"The Octopus in the Parking Garage: A Call for Climate Resistance" talk was held in the Boyd Law Building on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 at 12:45 PM

The Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative welcomed to campus author Rob Verchick - a leading climate law scholar who designed and implemented climate-resilience policies in the Obama administration. He holds the Gauthier-St. Martin Chair in Environmental Law at Loyola University New Orleans, is the Frances B. Cashin Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, is a senior fellow in disaster resilience at Tulane University, and serves as president of the Center for Progressive Reform. Verchick is the author of four books and host of the podcast Connect the Dots.

Rob gave a talk on his new book: The Octopus in the Parking Garage: A Call for Climate Resilience. From fire to flood, from pounding heat waves to sea life stranded in a parking garage, Americans are seeing the face of climate breakdown. Cutting carbon pollution helps us avoid the very worst. But for risks we can’t avoid, we have to manage them. That’s especially true for poorer and underserved communities. Best-selling author and climate law expert, Rob Verchick will make the case for “climate resilience”—in our households, in our towns and cities, and in our legal system. Whether paddling through Louisiana’s bayous, hiking among Joshua trees in the Mojave Desert, or diving off Key Largo with citizen scientists working to restore coral reefs, Verchick explores the range of problems we face and the many creative solutions that we can embrace and deploy.

At a Glance

13

Different University of Iowa colleges and units represented in attendance

109

In-Person Attendees

73

Zoom Attendees

sroesler

Welcoming Remarks

Welcoming remarks and introductions will be given by Shannon Roesler at 12:45 pm in the Boyd Law Building. 

Prepared Remarks

Prepared remarks will be given by Rob Verchick at 12:50 PM in the Boyd Law building. 

rob verchick

Rob Verchick's Talk Video Recording