Earthbound

Novelist Lee Schneider completes the Utopia Engine Trilogy with a story of climate collapse, AI dominance, and the stubborn possibility of liberation.

That’s the question at the heart of Liberation, the final book in Lee Schneider’s Utopia Engine Trilogy. Schneider is a novelist, screenwriter, futurist, and podcast producer, and in this episode, he sits down with me to talk about a near-future world battered by climate breakdown, controlled by an authoritarian artificial intelligence called MIND, and populated by imperfect people doing their best to find their way through.

The trilogy began for Schneider in a very personal way. California wildfires brought smoke into his neighborhood, forced him to run his air filters constantly, and eventually forced him and his family to evacuate their home. That experience crystallized something he’d long cared about into an urgent creative need. The result: three novels that use speculative fiction as a rehearsal space for the challenges we’re already living.

Liberation brings the trilogy’s story arc to its conclusion. Protagonist Kat Keeper, a reluctant revolutionary, is trying to build a communications network free from MIND’s control, while grappling with grief and the relentless propaganda machine targeting her credibility. And out in the ocean, orca whales, having endured centuries of human noise, pollution, and indifference, have had enough.

We dig into a lot of territory in this conversation. How does misinformation amplify ecological collapse? What does it mean that AI power is concentrated in so few hands? What would a world of brain-modded humans and fake press conferences actually feel like to live in? And what can the behavior of orcas off the coast of Spain teach us about the intelligence we share this planet with?

Schneider is, perhaps unexpectedly, an optimist. Not naively so, but deliberately. He invokes Churchill: there’s no point in being anything else. And that optimism finds its way onto a wall of a building in the world of Liberation: “Utopia will always be far off. But it's always worth walking toward.”

Climate fiction, as Schneider sees it, isn’t propaganda. It’s behavior modeling. We watch imperfect characters navigate an imperfect world, and we learn something. About ourselves, and about what it means to ask “what if?”

We are a storytelling species. This episode is a good example of why that matters.

In This Episode:

• What drove Lee Schneider to write climate fiction after years in Hollywood
• How the Utopia Engine Trilogy depicts AI-controlled climate manipulation and surveillance
• The real science behind orca intelligence and what it means for how we treat other species
• The role of misinformation in ecological collapse, and how close we already are to the world in his books
• What comes next: Schneider's new forest-world trilogy for younger readers
• His podcast production company, Red Cup Agency, and his show The Future Lab with Lee Schneider

Links and Resources:

• Lee Schneider's books: leeschneiderbooks.com
• The Future Lab with Lee Schneider podcast: Future Lab
• Liberation (Book 3, Utopia Engine Trilogy), also Surrender and Resist
• Listener survey: earthboundpodcast.com/survey
• Support Earthbound: earthboundpodcast.com
• Carl Jung: Personality Archetypes

About Earthbound:

Earthbound is stories from the Anthropocene, life on a warming planet. If this episode moved you or made you think, please take a moment to leave a rating and review wherever you listen. And subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Audio Attribution:

whale song by muri_kuri -- https://freesound.org/s/684188/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

humpback_whales_and_orcas_ambient_underwater_recording by raiden04 -- https://freesound.org/s/797762/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

freewilly.mp3 by mjudo12 -- https://freesound.org/s/74908/ -- License: Attribution 3.0

Sea and seabirds by FonotecadeCanarias -- https://freesound.org/s/210954/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 3.0

What if the climate crisis isn’t just about what we’re doing to the planet, but how we see it? What if it is our flawed perception of the world and our place within it that separates us from nature and drives our destructive actions?

In this contemplative conversation, writer and wilderness guide Bridget Lyons explores how perspective shapes our relationship with the living world, and why empathy for other species might be the key to our survival.

Her book Entwined: Dispatches from the Intersection of Species weaves together 14 essays chronicling encounters with owls that hear heartbeats from 200 feet away, elk navigating human intervention in Yellowstone’s feeding programs, and octopuses revealing astonishing intelligence.

Lyons argues that we’ve inherited a hierarchical worldview—from Genesis to Descartes—that places humans above nature, but indigenous wisdom and ecological reality tell a different story: we've never been separate from the tapestry of life, only tangled within it.

