Nature's genius & radical human evolution

Life on Earth is changing. The big question is, can we change with it? Can we remake the world to be fit for all life to thrive once more?

For nearly four billion years, life on Earth has found new ways to adapt, reproduce and thrive, taking on new forms to meet the environment of the moment. Human impact on the planet, and the potentially devastating threat of climate change, have stressed that adaptability as never before. Yet life still finds a way. Animals, plants and insects rise to the challenge and are still adapting, reproducing and thriving, even in our rapidly transforming environment. In their example we may just find ways that we too can adapt, ways to stop the destruction we’re causing to the planet.

Delving into the ever-changing natural world, what we discover could transform us, and even inspire us to design sustainable cities, remake our economies, solve our waste problems, choose a better future. Hear David’s transformative insight on nature's genius and how we can adapt with it to make a better future for all life.

ABOUT The Speaker

david Farrier is Professor of Literature and the Environment at the University of Edinburgh and author of Footprints: In Search of Future Fossils (which was a Times and Telegraph book of the year in 2020) and Nature's Genius: Evolution's Lessons for a Changing Planet (published this year). Through his research and engagement, he aims to offer responses to the current environmental crisis. He combines various angles (literature, science, history, ecology, philosophy) to reflect on the challenges posed by the Anthropocene, the future of the planet and the transformation of its ecosystems. His latest book, Nature's Genius, encourages a creative and adaptive approach to climate change and environmental destruction. By learning from the natural world's ability to adapt and thrive, it can inspire resistance against ongoing ecological decline and build a sustainable future.