Geography 2050:
Mounting an Expedition to the Future

Geography 2050 is a multi-year strategic dialog about the vital trends that will reshape the geography of our planet by 2050. The world of 2050 will be radically different. It is not at all clear how we will get there from here or how we should navigate through the uncharted waters of the future. Climate change, urbanization, rapid expansion of the Internet and the availability and use of information, the continued evolution of human identity, and changing modes of commerce, cooperation, and conflict from local to global scales are just some of the many trends influencing the future. Each poses many challenges and opportunities for how we perceive and shape our world’s geography now and in coming decades.

To help lay the foundation for exploring these local, regional and global challenges—and the investments in technology, data, laws, policies, and capacities needed to improve our ability to navigate through them—the American Geographical Society collaborated with the Earth Institute, Columbia University to organize an “Expedition to the Future.”

Welcome

Speaker

Dr. Chris Tucker (Councilor, American Geographical Society)

Geography’s Future

Speaker

Dr. Jerome Dobson (President, American Geographical Society)

Population

Speaker

Prof. Deborah Balk (Associate Director, CUNY Institute for Demographic Research)

Identity

Speaker

Prof. Alexander Murphy (Professor, University of Oregon)

Health and Well-Being

Speaker

Ms. Margaret Elizabeth Kruk (Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management, Columbia University)

Climate

Speaker

Dr. D. James Baker (Director, Global Carbon Measurement Program, William J. Clinton Foundation)

Risk

Speaker

Mr. Francis Ghesquiere (Head of Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, World Bank)