Intervening to try to mitigate the negative effects of the human interventions of the past.
Jul 3
100 Objects #7: The Otis Pamphlet
Before the Declaration of Independence was even a twinkle in the founding fathers' eyes, there was James Otis. Journalist Jack Hitt returns to tell the wild, tragic story of America’s forgotten proto-founding father and his inflammatory 1764 pamphlet. A story that is, in many way ... Show More
37m 26s
Jun 30
Transatlantic Fiber-Optic Expialidocious
Before the internet went global, one undersea gamble made it possible. Jane Ruffino’s story, "Say Goodbye to the Undersea Cable That Made the Global Internet Possible," appears in the May-June issue of Wired magazine. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 9 ... Show More
31m 56s
Aug 2019
You 2.0: Our Better Nature
<p>If you live in a big city, you may have noticed new buildings popping up — a high-rise here, a skyscraper there. The concrete jungles that we've built over the past century have allowed millions of us to live in close proximity, and modern economies to flourish. But what have ... Show More
25 m
Apr 2016
Episode 27: Losing Alaska
<p>Human beings would be better at fighting climate change if we weren't so, well, human. In this episode, we explore the psychological barriers to addressing climate change.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.c ... Show More
23m 2s
Aug 2019
Nature Red in Tooth and Claw
"For several centuries", writes Rebecca Stott, "the dominant Western version of Nature has been Mother Nature, benevolent, ever-giving, nurturing, bountiful and compliant". This was later replaced by a less compliant and benevolent image....but we've always perpetuated an idea of ... Show More
9m 28s
Mar 2023
Volcanoes & nuclear armageddon: humanity’s long relationship with nature
For thousands of years, humans have been in thrall to climate – it has dictated the crops we grow, the water we drink and even the diseases to which we might succumb. Rhiannon Davies speaks to Peter Frankopan about his new book that examines this crucial relationship, The Earth T ... Show More
38m 53s
Oct 2025
Extinction, Fast and Slow
One of the difficulties in thinking about extinction, as Lorraine Daston argued in her recent review of Vanished by Sadiah Qureshi, is ‘the challenge of scale: the mismatch between our decades and centuries and the Earth’s epochs and aeons’. Lorraine joins Tom to explore the ways ... Show More
38m 45s