Is “Nature” a real thing, or is it just an idea? When we talk about restoring ecosystems, what are we restoring them to? Or more precisely, when ? This episode is the first part of a conversation between Mendel, Adam, and two of Adam’s mentors, wherein we explore what it means to practice ecological restoration as a form of art. Click here for photos and details of Oliver’s artwork / restoration project in the Grandview Cut. For musical credits, citations, and more, click here. Two corrections f...
Oct 30, 2020•53 min•Season 3Ep. 1
What is queer ecology? How do queer theory and artistic practice inform environmental activism and climate justice? How can we think decolonisation and queerness together? Victoria Sin welcomes guest host Serpentine Assistant Curator, Kostas Stasinopoulos to dive into transformation, queerness, the natural and unnatural, wild, decolonial and submerged perspectives. Together with guests Ama Josephine Budge, Macarena Gómez-Barris and Jack Halberstam they ask: “where does wildness live?” and they c...
Oct 08, 2020•49 min
While we work on Season 3, we're featuring an episode from one of our favourite podcasts: Plastisphere ––– We want to know what you want to listen to! Take our 2020 Listener Survey and help shape the sound of Future Ecologies Season 3. ––– Finally, we're releasing 2 albums: the official soundtracks of Season 2 and our Scales of Change series, featuring the instrumental compositions of Sunfish Moon Light (a.k.a. Adam Huggins), Loam Zoku, and Vincent van Haaff. We hope these help you pass the time...
Aug 19, 2020•59 min
This is our final chapter, and our last genus of Dragon: Immobilis – the dragons of Limited Behaviour. This genus contains only two species: Immobilis signum , or the Dragon of Tokenism, and Immobilis jevonsii , or the Rebound Effect. They are among the most pernicious dragons, especially for people who already care deeply about the climate. As we unpack this small but important genus, we discover how they are tied to the global movement to divest from fossil fuels. Once again we find ourselves ...
Jul 09, 2020•44 min
In our sixth genus, we dive deep into the Dragons of Sunk Cost – the investments that work against our climate interests. Some of these may simply be financial, but they may also be emotional: our goals and aspirations, our patterns of behaviour, and our attachments to the places around us. In this episode, we focus our attention on Place Attachment, as we tag along with the ṮEṮÁĆES Climate Action Project : a W̱SÁNEĆ-led eco-cultural revitalization project. To learn more about the Dragons of Cli...
Jul 02, 2020•55 min
Our fifth genus includes the Dragons of Perceived Risk: functional, temporal, financial, social, and physical. These dragons are at the root of all fears – steering our decisions in a continuous assessment of risk versus reward. When it comes to climate change, the risks are global, but distributed unequally. In this chapter, we explore what physical risk can mean to the people dedicated to the health of the planet, as we follow one woman’s journey to becoming a force of nature. To learn more ab...
Jun 25, 2020•35 min
The Dragons of Discredence are agents of mistrust – the species of this genus are responsible for climate deniers, contrarians, and conspiracy theorists. But it’s not only the fringe that suffers from the dragons of discredence. They can act in subtle ways on all of us: casting doubt on well-intentioned policy, and dissuading us from aligning our self-interest with the interests of our environment. To tip the scales, we have to prove that there’s plenty of honey to go around. Many of the Dragons...
Jun 18, 2020•32 min
Our third genus contains the Dragons of Social Comparison and Social Norms. Every aspect of who we are is mediated by these Dragons: we adjust to the norms of our communities – the people we interact with, and the people we consider to be our peers around the world. As with everything, these norms are subject to change. Their flexibility is based on our collective willingness to share, and to listen. When it comes to the climate crisis, community conversations – in whatever form they may take – ...
Jun 11, 2020•39 min
Meet our second genus of Dragons – Ideologies. These are constellations of beliefs and values; filters for understanding the world. One species of Ideology has flourished in the modern era: the Dragon of Technosalvation – A belief that technology can fix all our problems, and by extension, the climate. To learn more about the Dragons of Climate Inaction (+ musical credits, citations, and more) visit futureecologies.net/dragons Support the show at patreon.com/futureecologies...
May 28, 2020•34 min
In this chapter we meet our first genus of dragons: Artusnoia – the dragons of Limited Cognition. Among them, the twin dragons of Perceived Behavioural Control, and Perceived Self Efficacy ( A. impotens & A. parvoperitia , respectively) are perhaps the greatest challenge to meaningful climate action. Join us as we discover the subtle shifts that can make all the difference. To learn more about the Dragons of Climate Inaction (+ musical credits, citations, and more) visit futureecologies.net/...
