Michèle Koppes, professor of glaciology at the University of British Columbia, will discuss the impact of rising sea levels and disappearing glaciers on communities that rely on the seas for tourism and their economies, and the impact on all of us who rely on fresh water to drink.
Next, WIRED’s global editorial director, Gideon Lichfield, will lead a panel discussion with Sylvia Earle, president and chair of Mission Blue, an organization fighting to protect marine ecosystems, and Sophia Kianni, founder of the Climate Cardinals and US representative to the UN Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, on what a new generation of climate activists can learn from their forebears who have been on the front lines for years.
Finally, Stephen Palumbi, professor of biology and marine science at Stanford, will walk us through the effort to revive and rejuvenate damaged ecosystems, from helping nature rebuild coral reefs that can withstand rising sea temperatures to reintroducing biodiversity to wild spaces using gene banks, frozen zoos, and more.
Our second segment focuses on the future of agriculture, which today is one of the biggest contributors to climate change. The sessions in this block are focused on how our food supply system can adapt to once fertile lands becoming unsuitable for farming, overuse of pesticides and fertilizers, and of course, the demand for more food to feed growing populations around the globe, as well as resistance by wealthy nations to changing their eating habits.
Leading the session is WIRED senior editor Michael Calore, who will make music with plants, live on stage. Then special projects editor Alan Henry hosts a series of discussions on the future of global agriculture. Ertharin Cousin, chief executive of Food Systems for the Future, will discuss the pressures that global communities—especially poorer ones—face from war, supply chain issues, and a changing environment, but he also comes armed with solutions from those same communities and how they’re mobilizing to make sure everyone is fed and healthy without destroying their lands in the process.
Alan Henry and Ertharin Cousin (via video) speak during RE:WIRED Green hosted by WIRED at SFJAZZ Center on September 28, 2022 in San Francisco, California.Photograph: Kimberly White/Getty Images
