portsmouth new hampshire

Facing the Ocean: Past, Present, and Futures

July 28, 2021

Join us for a panel discussion featuring Jennifer Brewer and Katherine Duderstadt from the University of New Hampshire in conversation with Steven Mentz from St. John’s University. Human settlements have faced the ocean since prehistory and will continue into the future. This panel will explore how ideas about the human relationship with coastlines and oceans span theories of planetary formation to science fiction speculations.

As New England communities start to implement strategies to adapt to climate change, how do we reserve the space for the voices and values of future generations? In this discussion, we’ll question the role of visionary and century-scale thinking in preparing communities for rapid response to uncertain futures — particularly when considering urbanization, in-migration, and transformative paradigms in science and society.

Presenters