The polycrisis we face—climate change, biodiversity collapse, ecosystem fragmentation—stems from a deeper forgetting: that Earth's systems are breathtakingly complex, and our attempts at control often trigger cascading consequences we never anticipated. Lyons challenges the notion that managing nature is the solution, suggesting instead that humility, curiosity, and what she calls "healthy anthropomorphization" can rebuild our severed connection to the more-than-human world.

From tamarisk invasions on Western rivers to chronic wasting disease threatening elk herds, she demonstrates how good intentions falter when we underestimate ecological entanglement. The antidote isn’t more data or policy alone. It's cultivating empathy as a practice, an exercisable muscle strengthened by simply stepping outside, observing an insect in the grass, and asking: What is it like to be this being?

Can wonder alone shift the trajectory of civilization? Lyons believes the answer lies not in grand solutions but in small acts of attention that crack open our hard shell of human-centered arrogance. She finds hope in bookstore audiences lighting up when sharing creature encounters, in the spider referred to as “who” rather than “that,” and in the possibility that perspective can turn on a dime when we put down our phones and rejoin the web of life, not as rulers, but as fellow participants.

Discover how encountering the non-human world might be the most revolutionary act of our time, and why fostering kinship with owls, fireweed, and sponges could be the remediation work that saves us all.

Learn more about Bridget Lyons and her work at bridgetalyons.weebly.com, and order Entwined from a local independent bookstore. Visit earthboundpodcast.com to explore past episodes and share your thoughts through our listener survey.

• Bridget Lyons emphasizes the importance of fostering empathy and kinship with non-human species through personal encounters and storytelling.
• The historical narrative of human superiority over nature is deeply embedded in Western culture and is a primary cause of our current environmental crises.
• Our separation from the living world leads to a crisis of perception, making it crucial to shift our worldview towards one of interconnectedness.
• Empathy is not just a human skill but a vital muscle that can and should be exercised to connect with all living beings, bridging our relationship with nature.
• Bridget highlights how well-intentioned wildlife management can sometimes lead to negative consequences, underscoring the complexity of ecosystems.
• The podcast suggests that rebuilding our relationship with nature starts with simple acts of observation and curiosity, urging us to reconnect with the world outside our screens.

• Bridget Lyons
• Entwined: Dispatches From the Intersection of Species
• Carl Safina
• Ed Yong
• Great Chain of Being
• Teton Raptor Center
• Five Facts About the Velella-Velella
• Earthbound Podcast
• GlobalWarmingIsReal.com

Huntley Meadows Virgina by jdzikiewicz -- https://freesound.org/s/848979/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

A Book Review of Dr. Peter Solomon's 100 Years to Extinction

In 2017, Stephen Hawking warned that humanity had just 100 years to move beyond Earth or face extinction. That bold prediction frames my Earthbound podcast conversation with Dr. Peter Solomon, physicist, serial entrepreneur, and author of 100 Years to Extinction. We dig into the triggers threatening our survival (climate change, AI, nuclear war, misinformation) and whether a Mars colony is really our best backup plan or a fool’s paradise.

In my book review of Solomon’s novel, we follow Gen Z trio Aster, Liz, and Milo, an astrophysicist, geneticist, and political leader, respectively, as they vow to save the world from the damage of previous generations. They colonize Mars, refine nuclear fusion, and spark a political revolution back home through the New Planet Party. All this by the mid-2030s. I found his scientific optimism admirable, if a bit unrealistic, and the plot uneven at times. But his effort to frame our polycrisis age through the lens of solutions is always a good exercise.

My takeaway? While I respect the genius of Hawking and Solomon, I believe the resources needed to colonize not just reach) Mars should first be applied to building a survivable, equitable civilization here at home. Solomon anticipates that objection, emphasizing throughout that Earth is precious and irreplaceable. I couldn’t agree more.

Check out his follow-up book, 12 Years to AI Singularity, and if you enjoy this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, or support us at earthboundpodcast.com.

Takeaways:

• Stephen Hawking emphasized the urgent need for humanity to establish a permanent presence beyond Earth within a century to ensure survival.
• The dialogue around extinction triggers is crucial, as it includes climate change, AI, and misinformation, which we need to address urgently.
• In his novel, Dr. Peter Solomon explores a future where a Gen Z trio tackles existential threats while colonizing Mars, showcasing a blend of hope and realism.
• While the book presents an optimistic view of colonization, it glosses over significant challenges, such as governance and social dynamics on Mars, leaving some questions unanswered.
• Ultimately, while exploring space is essential, our priority should be creating a sustainable and equitable future here on Earth.

