Generation Anthropocene

The tone around conservation is often pretty heavy and it’s hard not to feel a sense of despair. But maybe there are opportunities in the world of conservation that we are not fully taking into account. The truth is, organisms and ecosystems have built-in defense mechanisms to respond to rapid change that might just be the secret to combatting the negative effects of the Anthropocene. In his new book, The Rescue Effect, author Michael Webster explores the many ways in which nature is responding to disruption. And what he details has big implications for how we think about evolution and how we conserve and protect species. This episode is sponsored by Magic Mind: Try it today by going to https://www.magicmind.co/genanthro and use my code “GENANTHRO20" for 20% off all orders and for a limited time 40% off a subscription! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As a species, our intelligence is probably the single most important quality that sets us apart from every other organism that has ever lived. But it’s not so much our abilities as individuals, but rather it’s our collective and accumulated knowledge. All of the drivers of the Anthropocene are only possible because of our capacity to transfer knowledge down through generations. So when exactly did that process begin? When did we start to behave in a way that was fundamentally “human,” and can we shine light on the process of intergenerational knowledge transfer? Professor April Nowell is a cognitive archeologist at the University of Victoria who studies the lives of Ice Age children. In this conversation she helps us hone in on some of the key moments in the deep past where humans started acting in a fundamentally new way, and began to set the stage for growing into a geologic force. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On today’s episode we’re bringing you something special and a little different: A science fiction short story. It’s weird, and cool, and is, in a way, very much about the Anthropocene. Anyway, it’s fun! Written and sound designed by Brandon Buerk with help from Jackson Roach, and read by Nick Weiler. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Support us on www.patreon.com/genanthro It's hard to avoid the sense of despair that surrounds the story of climate change – and for that matter the story of the Anthropocene. It can all feel so hopeless. So, who is responsible for the weight of these feelings? What responsibility lies with the scientists and journalists who are bringing us the hard truth? Elizabeth Kolbert is one of the premier science journalists living today, and in this conversation she confronts that question head on. And, of couse, we also talk about the Anthropocene. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Find merch and support the show through our Patreon: https://patreon.com/genanthro With his landmark book, The End of Nature, Bill McKibben was one of the first journalists to start writing about climate change for a mass audience. He's since become one of the most prominent American environmentalists of our time. With his most recent endeavor, Third Act, he's trying to mobilize the older generation that drove the political and social change of the 1960s. This episode, published on Earth Day 2022, marks the 10 year anniversary of Generation Anthropocene. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It's sometimes hard to square Darwinian evolution with the major religions of the world. According to Professor Bron Taylor, if you take our current scientific understanding of biological interconnectedness, and combine it with the reality of the global environmental crises, what you get is a whole new spirituality that is taking shape before our eyes. He has a term for this emerging phenomenon: Dark Green Religion. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Humans have been shaping the course of evolution for a long time, but with today's gene editing technologies our power to determine the fate of life on Earth is reaching new levels. With the extinction crisis looming, should we use these new editing tools to rescue threatened organisms? Are we playing god? In her new book, Life As We Made It, Beth Shapiro helps us understand our long history exerting evolutionary pressure, the state of the science, and the ethical questions confronting conservationists today. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens to Earth's biology when we heat up the planet? Weird stuff, that's what. For example, everything gets smaller. As in shrinkage. Weird, right? We talk to Jen Sheridan in this conversation about why warming = smaller. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Cows are...a problem. Especially when it comes to global warming. With an assist from Zeke Hausfather, In this installment of our explainer seires we do our best to answer (quickly) why exactly cows and beef are such a big deal. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We all kinda know that the global waste stream is a crazy big problem, but, in terms of just bottom line dollars, most of the time we don’t think about what waste COSTS. So, where might there be big opportunities today to totally rethink everything we throw away? In today’s episode, Ron Gonen answers that question and paints a picture of the past, present, and future of waste in America. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Few things in life are better than savoring delicious food. We all know this to be true today... but we've never stopped to consider just how important flavor-seeking might've been in the distant past. It turns out that the science of flavor can teach us a lot about the story of human evolution, and how we might reign in our rapacious appetites as we confront global environmental change. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

At some point global warming will get so bad that the world will HAVE to take action, right? Well, maybe not. In this conversation with environmental journalist, David Roberts, we dive into the scary reality of shifting baselines syndrome. That's the human tendency to rationalize, normalize, and otherwise brush stuff under the rug. Along the way we drop a bunch of f-bombs, and also have a good chat about hope. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy