In the episode of Exploration, accessible 29 April, 2012 on Stitcher Radio, Dr. Michio Kaku interviews Prof. Peter Ward and the discussion centers on the rise of sea levels brought about by Climate Change.
This past week, my students and I discussed the awesome technological achievement that Tenochtitlan was. This Mexica (aka. Aztec) city appeared, to the arriving Conquistadors, to rise out of lake Texcoco’s depths. With a population hovering around a million at its height, Tenochtitlan had solved the problems of feeding its people and protecting the island city from the tides of the lake.
Comparisons between the Mexica capital and the European city of Venice was expected. A tangential discussion arose about the centuries-old sinking of Venice as nature slowly claims the land from Man. Which brings me to this weeks discussion on Exploration. Prof. Ward describes a climate scenario for 2050 and 2100 if human civilization continues on its path of energy use and climate impact. In that scenario, Venice is discussed and predictions on the historic city’s chance of survival are put forward. I was pleased to hear these scientists discuss the technology and climate impacting this city in a manner that paralleled my classes’ discussion on Tenochtitlan and Venice. The only things my classes lacked were the research detail these scientists were able to bring to bear on the subject and the 60 minutes of time they had to discuss the topic.
Prof. Peter Ward (Professor of Biology and Earth & Planetary Science at the University of Washington, Seattle) is interviewed on Exploration (hosted by Dr. Michio Kaku, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Graduate Center of City College of New York, CUNY).
