Episode 316

“All of the other planets out there are just complete garbage. The Earth is the only good place.” – Kate Marvel

The climate crisis can leave many of us feeling hopeless and overwhelmed. But, as climate scientists Kate Marvel and Tim Lenton say, there are many reasons to be optimistic.Both have new books out that hope to reframe the way we think about the issue.

Kate’s book Human Nature grapples with the complicated emotions that the climate crisis evokes, from anger to hope and love – and explores how we can harness each of them to fight for a better future.

Tim’s book Positive Tipping Points looks at the possibility that we may cause irreversible damage to the Earth’s climate system, from Amazon dieback to ice sheet collapse. But as the name suggests, he also examines the opportunities in leveraging global action against climate change to create “positive tipping points”.

Chapters:

(0:00) Intro

(01:26) Why Tim and Kate have dedicated their lives to climate science

(3:53) Exploring Kate’s book Human Nature - starting with anger

(6:33) How Tim channels his climate anger

(10:16) Processing the 9 emotions of Kate’s book

(13:10) What are negative tipping points?

(15:33) How to use positive tipping points

(21:13) Where can we find hope for change right now?

(23:16) The positive emotions that inspire climate action

(26:50) Kate’s process of writing

(29:52) Why non-violent campaigns are so effective

(35:19) Have we seen any of these positive tipping points yet?

(39:31) How Americans really feel about climate change

(40:46) Kate and Tim’s dream outcomes for their books

Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Madeleine Cuff, with guests Kate Marvel and Tim Lenton.

To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/

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