CBH Talk | Building Postcarbon Futures

In honor of Climate Week, join us for a conversation about what it will take to build a more just and sustainable future. 

As the impacts of climate change intensify, the question is no longer whether we must transform the systems that power our lives, it is how. In July 2025, the International Court of Justice issued a landmark advisory opinion affirming that nations have a legal obligation to take meaningful action to address climate change, particularly industrialized nations that have contributed most to the crisis. The ruling underscores an urgent challenge: how can we build a postcarbon future that not only reduces emissions, but also creates more just, equitable, and resilient communities?

This conversation takes inspiration from Billy Fleming’s new book, Building Postcarbon Futures: Land, Justice, and Energy Transitions, which highlights 29 innovative climate justice projects from around the world. From Indigenous-led wildfire management in Australia and geothermal energy development in British Columbia to social housing initiatives in São Paulo, these case studies illustrate how communities are reimagining the relationship between people, land, energy, and the built environment.

Drawing on these examples, Fleming joins leading voices in climate policy, architecture, planning, and law including Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, Daniel Aldana Cohen, and Keller Easterling, to explore what it will take to create a more sustainable and equitable future. Together, they’ll examine how the decisions we make today, from infrastructure investments to land use and energy policy, can help address the climate crisis while advancing environmental justice for generations to come.

^{Above image: The ‘Cantinho do Céu’ urbanization project in  São Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Daniel Ducci, courtesy Billy Fleming.} 

^{Building Postcarbon Futures: Land, Justice, and Energy Transitions is by Billy Fleming, edited by Jennifer Sigler, designed by Cristian Ordóñez. 480 pages. Published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Distributed by Columbia University Press.}

This program is presented in partnership with The Architectural League as part of their Architecture, Planning and International Law series, and the Climate and Community Institute.