Links referenced in this episode:

• Peter Solomon: 100 Years to Extinction
• Stephen Hawking’s Grim Prediction
• Earthbound: Living on Mars-Utopia or Fool’s Paradise?
• GlobalWarmingIsReal.com
• EarthboundPodcast.com/survey

Climate, Energy, Morality, and How We Thrive as a Species on a Finite Planet

We tell ourselves stories to help us cope with existence, but too often we bend our stories to fit a misguided, destructive, and utterly unsustainable worldview.

In this revised audio version of a 2019 article I published in Medium, we begin with a tight shot on Venezuela and the Trump administration’s recent military action and claim to its oil. From there, we slowly pan back and consider the moral grounding of a civilization convinced of its “God-given” right to extract, destroy, and dominate, if it means there is more energy to burn.

We can find a better way to live, one based on our fundamental, biological morality.

Resources:

• The Climate of Our Moral Character on Medium
• Deliver Us From Evil: How Biology, Not Religion, Made Humans Moral
• Greta Thunberg UN Speech Transcript
• Politico: Energy secretary plans visit to Venezuela — but says Trump isn’t focused on its oil riches
• CNBC: What Big Oil Executives Told Trump About Investing in Venezuela
• Top 10 Countries with the Largest Confirmed Oil Reserves
• Earthbound Podcast Home
• GlobalWarmingisReal.com

This bonus episode features a short reading from my Thinking Out Loud section of my newsletter.

Is empathy a strength or a weakness? How do we respond to forces that hide behind masks and seek to coerce, intimidate, and terrorize? In the midst of the chaos, how do we make sense of living in a warming world?

There are lessons we can learn from the citizens of Minneapolis as they resist the masked men and their grasp at power, and from their efforts to maintain an unjust world, exemplifying the power of community, compassion, and empathy. These are the qualities that will lead us into a thriving future.

As Bad Bunny says, love is stronger than hate.

Sign up for my newsletter for more!

What if the sun, the same star that’s powered life on Earth for billions of years, could finally free us from the fossil fuel stranglehold that’s choking our future?

That’s the question at the heart of this episode’s conversation with legendary climate activist and author Bill McKibben. In his latest book, Here Comes the Sun, McKibben delivers a message that's equal parts urgent and unexpectedly hopeful: after decades of fighting uphill against Big Oil, the economics of energy have fundamentally shifted, despite the rhetoric from vested interests and their bought-and-paid-for politicians.

In 2024, more than 90% of new electricity generation globally came from renewable sources. Solar and wind aren’t “alternative" energy anymore, say McKibben, they are the future, and they're already cheaper, cleaner, and increasingly more accessible than fossil fuels. But the window to capitalize on this epochal shift is narrow, and the fossil fuel industry knows it, which is why they’ve purchased political power to protect their dying business model.

McKibben doesn’t sugarcoat the climate crisis—he knows too much about the science for that. We've already locked in significant warming, and we won't stop short of 2 degrees Celsius. But he argues passionately that we're in a race to shave off every tenth of a degree we can, because each one represents 100 million people pushed out of livable climate zones.

My conversation with McKibben explores practical, real-world solutions that are scalable right now: heat pumps, induction cooktops, electric vehicles, and even balcony solar panels that renters can plug directly into their walls. From California’s grid running on over 100% renewable energy during peak hours to China’s EV revolution eating the world’s lunch while America’s political leaders serve it up on a silver platter, McKibben paints a picture of a world in transition.

This isn’t a conversation about distant doom or abstract policy—it’s about the tangible, human-scale changes we can make right now, and the massive structural shifts already underway that prove rapid transformation is possible. McKibben’s clear-eyed honesty about where we are, combined with his grounded optimism (though he says he isn’t an optimist) about what we can still do, offers a roadmap illuminated by the sun itself. The question isn’t whether the technology exists to save ourselves. It does. The question is whether we’ll choose to use it before it's too late. If you've ever felt paralyzed by the scale of the climate crisis, this episode will remind you that, even as we have backed ourselves into a corner, we have a brightly lit, if narrow, path out.

