Ruth DeFries

Ruth DeFries is the Denning Family University Professor of Sustainable Development at Columbia University. Her research examines land use changes in the tropics and how it affects climate, biodiversity, and other ecosystem services, particularly in central India. DeFries is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and received a MacArthur “genius” award among other honors. Her books for popular audiences are The Big Ratchet: How Humanity Thrives in the Face of Natural Crisis and What Would Nature Do? A Guide for Our Uncertain Times, which is featured in her recent Rorotoko interview.