HF12: Climate Havens and the Humanities

Collaborative Goals

In April 2026, we held our initial event, a 2-day symposium at the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology, titled “Climate Havens: Humanistic Perspectives on Resilience, Migration, and Resources Symposium.” The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle covered the symposium in a first-page story, and the 25 speakers explored the rapidly evolving concept of climate havens through historical, philosophical, artistic, literary, and cultural perspectives.

Several of the presenters focused on climate haven initiatives within the context of the Great Lakes and Western New York, and a few scholars from Global South nations participated in the symposium remotely. Based on the presentations, we are now working on an edited volume for publication within the University of Rochester Press’s “Humanities in the World” series.

Moving forward, we seek to hold a follow-up meeting in April 2027 which will expand the participation of scholars from throughout New York State. While cities like Rochester and Buffalo have received extensive news coverage for their progressive climate plans, state officials recognize the need for unified climate resilience planning. We want to ensure that such initiatives focus not only on scientific and policy perspectives, but also approaches central to the humanities. To that end, we look forward to collaborating with a wider geographical range of researchers in New York, with ultimate plans for another publication, either a second edited volume or special journal issue.