Do We Need Geoengineers To Save Us? | with Thomas Kostigen | PODCAST #5

Earth Ideas

English - September 09, 2020 08:30 - 54 minutes - 124 MB
Education Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

Previous Episode: Bees - experiencing their world | with Dr Jeri Wright | PODCAST #4

Next Episode: Elephant Intelligence & Behaviour | with Dr Lisa Yon | PODCAST #6

Thomas Kostigen is an environmental journalist and author of over 10 books on environmental issues. His latest, 'Hacking Earth', the informant of this episode, is a global tour of geoengineering research & technologies (big & small, futuristic & already happening) that might be our only means of survival on this planet as humans continue to destroy ecosystems and warm it over 1.5C.

We talked about levels and growth of engineering over the millenia of human civilisation, examples of some low-risk and some more extreme technologies and where & how they're being tested and implemented. We then talked about the players involved - scientists, politicians, activists - and what international agreements and movements are taking place. As of 2020, we have 9 years before UN predicts irreversible change and collapse of ecosystems - are these techs our last shot?

0:00 Intro to Thomas & Hacking Earth

5:58 What IS Geoengineering?

9:41 Millenia & levels of Geoengineering

13:12 Comparing to today's other challenges

15:43 Analog to extreme techs

18:37 Biomimicry

22:48 Masdar City: City Of The Future

28:48 Creating a community around tech

31:18 How to 'bring people in'?

35:10 Industry, politics or people?

39:04 International agreements

45:16 AI, testing & modelling

50:21 9 years left to change our path

This is a series of in-depth conversations with fascinating people, with loads to say about the current state of the world, everything that came before us, and everything that could be still to come.

You can also WATCH this episode on Youtube at: https://youtu.be/EJiS38j7x5w

SHARE SUBSCRIBE!

If you found this episode valuable, please support me with caffeine to keep them coming https://www.buymeacoffee.com/lauramahler :)

Thomas's book:

Hacking Earth: HOW GEOENGINEERING CAN HELP US REIMAGINE THE FUTURE https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/589023/hacking-planet-earth-by-thomas-m-kostigen/

Laura's Socials:

https://twitter.com/ideas_earth

https://www.instagram.com/earthideas.podcast/

https://www.instagram.com/laura.mahler

https://www.instagram.com/filmthechange