Interview with Geoffrey Bowker
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Video transcript: "We have this strange arrogance that thinks that the present time is the ideal time. We've got the perfect climate now, we've got the perfect set of species now. Climates are always changing, they're going to change over time, they always have changed. And the species that inhabit the Earth, that populate the Earth are always going to change. Now, when we talk about biodiversity preservation, what's wrong with this picture was - the only way of preserving biodiversity is creating these little pockets and in these pockets were going to kind of create this bubble, which is going to preserve the current climate, preserve the current ecosystem, keep things the way that they are. Now there's a very strong argument in biodiversity circles that's not what we should be about. Species are going to die, species die all the time that's not a problem - what we need to do is create the ability for new species to come into being and that has some immediately paradoxical effects. The first is that it's worth while, instead of keeping, say, a giant panda and an elephant, the kind of charismatic megafauna that everyone loves and cares about, which are important.
We should keep two sister species, two species which are fairly close to each other in genetic structure, because then they can breed together and create a new species which adapts to the new conditions. Whatever happens, whether we stop climate change at 1.2 degrees, 3 degrees, 4 degrees or, as much more likely, 5 to 8 degrees now. Whatever happens, we're gonna be dealing with the need for adaptive change over the next couple of centuries. What we need to be doing is preserving the ability to change, keeping that flexibility there, keeping that adaptability going and forgetting about this chimera of trying to protect species which, ultimately are doomed to die anyway. That's a bit of a negative ending..."
Other interviews with Geoffrey Bowker