Erle Ellis
Professor of Geography and Environmental Systems
Erle Ellis is a Professor of Geography and Environmental Systems at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) where he directs the Anthroecology Laboratory. His research investigates the ecology of human landscapes at local to global scales towards informing sustainable stewardship of the Anthropocene biosphere. He teaches environmental science at UMBC and has taught ecology at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. His first book, Anthropocene: A Very Short Introduction, was published in 2018.
Shaping a Better Nature in the Anthropocene
Human societies have gained the capacity to transform an entire planet. Could this unprecedented capacity to shape nature be redirected towards a better future for both people and the rest of nature? This presentation explores the possibility that some of the same social processes that have transformed this planet for the worse could also transform it for the better. Working together, people are a force of nature. The planet we make will reflect the people we are.