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Mr. Roson is a science writer in Washington, DC, and author of the critically acclaimed book THE CARBON AGE: How Life's Core Element Has Become Civilization's Greatest Threat.
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Eric Roston Bio -
Mr. Roson is a science writer in Washington, DC, and author of the critically acclaimed book THE CARBON AGE: How Life's Core Element Has Become Civilization's Greatest Threat. The book, based on three years of research, argues that "carbon" is the most important word that many people understand the least. The book traces the dynamic, fundamental science that unifies seemingly disparate parts of our experience: Climate, energy, health, industry--the fastest way to learn the most about the world is through the carbon atom. The book is published by Walker & Co.
The book has received endorsements from many prominent thinkers.Writing in the journal Nature, Sir John Meurig Thomas compared The Carbon Age to Michael Faraday's historic public lectures. The book met an exuberant reception at TIME, Newsweek, NPR, Discover,New Scientist, the publishing journals, and the blogosphere. Library Journal included it in its "Best of 2008" list, and Choice called it "a winner and a keeper."
Roston is Senior Associate in the Washington, DC, office of The Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University. He is a member of Monitor Talent, the speaker's bureau and advisory based in Cambridge, Mass.
Previously, Roston wrote for TIME, in its Washington bureau, where he covered economics, politics and technology. Roston joined the magazine in 2000 as a business reporter in the New York bureau, covering stories such as the collapse of Enron, China's emergence as a force in global trade, and how advanced computing technologies are reshaping the economy. An eyewitness to the collapse of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, Roston was a part of the reporting team that won a National Magazine Award for best single-issue coverage.
In September 2002, Roston became a part of TIME's Washington bureau. He traveled extensively with President George W. Bush and Senators John Kerry and John Edwards during the 2004 election campaign, providing analysis and reporting to the magazine's seasoned political team. He was also a frequent contributor to the magazine's work on energy, environmental and health issues. He has penned a monthly column on technology and society for TIME Inside Business. In the spring of 2004, he became Time.com's first blogger, writing a daily commentary on "the technology that will carry us through tomorrow -- and the stuff that keeps us stuck in yesterday."
Roston has been a guest on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," CleanSkies.tv, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBC, National Public Radio and various radio stations nationwide and abroad. Prior to TIME, he wrote for LIFE magazine and contributed to Slate.com, where he wrote the "Today's Papers" column. Roston, who is fluent in Russian, holds an M.A. in Russian history, and a B.A. in modern European history, both from Columbia University. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, Karen, and daughter.
Eric also relayed this update to PlanetShifter.com:
I'm on the Board of Directors of a new nonprofit called Bounce the Light. Its goal is to encourage people and institutions to paint their roofs white, in order to reflect solar energy back out into space (and not insignificantly, reduce summertime energy bills). Secretary of Energy Steven Chu has said that global action on something as simple as white roofs can help fight global warming.
I'm also a co-founder of The C60 Network, which is a salon of environmental entrepreneurs in the Washington, DC, region. We don't have an official Website yet.
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"There is so much that Ginkgo biloba is able to tell us. I hope we'll all continue to listen."
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The PlanetShifter.com Event Circle Interview with Eric Roston, author of The Carbon Age by Willi Paul
What is your cause? Has it changed since the release of The Carbon Age?
I'm not sure I have a cause in the advocacy sense. Climate change is so complicated that I believe the global community in general, and the rich nations in particular, have a responsibility to reduce emissions and deforestation as rapidly as they can bear it (actually, more rapidly than they can bear it). But the thing I'm a real advocate for, the thing that I lose sleep over, is a public discourse degraded by imprecision, selective facts, and at worst, lying and disinformation. I'm a strong believer in transparency in public speech -- journalism, political rhetoric, or otherwise. This hasn't changed since the publication of The Carbon Age. In fact, I probably think about it more. Having gone through as many sources as I did, I'm always curious what everyone else's sources are. They're not always easy to find.
How has your book and messages impacted your parents (or other seniors in your network)?
My Dad read, I think, every page of every draft generated over three years. He didn't have a natural interest in the material. And in fact, I just think he was more curious about how someone would go about writing a book, and wanted to peer over my shoulder. My Mom took on a higher awareness of the issue. I think my work sensitized them to the issue, and probably gave it greater dimension.
I worked with many senior scientists in the US and abroad. Their support and encouragement made the book possible. I was very grateful that they saw promise in the basic premise. Many talked about their children and grandchildren, and the concern they had about climate risk.
What does "localize" mean to you? Any examples?
It's been encouraging to see such interest toward "living locally," particularly when it comes to food and communities that allow people to work a short distance from home. Colin Beavan ("No Impact Man") told me about research he was reading, I think by University of Virginia's , showing that the factor causing American parents unhappiness, in comparison with European parents, is the amount the former spend in cars.
What Age will your daughter live in? Do you think she will be tolerate a “personal emissions allowance?”
