Warm Regards
Talking mammoths, timescales, and rewilding with "Welcome to Pleistocene Park" writer Ross Andersen
One of the most fascinating climate change stories of the year comes from Ross Anderson at The Atlantic. In "Welcome to Pleistocene Park", Ross writes about Pleistocene Park, a reserve in Siberia that aims to stave off climate change by attempting to recreate the conditions of the Pleistocene, turning the reserve into a grassland steppe ecosystem by importing large herbivores. The article also explores the possibilities of bringing back the woolly mammoth, specifically for a place like Pleistocene park.
Read the full article at The Atlantic - https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/04/pleistocene-park/517779/
Ross Anderson joins hosts Jacquelyn Gill and Andy Revkin for a discussion on this compelling project and related issues like long timescales, our understanding of the anthropocene, the ethics of rewilding, and the culture of elephants.
Check out the recommended reading list below:
Pop-up forests:
https://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/warming-arctic-tundra-producing-pop-up-forests/
Elephant memories: https://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/on-elephants-memories-human-forgetfulness-and-disaster/
Links to IIASA’s 2300 projections are here (with context on long time scales):
https://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/14/three-long-views-of-life-with-rising-seas/
We've staved off next ice age (Jim Hansen in 03 and many others since):
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/11/science/when-will-the-next-ice-age-begin.html
Jacquelyn's blog on mammoth cloning: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/cloning-woolly-mammoths-its-the-ecology-stupid/
Stephen Jay Gould's Time's Arrow, Time's Cycle: https://www.amazon.com/Times-Arrow-Cycle-Geological-Jerusalem-Harvard/dp/0674891996
--
Thumbnail image courtesy of Gregory "Slobirdr" Smith https://www.flickr.com/photos/slobirdr/
Do you want to support this podcast – while also earning money and helping the U.S. solar industry? Check out our sponsor, WunderCapital, which has developed an online platform to help individuals invest directly in solar projects and earn up to 8.5%. Set up an account: WunderCapital.com/warm.
More episodes from Warm Regards
Climate Data and Art, Part 1 - The Tempestry Project and Jill Pelto
This episode of Warm Regards, the first of two on the intersections of climate data and art, will feature conversations with Emily McNeil and Justin …
Reflections So Far and an Intermission
Some reflections from Jacquelyn and Ramesh on our season so far and a note that we'll be taking a brief intermission until after the US November …
The Surprising Truth About Environmentalists and Voting (Re-Broadcast and Update)
As the US presidential election nears, we wanted to re-share a conversation we had on Warm Regards in October of 2018 with Nathaniel Stinnett, the founder and executive director of the …
Fighting Back Against Climate Disinformation and Intimidation, with John Cook and Lauren Kurtz
This episode of Warm Regards, part of our season-long exploration of the often unexpected stories behind climate data, builds on our last episode's conversation with Amy Westervelt and …
Disinformation Over Data with Amy Westervelt and Emily Atkin
In this episode, part of our season long exploration of climate data, Jacquelyn Gill discusses the long history of fossil fuel industry-perpetuated climate disinformation with investigative …
Changing Climate Beliefs with Jenn Marlon and Bob Inglis
This episode, part of our season-long look at the unexpected stories and effects of climate data, features two conversations about what people believe about climate change and what causes …
How you can listen to this podcast
You can listen to episodes right here on the website, or if you prefer, in a podcast app. Listening in an app makes it easier to keep track of what you’ve already heard, listen without using your data plan and many other conveniences.