Destroying the Natural World | The Regular People Podcast Ep. 33

A conversation with Aaron Taylor. Aaron has appeared on two previous episodes. To listen to those, check out episodes 11 and 24. We discuss marijuana use, environmentalism, ecosystem collapse, peak oil, renewable energy, pesticides, nuclear energy and nuclear weapons, religious fundamentalism, methane emissions, natural carbon sinks, asteroid mining, overpopulation, technological progress, unitarianism, and criticisms of atheism.
Timestamps:
0:00 Aaron’s thoughts on his previous two episodes
3:42 Marijuana use and abuse
14:18 Updates in Aaron’s life since the last time he was on
21:46 The line between keeping conversation friendly and pushing back against bad ideas
26:01 Environmentalism and ecosystem collapse
37:32 Solar and wind power
45:33 Peak oil and nuclear energy
1:03:14 Methane and carbon sinks
1:08:44 Asteroid mining and long-term sustainability
1:12:36 The loss of the natural world
1:29:29 Population decline and women’s rights
1:37:31 Aaron’s newfound religiosity/spirituality
2:00:17 Aaron’s parting advice
World War 1 lasted for four years.
I don’t think what I said about oil companies being some of the biggest leaders in renewable energy is true. I do think it’s true that they’re investing into it in order to be profitable in a post-oil world, but not that they’re “some of the biggest” leaders or investors in the industry. I think for the most part they’re still trying to beat the dead horse of oil until it stops spitting out money.
At around 59:00 I’m not sure what I said about nuclear waste is correct. I said something like “nuclear waste isn’t a thing anymore, we’ve found a way to use it” and I think the more accurate statement would be “nuclear waste is still a thing, however the risk it poses it significantly smaller than ever due to advances in nuclear waste management.” Basically, there still is nuclear waste, but the concerns about it are inflated.
At 1:06:05 I said “whereas if you have a rainforest, that’s emitting carbon for as long as the rainforest exists…” here I meant to say "sequestering" carbon rather than “emitting".
Books to read:
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Beyond Civilization by Daniel Quinn
Endgame by Derrick Jensen
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
The End of Oil by Paul Roberts
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[@WadeAllen001]

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[@dokchan7831]

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