Geography

Not the End of the World: Challenging Cultural Narratives About Climate Change

Dr. A. Scott Denning

Visiting Professor of Climate Science, Yale School of the Environment

People are storytellers and story-listeners, and the stories we tell one another about climate change have become a huge impediment to actually achieving sustainability. Framing climate stories about fear and blame, guilt and shame, or environmental benefits vs economic prosperity are dominant in many cultures yet have been pretty ineffective in motivating change on the scale that’s required to meet stated international policy goals.

My own experience in teaching undergrads about climate change for 20 years has been that the majority of my students have moved on from struggling with understanding mechanisms and impacts to fear, anger, and trauma. I will argue that prevailing cultural and academic narratives contribute to policy paralysis and are based on irrational and inaccurate perceptions. I will argue for a rational and resilient framing that can help students cope and activate rather than withdraw in despair.

Connecticut GIS DAY 2024 🦃

Registration is required to attend. So, if you have yet to fill out the application, please take a moment to do so:  Event Registration Link

• Date – November 21st, 2024
• Location – Mohegan Sun, 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard, Uncasville, CT 06382
  • Rooms: Uncas Ballroom
• Time: 8:30am – 5:00pm

Tentative Schedule

• 8:30am-9:00am Networking
• 9:00am-9:20am Welcome / Blessing
• 9:20am-9:30am Break
• 9:30am-10:30am Keynote
• 10:35am-12:00pm Concurrent Sessions
• 12:00pm-1:00pm Lunch / GeoJeopardy
• 1:05pm-1:55pm Concurrent Sessions
• 1:55pm-2:05pm Coffee Break
• 2:05pm-2:55pm Concurrent Sessions
• 2:55pm-3:05pm Closing Track Discussions
• 3:05pm-4:00pm Scavenger Hunt
• 4:00pm-5:00pm Mappy Hour (Game On)

Connecticut GIS Network Discord. Engage with your community on GIS Day. Comments will be occurring live on the day of through discord. Also, a forum to discuss GIS topics with your peers.

“Climate Change, Migration, and Inequality”

Filiz Garip (Princeton University)

There are over 10 million Mexican migrants in the United States; about half are undocumented. This work connects the historical mobility patterns to the United States extreme weather conditions in Mexico. The analysis combines predictive machine learning tools with mechanism-based statistical models. The results show that combination and sequencing of droughts are critical to all aspects of the migration process: who migrates, whether migrants use clandestine channels to cross, and when they return to Mexico.

Lunch will be served:

1. Buffalo Chicken Wrap (buffalo chicken, chopped romaine, and shredded carrots with ranch dressing)
2. The Riviera (turkey, brie cheese & thinly sliced granny smith apple with lettuce & cranberry mayonnaise on a croissant)
3. Roasted Vegetable Stack Sandwich (grilled portabella mushroom, roasted red pepper, caramelized onion and other seasonal grilled vegetables topped with a balsamic glaze, served on a brioche roll)
4. Chick Pea Salad Wrap (chick peas, dill, parsley and celery tossed with vegan mayonnaise, served with lettuce, tomato in an herb wrap)
5. Potato salad
6. Cookies & mini brownies
7. Soda and water