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Saving Half Planet for Nature Isn’t As Crazy As It Seems
Posted by National Geographic: Simon Worrall on March 27th, 2016
National Geographic: It's hard to be an optimist these days. We are living through what biologists call the sixth mass extinction, a time of dramatic depletion of species, from frogs to rhinos and butterflies. By the end of the century, it is estimated that one in six species will be extinct. The causes-human population growth, habitat loss, climate change-are complex and interlocking, fueling each other in an ever faster destructive spiral.
But E.O. Wilson, the esteemed biologist and National Geographic Hubbard Award...
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Putting Human Faces India Mega Problems
Posted by National Geographic: Simon Worrall on September 6th, 2015
National Geographic: The monsoon rains in the state of Maharastra are late. If it doesn't rain in the next fortnight, this boy's family will lose their crop of sugarcane.
Like China, India is a leviathan among the world's emerging economies. As with China, economic and social progress have come at a price: pollution, depleted natural resources, and overpopulation.
Presenting an overview of these issues in a country of 1.2 billion people, with a stunning diversity of landscapes, faiths, and ethnic groups, can be...
How Will We Feed a World of Nine Billion People?
Posted by National Geographic: Simon Worrall on July 1st, 2015
National Geographic: By 2040, the world’s population is predicted to rise to nine billion. That means two billion more mouths to feed. Even now, the earth groans under the weight of those numbers. More than 800 million people are malnourished. Another two billion are short of essential micronutrients, which affect health. A billion more consume too many calories and are obese. What can be done? In his new book, The End of Plenty: The Race To Feed A Crowded World, Joel K. Bourne Jr., a former senior editor for National...
Book Talk: E. O. Wilson’s Bold Vision for Saving the World
Posted by National Geographic: Simon Worrall on November 2nd, 2014
National Geographic: Edward O. Wilson has been called the heir of Darwin. His relationship to National Geographic stretches back to 1939, when, as a ten-year-old boy, he read about insects in the magazine and made up his mind to be an entomologist. Last year, at the age of 84, he was awarded the National Geographic Society's highest award, the Hubbard Medal.
In his new book, The Meaning of Human Existence, he ranges far and wide across biology, artificial intelligence, and philosophy. Speaking from his home near Boston,...
Why the Current Mass Extinction Matters
Posted by National Geographic: Simon Worrall on August 20th, 2014
National Geographic: More species are becoming extinct today than at any time since dinosaurs were wiped off the face of the Earth by an asteroid 65 million years ago. Yet this bio-Armageddon, caused mainly by humans, is greeted by most of us with a yawn and a shrug. One fewer bat species? I've got my mortgage to pay! Another frog extinct? There are plenty more!
In his new book Australian anthropologist Thom Van Dooren tries to break through this wall of indifference by showing us how we're connected to the living...