Jerry Jacka

Jerry Jacka is a Professor of Environmental Anthropology at the University of Colorado (PhD, University of Oregon, 2003). His research focuses on socio-ecological resilience, mining impacts, and climate change adaptation in Papua New Guinea and the American West. He explores how communities respond to environmental hazards and resource extraction disruptions through ethnographic studies in Porgera Valley and Colorado’s abandoned mining regions.

Teaching includes courses on environmental anthropology, socio-economic development, and mining’s anthropological dimensions. His book *Alchemy in the Rain Forest* (2015) analyzes Papua New Guinea mining’s socio-ecological consequences. Recent work examines green technologies’ mineral demands and legacy mine pollution in the U.S. West. His research emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to resource governance and environmental justice.

Key publications address mining communities’ resilience, climate change adaptation, and resource conflict dynamics. He advises graduate students in global environmental anthropology projects, prioritizing environmental themes. Current projects investigate abandoned mine landscapes and their socio-ecological transformations.