On February 26th 2026, CeMoRe hosted the 10th Anniversary John Urry Lecture online, delivered by ‘visionary’ thinker and policy consultant, Jeremy Rifkin. Jeremy presented on his latest book, Planet Aqua: Rethinking Our Home in the Universe (2024), while also weaving in arguments from his 22 bestselling books (translated into more than 35 languages) about the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, the workforce, society, and the environment. The event was opened by Lancaster University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Steve Decent, and Jeremy’s talk was followed by a Q&A that was opened with comments from Professor Bron Szerszynski.
We are delighted to share a recording of this event. Please note that the recording began a short a couple of minutes into the proceedings, and so the video starts mid-way through Prof Decent’s opening remarks.
A summary of the book is provided below and here:
“What would happen if we suddenly realized that the planet we live on appeared eerily alien, as if we’d been teleported to some other distant world? That frightening prospect is now. Our planetary hydrosphere, which animates all life on Earth, is rebelling in the wake of a global warming climate, unleashing blockbuster winter snows, biblical spring floods, devastating summer droughts, heatwaves and wildfires and deadly autumn hurricanes, wreaking havoc on ecosystems, infrastructure, and society. While fossil fuels lit the fuse, it’s the hydrosphere that’s ringing the death knell.
“In Planet Aqua, Jeremy Rifkin argues that we have misjudged the very nature of our existence and to what we owe our lifeline. We have long believed that we live on a land planet when in reality we live on a water planet, and now the Earth’s hydrosphere is taking us into a mass extinction as it searches for a new normal.”
