The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens Why We Need Forests: Their Vital Role in Climate Dynamics, Rain, and The Biotic Pump with Anastassia Makarieva
10 snips
Sep 10, 2025 Anastassia Makarieva, a Russian atmospheric physicist renowned for her biotic pump theory, discusses the revolutionary idea that forests actively influence rainfall rather than merely receiving it. She highlights the critical role of forests in maintaining ecological balance, challenges conventional climate models, and emphasizes the dangers of deforestation. Makarieva argues for a paradigm shift in our understanding of forests and their irreplaceable role in climate stabilization, urging a deeper connection to nature as vital for humanity's future.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
A Near-Death Moment That Redirected A Career
- Viktor Gorshkov survived a plane bombing and then radically shifted his career to study how ecosystems stabilize themselves.
- That near-death moment inspired his lifelong dedication to biospheric regulation research.
A Physics Origin To Biotic Regulation
- Victor Gorshkov shifted from theoretical physics to study biospheric self-regulation and co-developed the biotic regulation concept.
- That physics foundation underpins their quantitative approach to ecosystem–climate interactions.
Clouds Drive Big Model Disagreements
- Climate models disagree strongly on clouds, producing climate sensitivity estimates from ~2K to ~6K per CO2 doubling.
- This unresolved cloud uncertainty exists even before adding complex forest effects.
