Science for the Anthropocene - Learning to Fly

In Episode 6 we welcome our first external guest, Jamie Bristow, to discuss an issue that sits at the heart of the ‘Science for the Anthropocene’ initiative: mindfulness and the ‘inner’ dimensions of sustainable transition. Specifically, we discuss the landmark report released in May 2022 by Jamie and co-authors, Rosie Bell and Professor Christine Wamsler, on ‘ Reconnection: Meeting the Climate Cr...

In Episode 5 we welcome Professor Rebecca Willis to discuss an aspect of science for the Anthropocene, and broader action for the Anthropocene, that is increasingly pressing for society as a whole: the role of democracy in effective governance of these issues, and the flipside of the current crisis of democratic government as against an ascendant authoritarianism the world over. Drawing on her exc...

(Pt 2 of 2) In Episode 4 we welcome Professor Nick Graham to discuss the crucial ecosystem of coral reefs. Over the last 30 years, coral reefs have emerged as one of the front lines of ecosystems beset by the changing planet that characterises the Anthropocene.  And while catastrophic coral bleaching events due to ocean warming make the headlines, these uniquely biodiverse marine environments...

In Episode 4 we welcome Professor Nick Graham to discuss the crucial ecosystem of coral reefs. Over the last 30 years, coral reefs have emerged as one of the front lines of ecosystems beset by the changing planet that characterises the Anthropocene.  And while catastrophic coral bleaching events due to ocean warming make the headlines, these uniquely biodiverse marine environments have been c...

In Episode 3 we welcome our first guests on the podcast from the natural sciences – Professor Phil Haygarth, Professor Paul Withers, Dr Kirsty Forber and Dr Shane Rothwell – to discuss the key challenge for our food system of phosphorus. Phosphorus is an essential building block of life, and so an essential nutrient in our food and agriculture.  In the last 80 years or so, massive growth of m...

Our first guests on the podcast are Lancaster University professors Nigel Clark and Bronislaw Szerszynski, discussing their fantastic new book 'Planetary Social Thought - The Anthropocene Challenge to the Social Sciences' (Polity, 2021). In a fascinating and wide-ranging discussion, we cover: the 'socialization' of the Anthropocene and the converse movement of 'geologizing' social science; a new b...

Welcome to 'Learning to Fly' - the podcast for 'Science for the Anthropocene' (S4A) at Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC) at Lancaster University, UK. In this first episode, David Tyfield, Professor of Sustainable Transitions and Political Economy and leader of the S4A research theme at LEC, sets the scene for future episodes, by offering an initial overview to the idea of a 'Science for the Anthr...