Takeaways:

• Bill McKibben highlights the shift in energy economics where renewable sources are now cheaper than fossil fuels, marking a pivotal moment for climate action.
• The podcast emphasizes our deep connection to the sun, both biologically and emotionally, making renewable energy not just feasible but a natural choice for humanity.
• McKibben’s journey through climate activism illustrates how grassroots movements can reshape global agreements like the Paris Accord, showcasing the power of collective action.
• The conversation underscores that transitioning to solar and wind energy is not merely an alternative but the primary path forward for sustainable living.
• McKibben argues that while the climate crisis poses serious threats, there are still viable paths to mitigate its impacts through immediate, aggressive adoption of renewable energy.

Resources:

• Bill McKibben
• Here Comes the Sun
• 350.org
• Third Act
• International Energy Agency: 2024 Renewables Global Overview
• Earthbound Podcast
• GlobalWarmingIsReal.com

In a world of either-or thinking, where you’re expected to choose between hugging trees or hugging flags, Katherine Lacefield offers a refreshing alternative. The founder of Just Be Cause Consulting and host of the Just Be Cause Podcast joins us to dismantle the false binaries that plague environmental and animal rights movements. With candor and hard-won wisdom, she shares her journey from "crazy vegan" activism to a more nuanced understanding of how we create lasting change. Katherine reminds us that perfection isn’t the goal—connection is. Whether it’s a well-meaning mother buying the wrong cheese or an environmentalist grilling a steak, shaming people for imperfection only pushes potential allies away. The real work, she argues, lies in meeting people where they are and recognizing that caring about animals doesn’t mean you don’t care about people, and vice versa.

Katherine’s extensive experience in nonprofit fundraising and philanthropy reveals a sector struggling with siloed thinking and resource distribution problems masquerading as resource scarcity. She challenges the philanthropic status quo, questioning why massive endowments sit in perpetuity while urgent environmental crises demand action now. Her vision for the future involves wealth transfer that empowers nonprofits to focus on impact rather than endless grant applications, and a cultural shift away from ego-driven legacy projects toward collaborative, intersectional problem-solving. From her travels across continents to her work with organizations bridging human and animal welfare, Katherine has witnessed firsthand how interconnected our challenges truly are—and how collaboration, not competition, offers our best path forward.

This conversation tackles the uncomfortable truths about consumption, privilege, and the paralyzing fear of not doing enough. Katherine doesn’t offer easy answers because there aren’t any. Instead, she provides something more valuable: permission to be imperfect, encouragement to contribute according to your unique passions and bandwidth, and a framework for understanding that we don't have a resource problem—we have a distribution problem. In a time when despair and division seem to dominate the discourse, Katherine’s message is one of pragmatic hope rooted in gratitude, awareness, and the recognition that every authentic effort, no matter how small, matters.

Takeaways

1. In this episode, we explored the false dichotomy between environmental stewardship and human well-being.
2. Kathryn Lacefield reminds us that pursuing purity in activism can alienate potential allies, leading to a counterproductive cycle of division.
3. We discussed how viewing whatever motivates us as isolated issues neglects the deep connections among justice, environmental stewardship, and human well-being.
4. The conversation highlighted the importance of empathy and collaboration in tackling climate challenges, reminding us that progress requires collective effort.

Resources

1. Just Because Consulting
2. Just Because Podcast
3. Earthbound Podcast
4. Global Warming Is Real

With this bonus holiday episode, I revisit a short article I originally wrote for a now-defunct website and republished on Medium back in 2022. Blood and Cigarettes takes us back to Christmas Eve and the trenches of World War I, and how redemption can be found in the unlikeliest of places.

Ever since I heard the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914, it has intrigued me. The poignant tale of the 1914 Christmas Truce serves as a powerful reminder of our shared humanity, even amidst the chaos of war. This was not a truce fiercely negotiated by generals miles from the front, but an impromptu laying down of arms by the battered grunts in the trenches. The collective power of the human spirit reached across the barren no man’s land, transforming it into common ground.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with their erstwhile enemies, they offered each other cigarettes, sang Christmas carols, and played football. The next day, they could return to war. Tonight was a different story.

I keep coming back to this story at this time of year (especially this year) because it starkly illustrates the power of storytelling and mythmaking. Myth is not falsehood. We navigate the long night of winter, the dark solstice, with a tapestry of stories and myths patched together through the weaver of time. One thread that weaves its way through them all is our shared humanity. Try as one ideology or another would reject any common association with the other, it is there, a single fiber that binds us together even as we crouch in our trenches of imagined division.

