Elizabeth Kolbert's first lecture will look at the ways humans are changing the world on a geological scale. In this talk, she will focus on changes to the atmosphere, changes to the chemistry of the oceans, and the rearrangement of the biosphere. 

In the second lecture, Elizabeth Kolbert will consider the human response to human domination of the planet. What steps will we take to counteract the effects of our (in many cases inadvertent) interventions in the biological and geochemical systems that support life? Some possibilities include: genetically engineering organisms to suit a rapidly changing world and re-engineering the atmosphere to offset global warming. Is it possible to, in effect, control for our own control? Or does it merely represent a new kind of hazard?”