If human beings disappeared from the earth tomorrow, the infrastructure of society would start to crumble immediately. Subways would be flooded within two days, nuclear reactors would melt down within a week, species including migrating birds, elephants, and now-feral housecats would thrive. The long-term forecast for earth shows land reclaimed by forests and glaciers, and humans outlived by their plastic bags, bronze sculptures, Uranium-238, and radio waves for most of eternity.
Author Alan Weisman has extrapolated this intriguing premise in his book The World Without Us, currently climbing the New York Times bestseller list. Based on current knowledge about the lifespan of manmade structures and materials, and the science that is now keeping the human world in operation, he outlines what the future could hold for a planet that is remarkably self-healing.
Offering an original approach to questions of humanity’s impact on the planet, Weisman will present this fascinating book and its theories in a special talk at The Banff Centre Monday, September 17, one of only two presentations the author has scheduled in Western Canada. His research has taken him deep into many scientific worlds, including engineering, atmospheric science, zoology, art conservation, marine biology, and astrophysics to shape his ideas and develop this remarkable book. During his Banff Centre talk, Weisman will speak about his experiences writing the book, outline his thoughts on the current environmental atmosphere, and answer questions from the audience.
Author of An Echo in My Blood and Gaviotas, Alan Weisman has written for The Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, The New York Times Magazine, Discover, National Public Radio and many others, and has been a contributing editor to The Los Angeles Times Magazine. A former Fulbright Senior Scholar in Colombia, he has received a Robert F. Kennedy citation for reporting on the disadvantaged, a World Hunger Year/Harry Chapin Media Award, a Four Corners Award for Best Non-fiction Book, a Los Angeles Press Club Award for Best Feature Story and a Best of the West Award in Journalism. Weisman lives in Massachusetts.
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