Science Revealed Dean’s Lecture series features journalist Gwynne Dyer
Historian and journalist Gwynne Dyer, author of Intervention Earth. discusses his new book and geoengineering at the Science Revealed Dean’s Lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
The lecture series brings renowned and captivating speakers to the TRU Kamloops campus to reveal scientific discoveries and their application, making science accessible to audiences with diverse backgrounds and interests.
Dyer has spent the past three years interviewing over a hundred climate scientists and engineers for Intervention Earth. Geoengineering initially frightened climate scientists, and early on, a clear majority ruled it out as too dangerous. By now, Dyer believes, a majority have reluctantly leaned the other way — we must hold the heat down to keep our societies intact while we cope with the changes.
Dyer’s talk is titled Planetary Maintenance Engineers, borrowing a phrase from 40 years ago to illustrate geoengineering — a solution he says has long scared climate scientists and engineers alike. But given that over the past ten years (2015-2024) the planet has experienced the 10 warmest years on record, he believes opinion on geoengineering is swinging — reluctantly — the other way.
Dyer has worked as a freelance journalist, columnist, broadcaster and lecturer on international affairs for most of his life, but he was originally trained as a historian. He was born in Newfoundland and received degrees from Canadian, American and British universities
Dyer lives in London. In 2010, he was made an officer of the Order of Canada.