GRA
Well-known member
Tonight at 8 (PDT; check your local listings), PBS' "American Experience" has an episode on Norman Borlaug, the Nobel-prize winner responsible for the 'Green Revolution', which depending on whose estimate you believe made it possible to feed an extra 1-3 billion people, but also had serious negative environmental effects.
If you find it interesting, I recommend reading "The Wizard and the Prophet", which looks at the competing ideologies of Borlaug and William Vogt, one of the environmentalists who influenced many who came after him in the 50s and later, and are far better known.
I'd never heard of him before reading the book, but I've sure as hell heard of his ideas and those of the generation he influenced.
I'm well aware of the environmental costs of the Green Revolution; OTOH, I find it way too elitist to say it shouldn't have been done - I'm not volunteering to die so others can be fed.
Anyway, the episode purports to look at both the positives and negatives, and IME Am Ex episodes are typically of a high standard.
Following that, Frontline is doing an episode on Covid-19, looking particularly at work on developing cures/vaccines.
If you find it interesting, I recommend reading "The Wizard and the Prophet", which looks at the competing ideologies of Borlaug and William Vogt, one of the environmentalists who influenced many who came after him in the 50s and later, and are far better known.
I'd never heard of him before reading the book, but I've sure as hell heard of his ideas and those of the generation he influenced.
I'm well aware of the environmental costs of the Green Revolution; OTOH, I find it way too elitist to say it shouldn't have been done - I'm not volunteering to die so others can be fed.
Anyway, the episode purports to look at both the positives and negatives, and IME Am Ex episodes are typically of a high standard.
Following that, Frontline is doing an episode on Covid-19, looking particularly at work on developing cures/vaccines.