Communicating science in the age of the Anthropocene

07/03/21 • 27 min

The age of humans is messing things up in many different ways. Not only is human pressure on the environment changing the earth system in unprecedented ways, trust in science is faltering while media and journalism remains fragmented. The consequence is a siloed world at a time when trust and collaboration is sorely needed. Science communication requires creativity, joy, perseverance, the courage to try something new and, actively finding ways to work around the weaknesses in the system.

In this episode, Andrew Merrie talks to Maddie Stone, a freelance science journalist and previously the managing editor of the Gizmodo Earther ‘Nature for Nerds’ blog. Her work has appeared in outlets such as Vice, National Geographic, Grist, the Washington Post, The Atlantic and more. Andrew also talks to Owen Gaffney, a sustainability communicator and strategist for organizations such as the Stockholm Resilience Centre, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the Global Commons Alliance. Together they ask, how can we share and explain science in a world beset by fast change and a lack of trust? And can science fiction help?

More information, including links to mentioned publications: https://rethink.earth/communicating-science-in-the-age-of-the-anthropocene/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More information, including links to mentioned publications: https://rethink.earth/communicating-science-in-the-age-of-the-anthropocene/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Will the Ocean Science Decade help make our oceans healthy again?

The ocean has gone from infinite, wild and thriving to finite, fragile and full of garbage. It feeds us, generates most of the air we breathe, helps to regulate our climate, provides treatments for disease and represents a new economic frontier. But we have limited time to get people to pay attention, anticipate change, prepare for surprise and act for a more sustainable ocean future. This is why the UN has introduced the Decade of Ocean science for a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to strengthen the management of our ocean.

But will it actually work?

In this episode, Andrew Merrie talks to Helen Ågren, Ambassador for the Ocean for the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Guillermo Ortuño Crespo, a researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre and one the leaders behind the UN Ocean Decade Early Career Ocean Professional Initiative.

More information, including links to the mentioned material: https://rethink.earth/he-ocean-science-decade

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Next Episode

Carl Folke on resilience, the biosphere and the future of our planet

How did we get to where we are today and what will it take to move away from it? In this episode, Owen Gaffney talks to Carl Folke, a co-founder of the Stockholm Resilience Centre and one of the most cited scientists in the world across all disciplines. He is also the director of the Beijer Institute for Ecological Economics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, and has received numerous awards and recognitions over the years.

Folke has spearheaded the modern thinking around social-ecological systems and how we must stop considering nature and the environment as something separate from society. He has previously said that he is "embarrassed as a human that we have in two generations created mindsets where we consider ourselves independent of the biosphere".

Now, luckily, he says, we are rapidly gaining that perspective again.

In this special edition of Rethink Talks, Carl Folke reflects on his own career path, resilience thinking, and why it's important to not be constrained by a certain theory or method when trying to solve a challenge. He also provides a unique glimpse into the launch of the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.