An epoch of our own making is one way to describe it. And as the Anthropocene is set to be formally recognized as a chrono-stratigraphic unit in the next couple of years, scientists, philosophers, engineers and many more are exploring unconventional ways of adapting to this new era.
From terraforming cities to preserve Holocenic conditions, to collaborating with non-human life forms to "re-wild" our planet, to releasing chemicals into the stratosphere to block sunlight, no experiment, it seems, is off limits.
On today's show we'll speak with the visionary thinkers behind these ideas. Are they desperate measures meant for desperate times, a means of starting a conversation about change, or are they viable solutions to one of our species' greatest threats?
GUESTS:
- Jonathon Keats - Conceptual artist and experimental philosopher known for his large-scale thought experiments; creator most recently of the Pioneers of the Greater Holocene
- Naomi Oreskes - Professor of the History of Science at Harvard, a member of the Anthropocene Working Group and author of several books including the upcoming Why Trust Science?
- Nicolas Esposito - Director of the City of Philadelphia's Zero Waste and Litter Cabinet as well as an urban farmer, novelist and founder of The Head and the Hand Press
- Allan Richarz - Writer, privacy lawyer and frequent contributor to City Lab, where you can find his article, “Carefully, Japan Reconsiders the Trash Can"
- Zhen Dai - PhD candidate at Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and member of the Kieth Group working with the SCoPEx research team
