Acts of God, Acts of Men: When We Turn Nature into a Weapon

Mother Nature can do a lot of damage. Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and droughts destroy landscapes and ruin lives. But what happens when humans are the ones creating these disasters? This episode of Distillations explores the many ways humans have provoked nature’s destructive forces purposefully and inadvertently through history. Our journey begins in Oklahoma, a state that now has more earthquakes than California. Reporter Anna Stitt talks to the people affected by these new quakes and finds out how their lives have changed. Then we talk to historian Jacob Darwin Hamblin about his latest book, Arming Mother Nature: The Birth of Catastrophic Environmentalism. He tells us how Cold War military planners sought to use the environment as a weapon and in the process discovered how vulnerable our planet really is. SHOW CLOCK: 00:03 Introduction 01:20 Oklahoma, the Earthquake State 11:07 Interview with Jacob Darwin Hamblin CREDITS: Hosts: Michal Meyer and Bob Kenworthy Guest: Jacob Darwin Hamblin Reporter: Anna Stitt Producer & Editor: Mariel Carr Music courtesy of the Audio Network.   Check out Distillations magazine at distillations.org, where you'll find articles, videos, and our podcast.