Can we not find inspiration in this tale, questioning our own narratives and the divisions they create? I challenge myself and you, dear listener, to seek common ground, to understand that we all inhabit this planet together, and to embrace our shared humanity.

A New Name for Season Two

As we conclude season one of the podcast, we are transitioning to our new name, Earthbound.

We have many more great interviews and thought-provoking episodes in store for the new season.

Thank you for listening.

Takeaways:

1. The 1914 Christmas truce during World War I exemplified humanity's capacity for empathy amidst conflict.
2. Myths and narratives shape our lives, influencing our values, purpose, and ultimately our actions.
3. In a poignant moment, soldiers from opposing sides united in the spirit of Christmas, transcending their enmity.
4. The human condition is a constant struggle between our better angels and darker impulses, especially in times of strife.
5. This holiday season, we are reminded of our potential to be a light in the darkness, just as those soldiers were.
6. The fleeting peace of the Christmas truce highlights the importance of finding common ground in divisive times.

Resources:

The Story of the 1914 Christmas Truce

Exploring the intersection of art, science, and environmental activism, this episode features thought provoking conversation with Joshua Harrison, director of the Center for the Study of the Force Majeure based at the University of California, Santa Cruz. 

The art-science environmental research collaborative challenges us to rethink our relationship with the planet and provoke us into thinking beyond the status quo and our long-held assumption about how the world works and our relationship to it. Harrison's work lives at the edges: the intersection of disciplines, the boundaries between land and water, and the uncomfortable space between what we know and what we choose to ignore. Through immersive installations like the Sensorium for the World Ocean and community-based fire ecology projects with indigenous partners, Harrison is pioneering new ways to help us feel—not just understand—our impact on the world that sustains us. 

Harrison unpacks why our modern disconnection from nature isn't just a philosophical problem, but a practical crisis with deadly consequences. From the urban heat island effect claiming thousands of lives to overgrown forests fueling catastrophic wildfires, he reveals how abandoning circularity, community, and indigenous wisdom has left us vulnerable to the very "acts of God" his center studies. 

Yet Harrison refuses to leave us in despair.

He traces the history of American innovation and destruction—from victory gardens to planned obsolescence, from universal education to the current brain drain—while pointing to concrete solutions: greening cities to match pre-colonial temperatures, recovering cultural burning practices, and building appreciating assets rather than extracting depreciating ones. The conversation explores how California's fire management thinking has shifted dramatically in just five years, proving that rapid change is possible when we're willing to learn.

That's Harrison's message for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the scale of environmental crisis. 

He illustrates how mapping local resilience projects, connecting young people to place-based action, and finding the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, and what needs fixing offers a practical antidote to paralysis. 

As Gary Snyder reminds us: “Find your place in the world, dig in, and take responsibility from there.”

Resources:

• Center for the Study of the Force Majeure
• Leaf Island
• Joshua Harrison on LinkedIn

In this short bonus episode, I briefly examine the complexities of modern consumerism and the often-overlooked hidden costs of our convenience-driven shopping habits. As we rush into another holiday shopping season, I revisit a 2018 article that explored the darker side of online shopping convenience, particularly during events like Cyber Monday.

The rapid evolution of retail and escalating consumer expectations, from the demand for same-day delivery to the profound human cost on logistics and fulfillment workers, present a stark reality. 

We’ll hear poignant accounts from industry workers, revealing the grim conditions that often go unnoticed as we click “buy now." As consumers, our knowledge and awareness empower us to make conscious decisions about what, where, and how we shop.

Takeaways:

• The rapid convenience of online shopping has hidden costs, both financial and ethical, that we need to acknowledge. 
• Witnessing the human toll behind instantaneous deliveries can change our perspective on what convenience really costs us. 
• As consumers, we have the power to reshape expectations and demand better working conditions for retail workers. 
• The dark side of e-commerce reveals uncomfortable truths about logistics and labor that are often overlooked. 
• With increased awareness, we can make informed decisions about our consumption habits and their broader impacts.

Resources:

• New York Times: The Daily Podcast: The Human Toll of Instant Delivery 
• The Nation: Amazon’s Prime Sweatshop Is Nothing to Celebrate
• Original article in Medium
• GlobalWarmingIsReal.com
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