With his string of bestselling novels, Neal Stephenson has carved out a space at the forefront of contemporary fiction, exploring and shaping our cultural imaginary about the future and how it might feel to inhabit it. In his latest novel, Termination Shock, Stephenson explores one of the most pressing global issues of our time—climate change. Frustrated by the inaction of the world’s nations and international institutions, billionaire restaurant chain magnate T.R. Schmidt hatches an audacious plan to use massive guns to blast huge quantities of sulfur into the upper atmosphere from his remote West Texas ranch.
With Termination Shock comes entertainment that also poses profound real-world questions: When will the world take the urgent action on climate change that is needed? What is the role of technology in this fight? Is there a role for motivated billionaires? How will their efforts interact with democratic processes and regimes of global governance? What if the answers are unconventional…and potentially dangerous?
Join us and our collaborators at Future Tense for a conversation with Stephenson on Wednesday, December 1 at 4:00 pm Eastern (2:00 pm in Arizona) to discuss these pressing questions, his latest work, and what the future holds.
This event is free and open to everyone. Register today!
Speakers:
Neal Stephenson, @nealstephenson
Author, Termination Shock
Ed Finn, @zonal
Director, Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University