Solarpunk Presents

Have you ever thought about how dinosaurs lived on a warm, swampy Earth and how we live on one that’s cold enough to keep pretty much the entirety of Greenland and Antarctica buried under kilometers-thick sheets of solid ice and wondered, hmm, how did we get from there to here? The short answer is that it took 50 million years of declining atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and dropping temperatures, not to mention building an ice sheet or two. For the longer story of the last 50 million years of climate change, including some of the reasons why, catch this episode of our podcast with Dr De La Rocha! You’ll hear about plate tectonics and continental drift, silicate weathering, carbonate sedimentation, and the spectacular effects the growth of Earth’s ice sheets have had on Earth’s climate. There are also lessons here for where anthropogenic global warming is going and whether or not its effects have permanently disrupted the climate system. Fun fact: the total amount of climate change between 50 million years ago and now dwarfs what we’re driving by burning fossil fuels, and yet, what we’re doing is more terrifying, in that it’s unfolding millions of times faster. Bonus content: If you want to see sketches and plots of the data discussed in this episode, you can find them here.!!Nerd alert!! If you're interested in the primary scientific literature on the subject, these four papers are a great place to start.Dutkiewicz et al (2019) Sequestration and subduction of deep-sea carbonate in the global ocean since the Early Cretaceous. Geology 47:91-94.Müller et al (2022) Evolution of Earth’s plate tectonic conveyor belt. Nature 605:629–639.Rae et al (2021) Atmospheric CO2 over the last 66 million years from marine archives. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 49:609-641.Westerfeld et al (2020) An astronomically dated record of Earth’s climate and its predictability over the last 66 million years. Science 369: 1383–1387.

Although the battle lines have shifted down through the years from heliocentrism to evolution (and let’s not get started on the age of the Earth), it feels like there’s a fundamental conflict between science and religion, especially with respect to the Abrahamic religions like Christianity and Islam. I (Christina), the host of this podcast episode, as a scientist and atheist who tends to assume all scientists are atheists—because how could they not be?—am definitely guilty of thinking this.Yet, there is a long tradition of curiosity, inquiry, and, yes, science within the Abrahamic religions and no shortage of devout scientists working hard to this day to understand the workings of the world and cosmos. I decided that it was time to confront my assumptions by talking to one of my religious colleagues. Thank you in advance to Dr Norm Nelson—an oceanographer whose Christianity is a core part of his life—for discussing whether or not there is a conflict between science and Christianity, and where the roots of that conflict might lie.Don’t forget, dear listener, we need your support! So, recommend us to a friend and/or sign up for our Patreon!Connect with Solarpunk Presents Podcast on Twitter, Mastodon, or at our blog.Connect with Ariel at her blog, on Twitter at @arielletje, and on Mastodon.Connect with Christina at her blog, on Twitter, and on Mastodon Support the show on Patreon or make a one-time donation via PayPal.

Erin Alladin’s new e-book “Gentle Gardening: A Guide for Uncooperative Bodies” is transformative, specifically covering the issues of gardening with chronic fatigue and the other complex disabilities that can accompany it, and reframing gardening as an accessible and fun activity. Ariel talks to Erin in this episode about her journey with gardening to where she is now, the book, a bit about gardening on Turtle Island as a settler, and tackling the gardener’s mindset and impostor syndrome that may come with it. References:Native Land’s resource on what land acknowledgements are and why they are important, plus linked articles contextualizing and foregrounding Indigenous scholars’ and activists’ support and critiques of the practiceSpoon theoryNorth Bay and Parry SoundErin’s post on chronic pain and permaculture principles is an excellent companion to Gentle Gardening.You can visit Erin’s blog at EarthUndaunted.com to learn more, and check out GENTLE GARDENING: A GUIDE FOR UNCOOPERATIVE BODIES. You can connect with her at TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram @ErinAlladin.Connect with Solarpunk Presents Podcast on Twitter, Mastodon, or at our blog.Connect with Ariel at her blog, on Twitter at @arielletje, and on Mastodon.Connect with Christina at her blog, on Twitter, and on Mastodon Support the show on Patreon or make a one-time donation via PayPal.