A new school dedicated to the future of the planet’s largest biome The Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory may be headquartered in the most biologically diverse desert in the world — the Sonoran Desert — but we are still part of a planet with a surface that is 70% water. We cannot develop a comprehensive picture of our planet and its health without understanding its oceans. Oceans play a vital role in the dynamics of Earth’s systems and provide critical services. They store about 90% of the heat produced by increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere and sequester CO2 produced by burning fossil fuels, as well as providing ecosystem services, food, transportation, commerce routes, raw materials, employment and recreational opportunities. There is no thriving future without a thriving ocean. Humanity has always intuitively known that as go the oceans, so goes societal health. To meet this challenge, the Global Futures Laboratory has launched the School of Ocean Futures as an integral part of its College of Global Futures. Scientists and scholars in the school will serve local and global communities through exploration, discovery and knowledge development at the intersection of oceans and society, along with the development of educational programs. Research programs are currently underway and educational degree programs are expected to launch in fall 2024.
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