May 21, 2020•37 min
Before we lace up our boots and head into the field, some introductions are in order. What are the Dragons of Climate Inaction? Where do they come from? And why, especially now, are they so important? To learn more about the Dragons of Climate Inaction (+ musical credits, citations, and more) visit futureecologies.net/dragons
May 14, 2020•33 min
Season 2 may be over, but Future Ecologies is still going strong. We're so excited to announce that our new *weekly* 8-part miniseries will hitting your podcast feed on May 13th. Listen on for the trailer. Subscribe to Scales of Change at https://scales-of-change.captivate.fm/listen
Apr 27, 2020•5 min
To find out what the future might hold for Kelp, Sea Otters, Urchin, and Abalone, we're taking you to Haida Gwaii – an archipelago famous for both its deep culture and unique ecology. In Gwaii Haanas, the Islands of Beauty, a surprising experiment is taking shape, and we're going to dive right in. We go from mountain top to sea floor, and we finally get to meet the fastest snail in the west . This is the final chapter of our three-part series on kelp worlds. Click here to listen to part one, Tro...
Apr 08, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Ecological science has had a persistent blind spot: the deep involvement of Indigenous peoples in managing their lands and waters. The return of Sea Otters from the brink of extinction, while celebrated, was enacted under a framework of settler colonialism. As voracious predators themselves, otters compete with humans for all of the same sea foods. One shellfish in particular has become a flash point for fisheries – a modest mollusc, Haliotis kamtschatkana: Northern Abalone. This is part two of ...
Mar 11, 2020•58 min•Season 2Ep. 8
How did nuclear testing accidentally reshape our understanding of food webs and marine ecology? Why did sea otters bounce back from near-extinction on some parts of the Pacific coast, but are still absent in others? We speak with Dr. Jim Estes (a godfather of the field) about a series of serendipitous events that led to the re-writing of textbook ecology. This is part one of our three-part series on kelp worlds. For a full list of music credits, citations, and more, head over to https://www.futu...
Feb 13, 2020•57 min•Season 2Ep. 7
A more efficient world is simply cleaner, greener, and more sustainable. Or is it? This month, we’re exploring some of the ways we can reset our long-standing paradigms of labour, productivity, and efficiency. Take a break with us. For a full list of music credits, citations, and more, head over to https://www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe-2-6-podcasters-of-the-world-relax For more by Outside / In, get to http://outsideinradio.org To read Conrad’s work, find “Alternatives to Growth: Efficiency S...
Jan 08, 2020•47 min•Season 2Ep. 6
This is an excerpt from episode 5 of our Patreon-exclusive series: “Meet Your Fungal Associates” Pay what you can – as little as a $1 per month – to unlock this entire episode, and our whole back catalogue of bonus monthly mini-episodes. https://www.patreon.com/futureecologies
Dec 27, 2019•1 min
The world is full of sound. With the help of Hildegard Westerkamp, Bernie Krause, and Nick Friedman, we untangle some of the amazing ways that we can learn about our planet by listening to it. Join us as we explore the nature of sound through the sounds of nature. Featuring sublime electroacoustic composition, stunning field recordings, and cutting-edge scientific research, it all begins by listening. For a full list of music & soundscape credits, citations, and more, head over to https://ww...
Dec 13, 2019•59 min•Season 2Ep. 5
No matter where we call home, the land beneath us has been in a long and constant relationship with people. Some of these people may be our ancestors, some may not. This episode is about how we move forward from a fragmented past; how we build community in our shared spaces; and how a women-led movement can bring collective healing to a deeply storied land. Come with us to Ohlone territory – from Tuyshtak (Mt. Diablo) to the East Bay, and meet the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust. This episode features Co...
Nov 13, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Today is the 10th anniversary of the rediscovery of the Franciscan manzanita! To celebrate, we're re-releasing this episode from Season 1. What do you do when you find the last individual of a species previously thought to be extinct? The two rarest plants on earth both live in the Presidio of San Francisco, they’re both in the same genus, and there’s only one left of each. Is there a future for these species, and if so, what does it look like? And what can species on the brink tell us about our...
