Emergence Magazine Podcast Thirty Years – Annabel Howard
Sep 9, 2025
Annabel Howard, an art historian and writer, explores the haunting possibilities of food scarcity in the coming decades. She intertwines personal anecdotes—like pruning dandelions with her child—with deep philosophical questions about the apocalypse. Drawing inspiration from Botticelli’s Mystical Nativity, Annabel discusses how endings can lead to new beginnings, emphasizing the need to rethink our relationship with nature. Her reflections challenge us to confront the uncertainty of our times while finding beauty in cycles of destruction and renewal.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Putting A Full Stop On The Infinite
- Imagining a fixed end to harvests lets us bracket an otherwise boundless future.
- Annabel Howard argues this act of imagination gives a kind of certainty amid ecological chaos.
Family Moment With The 30‑Year Claim
- Annabel recounts telling a partner the UN's 30-year harvest estimate and watching his immediate denial.
- The story shows how people seek certitude and react defensively to bleak projections.
Symbolic Acts Aren't Enough
- Small acts like 'feeding dandelions to bees' reveal larger ignorance and misplaced comfort.
- Howard uses these gestures to question whether symbolic acts truly address ecological decline.