In 2019 a discombobulated octopus floated up through a drainage pipe into a Miami parking garage. Of course, a meme was born, and the punchlines flew. But it happened because every year, coastal waters are creeping further inland as the planet warms.
Loyola University’s Rob Verchick is a leading climate law scholar who designed and implemented climate-resilience policies in the Obama administration. He’s steeped in the wisdom of realistic mitigation for the coming collapse; he sees in the tale of the octopus the key issues of meeting climate change where it is. How do we adapt? How do we prepare for new conditions, even as we address the damage already done? And particularly, how do we level the field, when global warming disproportionately affects those of lower income and social rank?
In this latest installment of our Changing Planet series, Kepler’s Literary Foundation welcomes Professor Verchick to share his hard-earned wisdom—from surviving Hurricane Katrina, to conducting analyses in the least-friendly environmental conditions—and to answer your questions on these urgent issues. Join us for this conversation threaded through with both pragmatism and optimism.
Masks are required for everyone over the age of 2 years old and must be worn at all times in the venue, and throughout the duration of the event.