233. The Thorny Issue of 1.5C

1.5C degrees is back in the news again as the recent Copernicus report reported that the world had exceeded this politically agreed temperature limit for the majority of 2023. But what does this mean? Do we abandon this target and set a new one? Is it still useful to use this as our north star in tackling the effects of man-made climate change? Is now the right time to start a serious conversation about geo-engineering? Join Christiana, Tom and Paul as they grapple with these difficult questions and their wider implications.

Our guest this week is Dr. Michael E. Mann, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Earth & Environmental Science, and Director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media (PCSSM) at the University of Pennsylvania. He lends us his expertise to discuss the liabilities and implications of breaching the 1.5 degree ceiling, and what his latest legal victory means for the ‘war on science’.

Music comes from Luke Wallace with his song ‘Comeback’. Luke is a songwriter, speaker, choral arranger and environmental champion from the Coast Salish Territory known as Vancouver, Canada.

NOTES AND RESOURCES

The O+O episode with Elizabeth Kolbert where we discuss the possible implications of Geo-Engineering explored in her book ‘Under A White Sky’ can be found here.

GUEST

Dr. Michael E. Mann, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Earth & Environmental Science, and Director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media (PCSSM) at the University of Pennsylvania Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube

Check out Dr. Mann’s new book, ‘Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth's Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis’

MUSIC

Luke Wallace Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Learn more about the Paris Agreement.

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