Description:
Humankind’s footprint threatens to squash life under its heel. Our impact on the planet cannot be understated. We have thrust Earth into a new geological period, destroyed the majority of the world’s wildlife, razed her forests, and rendered innumerable species extinct. We are expert consumers with no limits to our appetite, it seems. Unless the climate becomes so unstable our own systems break down. This, of course, is what we’re already seeing. Bill Rees, bio-ecologist, ecological economist, and originator of the ecological footprint analysis, joins me to discuss this breakdown—how we got here, where we’re going, and why he has little hope for humankind to make it through. We discuss systems change, potential outcomes, and how to create “lifeboats” in a crisis. We also go head-to-head on the framing of some of these issues before finding common ground towards the end of the episode.
9 Comments
7 more comments...No posts
Rachel seems to think the majority of people (other than those in power) want what she and Rees are talking about. That is clearly not so; just try talking with friends, family, neighbors etc about overshoot or rationing.
I was rather turned off by how rude Rachel was to Bill. Bill as always was his graceful, calm self. He's one of few people who make any sense to me, so I always appreciate it whenever he does interviews.