Earthbound (Formerly Global Warming Is Real)

·S2 E29

Bridget Lyons | Entwined: Dispatches From the Intersection of Species

March 27
57 mins

Episode Description

A Shift in Perception

What if the climate crisis isn’t just about what we’re doing to the planet, but how we see it? What if it is our flawed perception of the world and our place within it that separates us from nature and drives our destructive actions?

In this contemplative conversation, writer and wilderness guide Bridget Lyons explores how perspective shapes our relationship with the living world, and why empathy for other species might be the key to our survival.

Her book Entwined: Dispatches from the Intersection of Species weaves together 14 essays chronicling encounters with owls that hear heartbeats from 200 feet away, elk navigating human intervention in Yellowstone’s feeding programs, and octopuses revealing astonishing intelligence.

Lyons argues that we’ve inherited a hierarchical worldview—from Genesis to Descartes—that places humans above nature, but indigenous wisdom and ecological reality tell a different story: we've never been separate from the tapestry of life, only tangled within it.

The polycrisis we face—climate change, biodiversity collapse, ecosystem fragmentation—stems from a deeper forgetting: that Earth's systems are breathtakingly complex, and our attempts at control often trigger cascading consequences we never anticipated. Lyons challenges the notion that managing nature is the solution, suggesting instead that humility, curiosity, and what she calls "healthy anthropomorphization" can rebuild our severed connection to the more-than-human world.

From tamarisk invasions on Western rivers to chronic wasting disease threatening elk herds, she demonstrates how good intentions falter when we underestimate ecological entanglement. The antidote isn’t more data or policy alone. It's cultivating empathy as a practice, an exercisable muscle strengthened by simply stepping outside, observing an insect in the grass, and asking: What is it like to be this being?

Can wonder alone shift the trajectory of civilization? Lyons believes the answer lies not in grand solutions but in small acts of attention that crack open our hard shell of human-centered arrogance. She finds hope in bookstore audiences lighting up when sharing creature encounters, in the spider referred to as “who” rather than “that,” and in the possibility that perspective can turn on a dime when we put down our phones and rejoin the web of life, not as rulers, but as fellow participants.

Discover how encountering the non-human world might be the most revolutionary act of our time, and why fostering kinship with owls, fireweed, and sponges could be the remediation work that saves us all.

Learn more about Bridget Lyons and her work at bridgetalyons.weebly.com, and order Entwined from a local independent bookstore. Visit earthboundpodcast.com to explore past episodes and share your thoughts through our listener survey.

Takeaways:

  • Bridget Lyons emphasizes the importance of fostering empathy and kinship with non-human species through personal encounters and storytelling.
  • The historical narrative of human superiority over nature is deeply embedded in Western culture and is a primary cause of our current environmental crises.
  • Our separation from the living world leads to a crisis of perception, making it crucial to shift our worldview towards one of interconnectedness.
  • Empathy is not just a human skill but a vital muscle that can and should be exercised to connect with all living beings, bridging our relationship with nature.
  • Bridget highlights how well-intentioned wildlife management can sometimes lead to negative consequences, underscoring the complexity of ecosystems.
  • The podcast suggests that rebuilding our relationship with nature starts with simple acts of observation and curiosity, urging us to reconnect with the world outside our screens.

Resources:


Huntley Meadows Virgina by jdzikiewicz -- https://freesound.org/s/848979/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

See all episodes