USC

SSI Brown Bag / Earth Day Celebration: The Spatial Economics, Ecology and Engineering of Natural Coastal Defenses

April 20, 2021 @ 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
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Join the Spatial Sciences Institute in celebration of Earth Day 2021

Michael W. Beck, Ph.D.

AXA Chair in Coastal Resilience, Research Professor in the Institute of Marine Sciences, and Adjunct Professor in Ocean Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz

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National budgets are increasingly stretched in response to disasters and climate change. Most of these funds are destined for artificial solutions that further degrade ecosystems. In this talk, I will describe our work to rigorously value the natural defense benefits of coastal habitats and to create openings for new investments in conservation and restoration. With some disaster ju-jitsu we can turn a grave threat to nature in to an opportunity to save it.

Professor Michael W. Beck is the AXA Chair in Coastal Resilience, Research Professor in the Institute of Marine Sciences, and Adjunct Professor in Ocean Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Mike aims to reduce risks to people, property and nature in his work across science, policy and practice. Mike served for 20 years as Lead Marine Scientist at The Nature Conservancy. He has advised government agencies in the US, Germany, UK, EU, Philippines, Jamaica and Grenada among others.

He has collaborated with many global agencies and companies including the World Bank, AXA XL, Munich Re, Swiss Re, Lloyd’s of London, Risk Management Solutions and Jacobs. Mike has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed scientific papers and numerous op-eds in the NY Times, The Hill and the Miami Herald. He has been a Fulbright Fellow and Pew Marine Conservation Fellow.

You can find more on his work at  https://coastalresilience.ucsc.edu/.



Date/Time
April 20, 2021 @ 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

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