Deep(er) Ecology | Reality Roundtable #2

With William Rees, Nora Bateson, and Rex Weyler

This segment of Reality Roundtable takes a dive into ‘what is’ ecology, the purpose of it, and what it might look like to have a civilization centered around it. Despite our tendency to think of ourselves as separate from the biosphere, humans are a part of it, just like any other animal. What sets us apart now is our outsized impact on the world around us, as we and our societies take up more space and resources, degrading the ecosystems that support ourselves, our descendants, and other species. 

Joining me for this discussion is population ecologist and Professor Emeritus, William Rees, filmmaker and educator, Nora Bateson, and writer and ecologist, Rex Weyler.

How can an understanding of systems and relationships help us rethink how we interact with the planet? Could ecologically literate governments and citizens create wider boundaries across time and space in which decisions are made? What might the parameters be for a civilization centered around ecology, and how can we navigate there through declining energy and resource availability? 

Most of all, how can we as individuals and communities root ourselves into a deep(er) ecological knowledge and way of being?

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In case you missed it…

Last Friday, in a brief and impromptu Frankly, which I recorded after 5 days of working with a broken office air conditioner, I was reminded of the discomforts and dangers being faced by those living in high heat regions - including the heat dome over the Southern U.S and growing ‘wet bulb temperature’ areas around the world. Air conditioners are a modern luxury not afforded to most humans - (and those that do use them are in turn part of a positive feedback loop to stay cooler while consuming more fossil energy). And yet as the climate gets hotter in decades to come, climate control may shift from a luxury to a necessity for many people to even survive in parts of Earth’s habitat. How will we respond in a future with less access to climate control and increasing periods of extreme heat? Can those of us with access to AC - at least as a first step - become more aware of the energy privileges we have? This is something that I am certainly noticing in my own life - but of course, you don't know what you've got until it's gone.

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