to act, and rising sea levels inundate industrial infrastructure and the toxic soils they leave behind?
• What will it take to break our dependence on global supply chains and the extractive economy anchored by the Port of Seattle—a critical link in modern consumer culture already under threat from rising seas?
• What steps must we take to accelerate the transition toward climate-resilient, localized circular economies—rooted in regional supply chains and industrial symbiosis?
• How do we deindustrialize flood-prone zones and reimagine them as thriving ecosystems, not sacrifice zones?
• Who will do this work? How do we house, train, and empower the workforce needed to rewild our future?

This is a Watershed Moment—an opportunity to break from the current industrial system and accelerate the next great industrial revolution—a global circular economy.

This is a call for action—a time a great transformation is needed.

Jeffrey Linn will be showcasing his newest PetroFuture maps at this year's Science Fair on September 20-21, 2025. To learn more about this year's Science Fair, please visit: https://www.georgetownsteamplant.org/2025

To learn more about Jeffrey Linn's work, please visit: https://conspiracyofcartographers.com

Doors open at 6:00 PM and will close promptly at 6:30 PM.

The gate will be locked at 6:30 PM. If you arrive and the gate is locked please call 206-422-2086 for assistance. Please plan to arrive on time.

Host or Publisher Georgetown Steam Plant