Boston Book Festival 2018

Our planet is facing an unprecedented threat from one, and only one, species: humans. There are two diametrically opposing mindsets on how to repair the damage that’s already been done and prepare, the earth for an ever-growing number of people on it: use much less or innovate much more. In The Wizard and the Prophet, Charles Mann, referred to by the Washington Post as a “compelling and forensic analyst of big tipping points in human affairs,” explores these narratives through the “prophet” who believes that there are natural limits to the planet and humans should conserve more; and the “wizard” who is convinced human ingenuity can overcome any challenge. Astrobiologist David Grinspoon is squarely in the wizard camp. In Earth in Human Hands, called by the Daily Kos a “page-turning masterpiece of speculative nonfiction,” he takes a planetary perspective on the Anthropocene and notes that while humans did not intend to alter the planet, we have done so inadvertently and now what is required is intentional planetary change. Come prepared for one of the most important conversations of our time that explores everything from apocalyptic environmentalism to interplanetary colonization, moderated by Beth Daley of InsideClimate News.