Robert Kates

Bob Kates was an independent scholar in Trenton, Maine; Senior Research Associate at Harvard University; Presidential Professor of Sustainability Science at the University Of Maine; and University Professor (Emeritus) at Brown University. Trained as a geographer, he led interdisciplinary programs addressing environment and development at the University of Dar as Salaam in Tanzania, Clark University, and the World Hunger Program at Brown University. He was co-chair for the 1999 National Academy of Sciences report, Our Common Journey: A Transition Toward Sustainability and co-convener of the Initiative on Science and Technology for Sustainability. He co-authored or edited foundational studies on natural hazards, climate impact assessment, and transformational adaptation to climate change.

GTI Contributions

Paper Series

Great Transition Values: Present Attitudes, Future Changes

Anthony Leiserowitz, Robert Kates, and Thomas Parris analyze current public attitudes toward the three key values of a Great Transition: quality of life, human solidarity, and ecological sensibility. They discuss how the forces of population growth, globalization, technological innovation, climate change, and—importantly—surprise will influence such values along the path toward a Great Transition future.

Other Key Docs

Great Transition: The Promise and Lure of the Times Ahead

April 2002

Great Transition: The Promise and Lure of the Times Ahead examines the possibilities for a sustainable and desirable world. The essay describes the historic roots, future perils, and alternative pathways for world development and advances the Great Transition path as the preferred route, identifying strategies, global actors, and values for a new agenda.