I hope it will be the Age of Wisdom, in which we have made good decisions that lead to sustainable use of the resources that make life and modernity possible. As Franny Armstrong's recent film argues, if not, the alternative is that our time will be remembered as the "Age of Stupid."
Are you suggesting a major paradigm shift in values in the USA? If so, please describe this shift.
It's not a major paradigm shift in values. It's a major paradigm shift in adherence to the values that we already have. Every religious faith that I know of worships the natural world and creation. It's past time for us to treat nature--and by extension, others around the world, and generations to come--according to the principles we already have and generally think we adhere to.
Do you see any unity of green action in your professional circle? Neighborhood? City?
We're seeing enormous action in the US in abroad. The scientists advise us to get moving very, very quickly on climate policy. That deadline overshadows the fact that as far as major legislative initiatives go, the climate effort has come together pretty quickly. For a decade now, there's been a lot of activity on the state and local levels. In Washington, DC, we already have a pretty low carbon footprint, compared to many Americans, because communities are walkable, and there are lots of cyclists.
How do you personally live the green life?
I've pretty much devoted my career to finding ways to nudge "the system" toward action on climate change. I work for the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University. We're nonpartisan, and charged with helping all players in the climate debate find equitable and productive solutions to these complicated issues. Communication plays a role in climate solutions, and I enjoy being able to make scientific, policy, economics, and technology material available to audiences that might not otherwise reach for it.
Personally, I've always been a very urban person, walking to work and the stores, and not flying much. And there's always, much, much more we can do.
What are some of the sustainability-related values that are important for human evolution ahead?
I think you've put your finger on it in the earlier question about living locally, to the extent possible. We also need to ask ourselves hard questions about the amount we consume, and what we consume. Consumption is the driving factor of all of this. There's a Buddhist idea that you should "want what you have," not what you don't have. We could use a dose of that.
Is sustainability a new religion?
No, I prefer not to see it as religion. Our understanding of climate change is really driven by data, scientific data. It's driven by evidence collection and logical reasoning. Continued scientific observation will help inform how we should react to climate change. But I fear that invoking a new religion is too far away from the scientific data. Science really requires a flexible mind, as we assimilate ever-increasing amounts of data. It's the opposite of dogma.
What stories and myths are critical to understanding the carbon age?
Although I don't think sustainability is a religion, our traditional religions have much to inform us about how to manage carbon. We're all supposed to "tend the garden." If we really lived by that admonishment, we'd be a long way toward solving the problem. I also think there's a lot to be gained from the symbol Uroboros, the snake that consumes and reproduces itself. The material of life cycles around the Earth system, always creating new life from the same, old material. That's a great metaphor to keep in mind in the carbon age.
Did you uncover new cultural symbols by writing this book?
Uroboros isn't new, but I liked that one. The Uroboros myth has special meaning for carbon, because of the role August Kekule, the German 19th century chemist, said it had in his major discoveries.
I really fell for the Ginkgo tree. Ginkgo biloba is one of the oldest existing trees, at least 120 million years old. It has survived meteor strikes, hot and cold climates, and millions of other hardships. It's surviving, in fact prospering, in the industrial age, because it's a beautiful tree and it's useful to humans. This is chapter five of The Carbon Age. There is so much that Ginkgo biloba is able to tell us. I hope we'll all continue to listen. Ginkgo is underexploited as a cultural symbol. Kor Kwant has done a wonderful job building a shrine to it at the Ginkgo pages.
Do you use Linkedin.com? If so, please critique it for us.
I have a Linked In account, but I almost never use the site. I'll look at it when things settle down here.
How do we get people out of their cars, Eric?
I've joked that the "car of the future" is a bus. Americans like their cars, mostly and unfortunately, many of our cities were designed with them in mind. In Washington, DC, the traffic problem has gotten so out of hand that urban planners are thinking about putting in (thankfully!) street trolleys again, modern ones. I see a lot of people who claim to love their cars, but hate driving an hour to and from work. What's so great about a car culture that traps us in metal boxes 2 hours a day? As people see the benefit of better alternatives, I hope that will make a difference.
How do you characterize the next version of capitalism as it relates to energy sources and energy consumption?
Capitalism is ever-evolving. The next phase of capitalism is the best solution we have to the current phase of capitalism. The global economy is slowly shifting its incentive structure so that polluting sources of energy will be more expensive. We're seeing a huge influx of capital into energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Once the market sees that there are suddenly all kinds of new ways to create value -- people in the market tend to go out and create more value than anyone ever imagined might be there!
What online communities do you use? What makes one better than another? (see: http://www.planetshifter.com/node/1383 )
Grist.org -- This is a wonderful news and analysis site, funny and smart.
WorldChanging.org -- This upbeat, informative site is a thought center on the Internet for sustainable living.
Complusalliance.org -- I recently spent a month in India and because acquainted with the leadership of this association of journalists interested in sustainable living, and the role journalists and communicator play in it.
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