MSU center explores interaction of people, land, climate

The Center for Global Change and Earth Observations at Michigan State University studies the interrelations among human, land, and climate systems in an international context, as reflected in MSU’s Boldness by Design. Building on existing strength in interdisciplinary approaches to understand the social processes, land use and land cover patterns and processes, and environmental impacts and responses at regional to global scales, the Center addresses the following key science questions:

How are social processes altering and impacting global environmental dynamics? How do these changes, in turn, respond to and affect land and human systems?

The research activities at the Center attempt to identify, understand and model land surface processes; determine and quantify socioeconomic root causes of and responses to global change, and assess human/animal health and ecosystem services.

Center Director Jiaguo Qi and Assistant Professor of Geography Kyle Evered recently co-edited "Environmental Problems of Central Asia and their Economic, Social and Security Impacts," Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Environmental Problems of Central Asia and their Economic, Social and Security Impacts Tashkent, Uzbekistan 1-5 October 2007.

Book available here: http://www.springer.com/environment/environmental+management/book/978-1-4020-8958-9

More about the center here: http://www.globalchange.msu.edu/index.html