Oct 17, 2019•47 min
Who, or what, is a Naturalist? With the help of author Briony Penn, we trace the intertwined stories of two pivotal characters in the modern environmental movement: Cecil Paul (Wa'xaid) & the late Ian McTaggart-Cowan. These larger-than-life figures inspired a generation to reconnect, intellectually and spiritually, with the natural world. Associate producer Fern Yip investigates what it all means to the youth of today. Adam and Fern are your hosts on this episode. Mendel is busy making a ser...
Oct 09, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Another year, another fire season. We’ve already had a lot to say about wildfire, forest science, traditional ecological knowledge, and prescribed burning, but we’re not done yet! In this episode, we tour the Province of BC (and dip down into Washington State) to meet vigilante fire fighters, researchers, and First Nations Chiefs: all working in their communities towards a future of true wildfire resilience. For extended show notes, musical credits, and photos from our travels, head to https://w...
Sep 11, 2019•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Lichens: ecosystems unto themselves. They’re diverse, apparently ubiquitous, and foundational to life on terrestrial earth. But this episode isn’t really about lichen. It’s about an endangered species that relies on a lichen diet – a diet that is disappearing as fast as the old growth forest in British Columbia. Southern Mountain Caribou are at the nexus of a heated debate about conservation. What can we save? What should we let go? And most importantly, what are we willing to admit about the po...
Aug 07, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 1
We've unlocked our 11-episode Patreon series – Dr. Lisa-ann Gershwin, and occasionally the two of us, dive deep into jellyfish species and phyla. Find stories and science on: - Aurelia labiata (the moon jelly) - Turritopsis dohrnii (the immortal jelly) - Chrysaora achlyos (the black sea nettle) - Bazinga rieki (the little trickster who eats sunlight) - Chironex fleckeri (the deadly box jelly) - Aequoria victoria (the nobel-prize worthy crystal jelly) - Ctenophores (the comb jellies) - The Irukan...
Mar 06, 2019•1 hr 16 min
We’ve dropped an album. Those in the know might recognize the prolific Sunfish Moon Light as the musical alter-ego of Future Ecologies co-host, Adam Huggins. Now you can listen to the original, full-length instrumentals that set the mood for Season 1. Click here to preview the album for free, or buy it for $8. – – – 💖 Support Future Ecologies: join our community on Patreon at futureecologies.net/patrons...
Feb 01, 2019•3 min
Forever is a really long time. This episode is about death, and its transformative power on the landscape. It’s also the last episode of Season 1. It may be trivial to remind you that death is an unavoidable part of life. However, death is an act that leaves ripples in life. Some may last for thousands of years. You might expect us to talk about new sustainable burial technologies (See: Jae Rhim Lee & Katrina Spade), and honestly so did we. As we started working on it, we realized that we ...
Dec 07, 2018•51 min•Season 1Ep. 11
In this conclusion to our series on dam removal, we travel from the Klamath up to the Olympic Peninsula, and the site of the former Elwha and Glines Canyon dams. What did it actually take to bring the dams down, and what lessons can we take forward to other ambitious ecosystem renewal projects? For extended show notes, musical credits and more, head to www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe-1-10-rushing-downriver Corrections to this episode: While salmon fry may have to contend with hungry bass in ot...
Nov 22, 2018•40 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Dams remain one of the ultimate demonstrations of human power over nature. Wild rivers can be tamed to deliver energy for industry, lakes for recreation, and water for agriculture. But severing the link between land and sea has come with grave ecological costs. The impact of dams on salmon populations has been especially obvious and painful. This is part one of a two-part series on dam removals. In this episode, we return to the Klamath river to examine the fierce conflict (and unlikely partners...
Nov 09, 2018•48 min•Season 1Ep. 9
How are human activities changing our oceans, and why do these changes all seem to support a new age of jellyfish? What are these ancient, diverse beings: harbingers of doom, or simply the most well-adapted form of life in the sea? In this episode we go jellyfishing for answers with preeminent jellyfish researchers Dr. Lisa-ann Gershwin and Dr. Lucas Brotz. Find show notes for this episode at https://www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe1-8-jellyfishing-for-answers If you’d like to dive into more de...
Oct 25, 2018•49 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In the fall of 2017, a series of devastating earthquakes rocked southern Mexico. But what if it’s not the earthquakes themselves that pose the greatest threat to these communities? The conflict between institutional and grassroots disaster response in the aftermath of these earthquakes provides a powerful illustration of the tensions that have underlain the concept of development ever since President Truman’s second inaugural address in 1949. In this episode, Oaxacan deprofessionalized intellect...
Sep 28, 2018•50 min•Season 1Ep. 7
