What’s Really Happening in Climate Desettlement Zones? Residential Relocation, Community Attainment & the Revolving Door of Risk
The Department of Sociology is excited to host Dr. James R. Elliott on April 1 for the final lecture in our 2024-25 Distinguished Speaker Series.
Dr. Elliott, David W. Leebron Professor and Chair of Sociology at Rice University, will present a lecture titled “What’s Really Happening in Climate Desettlement Zones? Residential Relocation, Community Attainment & the Revolving Door of Risk.”
ABSTRACT
Dr. James Elliott
Writers, researchers, and policymakers now assert that millions of North Americans will have to relocate from areas of growing climate risk. In communities across the continent, that relocation is already underway, most notably in government-funded desettlement zones. Yet, we continue to know surprisingly little about how residential retreat from these frontline communities is actually happening. This talk helps fill that gap. It will review related policies, where they are occurring, and how researchers can construct granular, multidimensional datasets to investigate how residents are moving in response to local risks and the policy interventions currently aimed at reducing them. The aim is to ground and sharpen how you think about climate “retreat” and “displacement” more generally in the years ahead.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
James (Jim) Elliott is the David W. Leebron Professor and Chair of Sociology at Rice University. He is also the founding Co-Director of the Center for Coastal Futures and Adaptative Resilience (CFAR).
His current research focuses on the entwining of social inequality, environmental hazards, and climate adaptation. He has served as a program advisor for the US National Science Foundation and as the Co-editor of Sociological Perspectives, the official journal of the Pacific Sociological Association. He is a recent contributor to the US Federal Emergency Management’s Civil Rights Summit on Climate Adaptation as well as to the US National Academies of Sciences’ recent national workshop on the social challenges of tropical cyclones.
His co-authored book Sites Unseen: Uncovering Hidden Hazards in American Cities (with Scott Frickel) won the Robert E. Park Award for best book from the community and urban section of the American Sociological Association.
Find out more about Dr. Elliott here.
RSVP
ACCESSIBILITY
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. To be respectful of those with allergies and environmental sensitivities, we ask that you please refrain from wearing strong fragrances. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact us through the RSVP form or email us at soci.communications@ubc.ca.
