Speakers

Dr. Puma is currently the Director of the Center for Climate Systems Research, part of the Columbia Climate School at Columbia University, which is co-located with the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies.  The center has over 40 scientists and staff working closely with NASA on climate science, exoplanets, and climate-impact research.  

His research is focused on global food security, hydro-climatology, and human migration, and he has been funded by a variety of institutions including NASA, the National Science Foundation, the European Commission, the US Department of Defense, DARPA, and the United Nations Development Programme. He is especially interested in understanding the sensitivity of complex socioeconomic systems to non-predictable extremes including megadroughts, volcanic eruptions, conflict, and both governmental and market failures.

He is currently leading multiple efforts to understand food insecurity around the world with a particular focus on international trade disruptions.  Additionally, he is working to advance theories and quantitative modeling of human migration, especially as driven by food insecurity.

Talk: Strategically transforming food systems for robustness and resilience

Abstract: The challenges to food security in today's world are vast, driven by factors such as climate change, conflict, population dynamics, resource constraints, and socio-economic disparities. There is a growing consensus among international institutions, academia, and certain non-governmental organizations that there's an urgent need for “rapid and radical” changes to our food system. However, these challenges demand not just transformations but also well-thought-out strategies and approaches.

Past endeavors have shown that hasty, naive interventions can exacerbate the problems they aim to address, sometimes leading to even more complex challenges. It's imperative to recognize the intricacies and potential pitfalls when considering significant changes to our food systems. Strategic transformation requires a thorough understanding of these complexities. By leveraging modern tools from network science, dynamic systems analysis, among others, we can gain invaluable insights. These analytical tools offer ways to forecast the outcomes of various proposed changes, helping stakeholders decide which innovations deserve widespread adoption.

While our primary objective is to ensure a well-nourished global populace, it's pivotal to emphasize that we should not focus on population trends. Instead, our commitment is to guarantee that every individual, regardless of global demographics, has reliable access to quality food. Navigating the path ahead calls for both urgency and thoughtful planning. Proper governance and well-crafted policies are vital to steer us towards a robust and resilient food system. By balancing urgency with strategy, we can ensure our efforts to transform are both effective and beneficial, laying the foundation for a hunger-free world.

« Go Back