Host Dave Schlom visits with NYU Environmental Studies Professor Michael Mehta Webster to discuss his book, The Rescue Effect: The Key to Saving Life on Earth. Webster is an environmental scientist with a fascinating take on how nature has built-in mechanisms that serve to preserve species and ecosystems in times of stress or disruptions. From epic salmon runs in Bristol Bay, Alaska, to coral reefs in the Caribbean, Webster lays out the natural processes that serve life adapting to environmental stressors.
In an era of gloom and doom warnings about climate change and habitat loss, Webster's book offers us hope that if we work with natural systems, there are ways that we can prevent the loss of biodiversity on Earth. But there is the caveat that we do have to act in concert with natural systems instead of against them and that confronting climate change is a vital part of that action. It's an uplifting and insightful conversation for everyone hoping for a future that isn't bleak!
