“The conservation of nature means the conservation of our identity: the parts of us that are beautiful and free and sacred, those we want to carry with us into the future. If we don’t defend those soft parts, all we’ll have left are holograms of our worst instincts.” – Nathaniel Rich, episode 215 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
Journalist Nathaniel Rich (writer-at-large, New York Times Magazine) believes we can do “great good” with nature. But how? In his brilliantly reported new book, “Second Nature”, he explores the potential of environmental innovations (7:52), the weight of living in an era of “terrible responsibility” (11:00), what a methane leak in Aliso Canyon can teach us about us (14:03), and how he found hope in a Japanese doctor studying immortal jellyfish (22:38). We also discuss the spiritual change needed to address our climate crisis (35:41), and why (better) storytelling may be the most effective way out of this mess (42:51).
