20: Bill McGuire – Telling the Truth About the Climate Emergency

Bill McGuire is an academic, activist, broadcaster, blogger and writer of popular science and speculative fiction. Emeritus Professor of Earth Sciences at University College London, Bill cut his teeth researching the link between volcanism and sea-level change and pioneered research on the geological impact of a rapidly changing climate. Over the past two decades, his expertise on natural hazard has been frequently sought out by government and media broadcasters. In more recent years, Bill has devoted much of his time to climate activism, displaying a flair for the cut and thrust of social media, as well as taking aim at the delusions of orthodox climate policy, including the dangers of geoengineering (in his most recent fiction book, Sky Seed).

Brace yourselves for a no holds barred account of the climate science, as Bill spells out why dangerous pervasive climate breakdown is now all but inevitable. This is not a counsel of despair though, but rather a call for a serious, sober reckoning with our predicament and what we can still do to mitigate the worst impacts. On the way, we also explore the widening chasm between the climate science and political action, the serious, fun and even therapeutic pleasures of writing speculative fiction, the strange absence of public education on the climate emergency, as well as the importance of speaking up in the face of climate denialism, including among friends and colleagues.

You can follow Bill on Twitter and learn more his work on his website. Bill’s essays are available on his Cool Earth column on Substack. Articles we discussed include ‘An open letter to all climate scientists’ (19 July 2021).

19: Jim Rutt – Prototyping a Global Social Operating System

Jim Rutt joins us for a wide-ranging conversation on the contours of the civilisational crisis we find ourselves in and possible pathways towards a more viable future.

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