Memory, Forgetting and the Planet in Peril

From global warming to mass species extinction we are now living in what Alan Weisman describes as the make or break century. What decisions we make now will determine how we come out on the other side.  For the past quarter century Alan has traveled the globe reporting on the crises that imperil the planet.  In The World Without Us (2007), which became a New York Times bestseller, he chronicles what would become of our environmental impact if we suddenly vanished from the planet tomorrow. In Count Down: Our Last Best Hope for a Future on Earth (2013), he explains the history and dangers of the population explosion we are now experiencing and what measures are being taken to address it.  Most recently, Hope Dies Last: Visionary People Across the World Fighting to Find Us a Future (2025), Alan finds inspirational examples of innovative people from across the globe who are finding creative solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. I had the opportunity to engage Alan in a wide ranging conversation about all three books with a particular focus on the themes of memory and forgetting.