Convo: John Perlin on the Role of Trees in the Fate of Civilization
In this episode of Flanigan’s Eco-Logic, Ted speaks with John Perlin, Author of A Forest Journey: The Role of Trees in the Fate of Civilization.
He is also the author of three books on solar energy: A Golden Thread: 2500 Years of Solar Architecture and Technology; From Space to Earth: The Story of Solar Electricity; and Let It Shine: The 6000-Year Story of Solar Energy, as well as a visiting scholar in the department of physics at UC Santa Barbara.
He and Ted discuss him being a Los Angeles native, publishing the first edition of A Forest Journey: From Mesopotamia to North America” in 1986, and now, 34 years later, releasing an updated, third edition of the book via publisher, Patagonia.
John emphasizes the mitigation of climate change by renewing our symbiotic relationship with the trees that have sustained us. From construction to fuel to weaponry, John highlights that wood may be humanity’s most essential material. “Wood, in fact, is the unsung hero of the technological revolution that has brought us from stone-and-bone culture to our present age,” he writes.