Andrew Revkin: Science Cafe and Musical Treat

Last night we enjoyed an intimate venue to listen to NY Time Opinion blogger (dotearth.com), Andrew Revkin. He made an appearance at Tir Na Nog in downtown Raleigh (and many other places around the Triangle this week). If you aren't familiar, Revkin was the environmental writer for the NY Times over the past 15 years, and recently left to go into academics at Pace University (Senior Fellow in Environmental Understanding - a title he referenced as the only one he could come up with that addresses how humans perceive environmental information). He's been writing on environmental issues that really matter to our survival on the planet and presents some very thought-provoking ideas on climate change, energy, and other pertinant topics on sustainability.

Okay, without boring you about all the titles of books, lists of awards, and the litany of impressive resume filler (check it out if you would like, but don't skip over his work in exposing political operatives who were attempting to rewrite government climate reports in the early 2000s). Let's just agree that he's an impressive author. Oh, and muscian. I enjoyed a little ditty he played called, "Liberated Carbon." (A video I found online of the number is at the end, since I couldn't get my phone recording in time).

Mr. Revkin came to Raleigh for the ScienceOnline 2012 conference, but is making many stops in the Triangle to explore the question, "Which comes first: Peak everything or peak us?"

He spoke of  several concepts, incluing "slow drips," where many catestrophic events actually happen slowly through a process of neglect, apathy, or other lack of action by humans (the bridge that rusts for years before falling, or radioactivity leaking from a nuclear plant for years prior to meltdown).

He also touched on our resource constraints and how, as humans, we do not have a long history of moderating our behavior and getting ahead of the big issues (such as climate change)...how we cannot easily comprehend doing more with less, and that our current policies make it all but impossible to get ahead, make change, and otherwise avert disaster. Interested in learning more? Visit Andrew's blog, check out his Twitter feed (@revkin) or some of his books.

It was great to see how many stops he is making on this trip to meet with folks, get the word out, and, well, be accessible to the public to ask questions and engage in discussion about the environment. Thank you, sir, for stopping in our region and speaking to students and the public alike. We need more education and communication on the environment that is free of propoganda and politics.

It was a great reminder to see folks that have made their career in communicating information on the environment in a way that is meaningful and educational--it's such a difficult concept to think about our world changing, that I think many feel overwhelmed and disconnected from the necessary actions required to preserve our planet so it is habitable now and for future generations. It is what drives me, personally, to work with companies dedicated to making a difference in their own little way.

For your musical enjoyment, here's an older rendition of "Liberated Carbon."