The fate of the planet may rest on whether increased cooperation or conflict dominates in the next few decades as we respond to pressures brought by a changing climate. Will we see cooperative measures aimed at mitigation and adaptation or violent conflict magnifying environmental disruptions and degrading global governance and markets? By 2050, will the nations of the world be working together collaboratively to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations, share innovations in climate adaptation, and address inequities and humanitarian emergencies? Or will they be vying for control over highly stressed natural resources, hardening their borders and restricting trade and mobility, withdrawing from global agreements, and spending more on militaries than on climate solutions? What will the future geography of cooperation and conflict look like around the globe? What are the implications of these contrasting scenarios, and are there key inflection points or hotspots that may be critical in determining future directions and outcomes?

For the tenth anniversary of the American Geographical Society’s (AGS) annual Fall Symposium, AGS and the Columbia Climate School (CCS) will bring together leading practitioners and thinkers from government, industry, academia, and the non-profit world to discuss how cooperation and conflict will impact a changing climate. Understanding geography and using geospatial technology will be essential to map out the divergent paths forward.