New Books in Science, Technology, and Society Charles G. Curtin, "Place-Based Solutions: The Power of Regenerative Thinking in the Face of Crisis" (JHU Press, 2026)
Mar 19, 2026
Charles G. Curtin, author and conservation scientist focused on place-based, regenerative climate strategies. He talks about prosilience as moving beyond resilience. He explores adaptive cycles, turning disruption into co-creation, and using carbon finance and biochar to fund restoration. He emphasizes power dynamics, local incentives, and the messy middle of long-term collaboration.
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Prosilience Means Planning To Move Forward
- Prosilience reframes resilience by assuming systems can't return to a prior state and must instead design to move forward amid novel futures.
- Curtin argues resilience's 'spring back' root is outdated given global thresholds, so planning must emphasize forward-looking adaptive strategies.
Adaptive Cycle Explains Why Mature Systems Become Brittle
- Holling's adaptive cycle shows mature systems bind resources and become brittle, increasing catastrophic failure risk.
- Curtin uses New Orleans' flood-control analogy to show tighter control reduces frequent disturbance but amplifies severity when breakdowns occur.
Use Disruption To Reconfigure Landscapes
- Use environmental disruption as an opportunity to reconfigure landscapes and social systems rather than try to restore a past status quo.
- Curtin cites wildfire-created federal funds and carbon markets as windows to fund ecosystem restoration and revive traditional grazing livelihoods.
