Big Picture Science

Catching Fire


Listen Later

We have too much “bad fire.” Not only destructive wildfires, but the combustion that powers our automobiles and provides our electricity has generated a worrying rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide. And that is driving climate change which is adding to the frequency of megafires. Now we’re seeing those effects in “fire-clouds,” pyrocumulonimbus events.

But there’s such a thing as “good fire.” Indigenous peoples managed the land with controlled fires, reaped the benefits of doing so, and they’re bringing them back.

So after millions of years of controlling fire, is it time for us to revisit our attitudes and policies, not just with regard to combustion, but how we manage our wildfires?

Guests:

  • David Peterson - Meteorologist, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
  • Stephen Pyne - Emeritus professor at Arizona State University, fire historian, urban farmer, author of “The Pyrocene: How We Created an Age of Fire, and What Happens Next
  • Richard Wrangham - Ruth B. Moore Research Professor of Biological Anthropology at Harvard University and author of "Catching Fire: How Coooking Made Us Human"
  • Margo Robbins - Co-founder and president of the Cultural Fire Management Council (CFMC), organizer of the Cultural Burn Training Exchange (TREX) that takes place on the Yurok Reservation twice a year, and an enrolled member of the Yurok Tribe

    Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake

    Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact [email protected] to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science.

    You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

     

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Big Picture ScienceBy Big Picture Science

    • 4.5
    • 4.5
    • 4.5
    • 4.5
    • 4.5

    4.5

    912 ratings


    More shows like Big Picture Science

    View all
    Dan Carlin's Hardcore History by Dan Carlin

    Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

    64,088 Listeners

    Common Sense with Dan Carlin by Dan Carlin

    Common Sense with Dan Carlin

    11,422 Listeners

    Scott Sigler Slices: MIX TAPE VOL. 1 by Scott Sigler

    Scott Sigler Slices: MIX TAPE VOL. 1

    1,088 Listeners

    The Deadpod by J.Henrikson

    The Deadpod

    1,226 Listeners

    The Naked Scientists Podcast by The Naked Scientists

    The Naked Scientists Podcast

    602 Listeners

    Nature Podcast by Springer Nature Limited

    Nature Podcast

    762 Listeners

    Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science by The Planetary Society

    Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

    1,350 Listeners

    SpaceTime with Stuart Gary by Stuart Gary

    SpaceTime with Stuart Gary

    326 Listeners

    Meditation Oasis by Mary and Richard Maddux

    Meditation Oasis

    3,901 Listeners

    Mac OS Ken by Ken Ray

    Mac OS Ken

    903 Listeners

    Astronomy Cast by Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela Gay

    Astronomy Cast

    2,881 Listeners

    Universe Today Podcast by Fraser Cain

    Universe Today Podcast

    564 Listeners

    The Quanta Podcast by Quanta Magazine

    The Quanta Podcast

    549 Listeners

    Discovery by BBC World Service

    Discovery

    967 Listeners

    BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

    BBC Inside Science

    412 Listeners

    Science Magazine Podcast by Science Magazine

    Science Magazine Podcast

    821 Listeners

    Science Friday by Science Friday and WNYC Studios

    Science Friday

    6,434 Listeners

    Philosophy Bites by Edmonds and Warburton

    Philosophy Bites

    1,545 Listeners

    Unexpected Elements by BBC World Service

    Unexpected Elements

    363 Listeners

    CrowdScience by BBC World Service

    CrowdScience

    477 Listeners

    Dan Carlin's Hardcore History: Addendum by Dan Carlin

    Dan Carlin's Hardcore History: Addendum

    8,326 Listeners

    Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe by iHeartPodcasts

    Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe

    2,372 Listeners

    Why This Universe? by Dan Hooper, Shalma Wegsman

    Why This Universe?

    384 Listeners