— The —
nature of change
Exploring humanity’s response to an evolving Earth
Life has existed on Earth for at least 3.5 billion years, and in 2019 humans stand firmly at the top of what used to be a more natural order. We may have achieved remarkable societal evolution, but we’ve done so at great cost to our ecology and climate. Now facing rising seas, melting glaciers, and disappearing species and ecosystems, humans have choices to make about the future of the planet.
BY MELEAH MAYNARD (BA '91, POLITICAL SCIENCE)
2
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
ILLUSTRATION: DANTE TERZIGINI
While there is no easy path forward, proponents of change assert that humans must first reconsider our belief that there is a division between us and nature if we’re to achieve a more sustainable future. Three CLA professors share their forward-looking work in the context of two questions: What is our relationship to nature? And how do we make sense of our connection to the physical world as we face the challenges of our changing Earth?
