In this new episode, School of International Service professor Ken Conca joins Big World to discuss climate resiliency in the face of natural disasters.

Conca, a professor in the Department of Environment, Development, and Health, begins our conversation by explaining why he wrote his new book, After the Floods: The Search for Resilience in Ellicott City (2:19). Conca also discusses the issues that communities face following natural disasters (6:28) and analyzes why prevention and recovery efforts tend to become politicized (7:50).

Do climate havens still exist (10:40)? How do we approach living in such a climate-impacted world (13:07)? Conca answers these questions and discusses the importance of prioritizing the community’s needs when finding solutions for climate change impacts (15:58). Conca concludes our conversation by discussing how communities can learn from previous natural disasters to better prepare for the future (17:08).