The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss
Elizabeth Kolbert: Can human technology solve unintended consequences of human technology
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Using technology to combat environmental issues like invasive species can create new opportunities.
- Innovative approaches like controlled flooding can protect against natural disasters and restore land.
- Success in addressing the ozone layer issue shows the potential of advancing technology for environmental conservation.
- Human ingenuity in the Anthropocene era can help address ecological challenges caused by technological progress.
- Exploring solutions like assisted evolution for coral reefs demonstrates the complex trade-offs and uncertainties involved in environmental conservation.
Deep dives
The Carp Solution
The chapter explores how technology can be used to solve the problem of invasive Asian carp in the Great Lakes by creating a demand for them as a food source.
The New Orleans Challenge
The chapter discusses the engineering challenges faced by New Orleans in dealing with the land-loss crisis and the potential solution of controlled flooding to build land and protect against storm surges.
The Ozone Layer Success
The book highlights the success of technology in solving the problem of the ozone layer depletion by developing alternative solutions and phasing out ozone-depleting chemicals.
The Anthropocene
The concept of the Anthropocene is introduced, exploring the potential for human ingenuity to address the problems caused by technological advancements and the impact of human activities on the environment.
The challenges of climate change on coral reefs and the potential solution of assisted evolution
Assisted evolution, a potential solution for the challenges facing coral reefs, involves breeding and growing heat-tolerant corals. The process includes stressing corals, selecting the toughest ones, and studying their offspring's heat tolerance. While some skeptical of the approach highlight the uncertainty and trade-offs involved, others argue it is a necessary step to bridge the gap until greenhouse gas emissions can be significantly reduced.
The concept of solar geoengineering to combat climate change
Solar geoengineering, also known as solar radiation management, aims to reflect sunlight back into space by injecting reflective particles into the stratosphere. While controversial, this approach has been inspired by the cooling effect observed after volcanic eruptions. Although still theoretical, solar geoengineering offers advantages, such as the potential for individual countries to implement it, but also raises concerns about the uncertainties and possible geopolitical tensions arising from altering regional weather patterns.
The challenges and potential of carbon removal technologies
Carbon removal technologies, such as direct air capture, seek to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While these approaches show potential, they face hurdles like the need for substantial carbon-free energy, large-scale implementation, and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, the efficacy and long-term consequences of these technologies require further research. However, they are still regarded as part of a multifaceted effort to achieve net-zero carbon emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Genetic engineering and the impact of agriculture
Genetic engineering has been practiced since the dawn of human civilization through the domestication of plants and the transition to agriculture. Agricultural practices, while solving the problem of food production and allowing for population growth, have also inadvertently led to unintended consequences such as increased energy consumption. This highlights the importance of understanding and addressing the potential negative impacts of human interventions.
Gene drives and carbon capture
The podcast episode explores the latest advancements in gene editing and carbon capture. Gene drives, made possible by technologies like CRISPR, allow for the manipulation of reproduction and inheritance, offering possibilities to control invasive species and disease-carrying mosquitoes. However, the ethical and social implications of releasing genetically modified organisms into the wild are significant, and community acceptance is a crucial factor to consider. Carbon capture, another area of focus, offers a potential solution to mitigate the effects of climate change. While it presents challenges in terms of scalability and implementation, it is considered a necessary component in models that aim to limit temperature rise.
Note: Due to internet difficulties due to storms in California delaying uploading of the video, the video post of this podcast will be delayed by a few hours. We are thus releasing the audio version now. (Usually these are released at the same time.)
Seven years ago I invited Elizabeth Kolbert to participate in a dialogue about Extinctions at the Orpheum Theater in Phoenix, following the publication of her Pulitzer Prizewinning masterpiece, The Sixth Extinction. Once we began The Origins Podcast, I knew that I wanted to have an in depth discussion with her about her work reporting on science issues, most importantly on climate change and other technological challenges facing modern society. An opportunity arose with the publication of her most recent book, Under a White Sky, which focuses on how scientists, and politicians, have attempted—with with widely varying degrees of success—to address the unintended consequences of various human alterations of terrestrial ecosystems. It is a fascinating book, told, as is typical in her writing, by relating personal experiences as Elizabeth has traveled the world to meet scientists and others spearheading attempts at solving sometimes urgent ecological crises induced as a result of the application of previous human technologies.
Elizabeth writes so clearly about science that I wanted to explore her own journey, from a student focusing on German literature, to one of the pre-eminent science writers in the country, working as a staff writer for The New Yorker Magazine. We had a wide ranging discussion about her own experiences and then moved on to discuss more broadly the issues raised in her most recent books.
Incidentally, the title of her new book comes from the fact that one of the side-effects of solar geoengineering, which I expect will be an inevitable response to climate change in a world where governments and businesses prefer to carry on business as usual in spite of concerns about rising temperatures, sea levels, and other potentially dangerous consequences of increasing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. The effect in question, if aerosols are injected in the upper atmosphere to reduce the intensity of solar radiation impinging on the earth’s surface, will be to cause formerly bright blue skies to instead resemble the whiter skies those who live in big cities are used to. A potentially unfortunate consequence, but perhaps less unfortunate than other potential consequences of global climate change.
The conversation was fantastic. Everything I had hoped for. We went on for over 2 hours, but the time passed quickly because it was so fascinating. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And by the way, if you enjoy this podcast, Elizabeth will be joining the Origins Project Foundation Galapagos Travel Adventure in January of 2024. Reservations will open up at the beginning of April for this exciting trip, with Elizabeth, Frans de Waal, me, and 33 other Origins voyagers. I hope you can join us.
As always, an ad-free video version of this podcast is also available to paid Critical Mass subscribers. Your subscriptions support the non-profit Origins Project Foundation, which produces the podcast. The audio version is available free on the Critical Mass site and on all podcast sites, and the video version will also be available on the Origins Project Youtube channel as well.
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