David Howe

Earth and social scientist Prof David Howe explains how almost all the material world around us started life as rock or mineral and warns that we are polluting the oceans, changing the climate, and scraping away at the surface of the planet at an unprecedented rate.

Howe says a geologist has had a hand in everything from your window to your mobile phone and the bricks that built your home. He says we are living in the Anthropocene, a new geological era created by the profound impact we are having on the Earth, and he asks what the future holds for a depleted and overheated planet.

Howe is a retired academic in Earth sciences and social sciences and author of books on psychology, relationships, and social work.