Elizabeth Kolbert Explores Promise and Problem of Environmental Intervention in ‘Under a White Sky’

KQED's Forum

KQED

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 19 February 2021

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Atmospheric warming, catastrophic sea level rise and mass extinction are just some of the monumental harms humans have inflicted on the planet. Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Elizabeth Kolbert points out that while it might be prudent to scale back our polluting activities, we've become so numerous, and the damage so extensive, that we may need to do more. In her new book, “Under a White Sky,” Kolbert looks at some of the interventions -- such as geoengineering and gene editing -- that scientists say can reverse the environmental harms we've caused. We'll talk to Kolbert about what she learned during her reporting and whether the answer to the problem of our control of nature is, in fact, more control. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Support for KQED podcasts comes from San Francisco International Airport. Did you know that
0:05.7	SFO has a world-class museum? Get ready to be wowed by art, history, science, and cultural exhibitions
0:12.3	throughout the terminals. Learn more at flysfo.com slash museum. Greetings boomtown. The Xfinity
0:20.6	Wi-Fi is booming.
0:22.4	Xfinity combines the power of internet and mobile.
0:25.5	So we've all got lightning fast speeds at home and on the go.
0:28.9	Learn more at Xfinity.com.
0:31.0	Restrictions apply.
0:31.7	Xfinity internet required.
0:32.8	Actual speeds vary.
0:34.7	From KQED.
0:36.0	From KQED.
0:51.1	Thank you. very. From KQED. From KQED. From KQED, Public Radio in San Francisco, I'm Mina Kim. Atmospheric warming, catastrophic sea level rise and mass extinction are just
0:56.4	some of the monumental harms humans have inflicted on the planet. Pulitzer Prize-winning
1:00.7	science writer Elizabeth Colbert points out that the damage is so extensive, we may need
1:06.1	to apply even more human intervention to address the environmental harms we've caused.
1:11.5	In her new book,
1:12.4	Under a White Sky,
1:13.8	Colbert looks at some of those interventions,
1:16.0	including geoengineering and gene editing,
1:18.6	will talk to her about her reporting
1:20.2	and whether the answer to the problem
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KQED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of KQED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.