The Anthropocene: What Now?

The last officially recognized epoch on Earth, the Holocene, began at the end of the last ice age, about 12,000 years ago. Now, climate change, and in particular humanity’s impact on climate change, has led to the suggestion that we are already in a new epoch, the Anthropocene.

David’s most recent book, Earth in Human Hands, was named Best Science Book of 2016 by NPR’s Science Friday, explores how we can take on the possibly existential threat to life on Earth and consciously shape our planet’s future.

David’s research focuses on climate evolution on Earth-like planets and potential conditions for life elsewhere. He is involved with several interplanetary spacecraft missions. In 2013 he was appointed as the inaugural Chair of Astrobiology at the U.S. Library of Congress where he studied the human impact on Earth systems and organized a public symposium on the Longevity of Human Civilization. His papers have been published in Nature, Science, and numerous other journals, and his popular writing has appeared in many newspapers and magazines. David has been the recipient of the Carl Sagan Medal for Public Communication of Planetary Science by the American Astronomical Society. He appears frequently as a science commentator on television, radio and podcasts, included as a regular host of StarTalk All Stars. He is also a musician and currently leads House Band of the Universe.

Following David’s presentation, he will be joined by SETI Institute Senior Astronomer and host of the Big Picture Science radio show and podcast, Seth Shostak.

There is no charge to attend this event, but registration is required and capacity is limited.