Conevery Valencius, University of Massachusetts Boston
Scientists studying these earthquakes have implicated our recent shale energy revolution, particularly the pressure created by the massive volume of toxic wastewater produced when we use hydraulic fracturing to harvest oil and gas from shale formations. In some states, regulators have restricted the underground injection of wastewater, but other states are taking only limited action or continue to deny the science linking fracking to earthquakes. What can we make of such divergent responses to earthquakes that shake across state lines?
Drawing from research she is undertaking with science journalist Anna Kuchment, historian Conevery Bolton Valencius will introduce the layers of geology and social complexity that link energy production and earthquakes and discuss how the understanding of science and the denial of science are shaped by the rural environments of the American shale boom.
Registration required; open exclusively to Columbia faculty, students, and invited guests. All others wishing to attend, please email [email protected] describing your interest and requesting registration. For more details, please visit the event’s website.
This event is sponsored by Society of Fellows in the Humanities.
