The Earth Institute at Columbia University and the School of Continuing Education MSSM Practicum present talk by Ruth DeFries, who “uses images from satellites to track how the world’s demands for food and other resources are changing the planet.  She has worked throughout the tropics, including the Brazilian Amazon, India and other countries, and has developed innovative educational programs in sustainable development.

Prof. DeFries will present her new book “The Big Ratchet: How Humanity Thrives in the Face of Natural Disasters.”  Her new work focuses on how humans used innovation to lead to the civilization we have today and what the lessons of our history could mean for our future.”

“The Earth Institute Practicum is designed to be a broad survey of the applications of frontier research to the practice of sustainable development and environmental policy.

The Practicum is a dynamic forum featuring a different lecture each week by the directors or lead researchers representing various units from across the Earth Institute. Each week the guest lecturer will present the applications of their research and discuss the policy implications.” (Columbia Univeristy)

To RSVP for this event please contact Nathan Rudder at nrudder@ei.columbia.edu.
For more information on Earth Institute education programs, please click EDUCATION.
For more information on the Earth Institute visit earth.columbia.edu.