Human Nature: Stories about Hope
The Story Collider
Story Collider, Inc.
4.4 • 824 Ratings
🗓️ 6 August 2021
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week, our Human Nature series continues with stories of hope — something that can sometimes be hard to find when it comes to our relationship with the planet.
Part 1: A U.S. customs agent asks Canadian climate scientist Simon Donner an unexpected question.
Part 2: As a child, Victoria Gee becomes determined to rescue the wildlife in her neighborhood.
Simon Donner is an interdisciplinary climate scientist and professor in the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia, where he teaches and conducts research at the intersection of climate change science and policy. He is also the director of the UBC Ocean Leaders program, and holds appointments in UBC’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and UBC's Atmospheric Sciences Program. He is currently a lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report and a member of Canadian government's Net-Zero Advisory Body.
As a nature enthusiast, Victoria studied Environmental Biology for her undergraduate degree at the University of Guelph. For the past 7 years Victoria has worked at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto where she fosters curiosity within visitors and develops her science communication skills. As a digital education producer, Victoria recently worked for The Land Between charity creating online curriculum for students about Ontario turtles and the importance of their habitats. Victoria will be going back to school this year to complete a post-graduate program in Environmental Visual Communication to continue her passion for sharing nature through media with others.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | A science story, huh? |
| 0:04.0 | Is NYU scientist the... |
| 0:07.0 | It felt huge, but I was so... |
| 0:09.0 | And I just thought, well... |
| 0:10.0 | It was that golden moment. |
| 0:13.0 | Because science was on my side. |
| 0:15.0 | ...theirder. |
| 0:16.0 | ...and... Hey everyone. Welcome to the Story Collider, where we bring you true personal stories about science. |
| 0:33.6 | I'm your host, Aaron Barker, and for the past few weeks, we've been sharing a special series on the podcast called Human Nature about our experiences with the natural world. |
| 0:44.3 | Sometimes, when we think about the relationship between humans and our planet, it's easy to feel pessimistic. |
| 0:51.1 | We hear about the threat of climate change, the vulnerability of rainforests and |
| 0:55.2 | endangered species, the fragmentation of forests all over the world, and it's easy to feel |
| 1:01.2 | overwhelmed by the problem. But in today's episode, we'll share two stories in which our storytellers |
| 1:07.3 | found hope along the way. Our first story today is from Simon Donner. It was recorded in |
| 1:13.7 | June at his home in Vancouver, British Columbia. It's before the pandemic. I'm at the airport on my way to a science meeting. |
| 1:30.3 | And despite the friendly relations between the two countries, for Canadians, going through U.S. |
| 1:35.3 | customs is stressful. Especially if you're like me, you have curly, messy hair, and you're scarred by years of being randomly searched, questioned, followed and even sniffed by police dogs. |
| 1:47.5 | So gripping my passport and my smartphone, I walk up to the agent. |
| 1:51.5 | He has that intense, uncompromising look that is really unique to customs officials. |
| 1:56.7 | You know, it's like they're all printed out of a mold at the same factory. |
| 2:00.6 | So be clear, be transparent, and do not mess around, I tell myself. |
| 2:05.9 | Hi, I'm Canadian. I'm a climate scientist and a professor at the local university, |
... |
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