North: The Future of Post-Climate America by Dr. Jesse Keenan

The Climate and Urban Sustainability Program (CUSP), directed by Dr. Richard Matthew and UC Irvine Climate Collaboration, led by Dr. Brett Sanders invite you to a timely book talk with leading climate adaptation scholar Dr. Jesse Keenan.

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.

As markets respond quickly and governments lag behind, individuals and communities face difficult choices. Some will attempt to preserve the status quo, while others will relocate from places that are increasingly uninhabitable, too risky, or too expensive. With the era of Sun Belt migration slowing and climate impacts accelerating, new patterns of mobility (from local displacement to transcontinental migration_ are already underway.

At the same time, new geographies of opportunity are emerging, attracting those seeking more sustainable and less precarious futures. North is not only a rigorous examination of climate risk and migration, but also a hopeful vision of America’s capacity for decarbonization, environmental stewardship and economic mobility.

The discussion will explore how shifting climates are transforming the physical, economic, and demographic landscape of the United States - reshaping cities, markets and even electoral politics.

In North: The Future of Post-Climate America (Oxfort University Press), Keenan argues that the United States is entering a new era of climate-driven population shifts. As environmental risks, rising costs, and infrastructure pressures reshape communities, some regions face increasing vulnerability while others emerge as new centers of opportunity.

The book offers both a clear-eyed assessment of climate migration and a hopeful vision of how adaptation, planning, and innovation can support more resilient and sustainable futures.

Jesse M. Keenan is the Favrot II Associate Professor of Sustainable Real Estate and Urban Planning at Tulane University and Director of its Center on Climate Change and Urbanism. His work focuses on climate adaptation, infrastructure, housing, and urban resilience. He has advised governments, Fortune 500 companies, and international organizations on climate risk and urban transformation.

https://www.keenanclimate.com/

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