On Friday, The United States will officially be back in the Paris Climate Agreement!
*cue appropriate volume of fanfare*
And while in a week where Dallas, Texas is colder than Anchorage, Alaska - our co-host Paul Dickinson takes us on a short list of topics discussing the social cost of carbon recently updated by Joseph Stiglitz and Lord Nicholas Stern to match the severity of the climate crisis, as well as a listener question regarding the unregulated growth and steadily growing emissions of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.
But all of this in context, with the US “still in” as it’s being promoted - We anxiously await the United States’ Nationally Determined Contribution which should be announced anytime between now and late April. Once that number comes through, the race to COP 26 will be at full speed where the very first 5 year check in of global accountability and ambition towards a net-zero 2050 and beyond will happen.
So with the world’s largest economy on track to boost the global coalition of nations dedicated to this collective goal, will we be able to achieve emission reductions fast enough to avoid catastrophe? This week our guest is legendary science fiction writer, Kim Stanley Robinson, whose prolific career includes the international bestselling Mars trilogy, and more recently Red Moon, New York 2140, Aurora, Shaman, Green Earth, and 2312. Stan joins us for an exclusive look into the themes of his latest book: The Ministry for the Future, which offers an unflinching look at what our future may hold even in 2025 if we do not address runaway climate change. Optimistically he says, “We are all living in a science fiction novel we are coauthoring together.”
So, what future will we write?
Sci-Fi Pop Music this week from French duo, Toukan Toukän!
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Thank you to our guest this week, Kim Stanley Robinson.
Grab a copy of his latest book - ‘The Ministry For The Future’
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Our musical guest this week is Toukan Toukän!
Music video for ‘Konowoulen’
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166. No Mud, No Lotuses: The Last Episode of Season 5
165. Moral Imagination, Patient Capital and Averting Collective Climate Suicide with Jacqueline Novogratz
164. The Supreme Court's EPA Ruling: Is the Crisis of Climate a Crisis of Democracy?
163. Boris and Net Zero: What Happens Next?
162. 'Our Time On Earth': Radical Visions for The Future by Arts & Ecology
161. The Power of Disclosure with CDP’s Paul Simpson
160. No Doom for Boomers! Mobilizing a Generation with Bill McKibben
159. How to Feed the World without Devouring the Planet
158. The Journey Matters: Ending Fossil Fuel Supply with Tzeporah Berman
157. Presenting: ‘Who Cares Wins’ with Lily Cole and Christiana Figueres
156. Why It's "Not Too Late" with Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young Lutunatabua
155. Huge Wins for Future Generations in Australia and Wales with Sophie Howe
154. African Clean Energy Access: Why Gas Cannot Be The Future Africa Chooses with Rachel Kyte
153. Why the 21st Century is for Cities and Mayors with Sadiq Khan
152. Putin, Producer Logic and Peak Demand with Kingsmill Bond
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