Скачать или смотреть Their Vital Role in Climate Dynamics, Rain, and The Biotic Pump with Anastassia Makarieva | TGS 193

(Conversation recorded on July 9th, 2025)

To best understand this episode, please watch this ~2 minute video on the biotic pump:
   • Biotic Pump and Flying Rivers  

It’s widely known that Earth’s forests provide home to countless numbers of species, act as a vast sink for carbon, and provide much of the food, materials, and clean water on which our societies rely. But emerging science shows us that forests may play another critical role: making rain. This theory, called the biotic pump theory, hypothesizes that instead of being passive recipients of rain, forests may actively create the conditions for precipitation over land – a premise that turns modern meteorology on its head.

In this episode, Nate is joined by physicist Anastassia Makarieva about the critical yet often overlooked role forests play in maintaining ecological balance and climate stability. Through the lens of the biotic pump theory, she highlights the importance of moisture and rainfall cycles, the dangers of ecosystem tipping points, and the escalating risks of deforestation. Anastassia argues that a paradigm shift is needed – one that redefines how humanity understands and manages forests in the fight against global heating.

What would climate models reveal if they fully integrated the Biotic Pump Theory? How might policies protecting against deforestation evolve if societies recognized the irreplaceable role forests play in how water moves on land? And beyond policy, how might reconnecting with our deep interdependence on forests help us rediscover a richer connection to ourselves as individuals?

About Anastassia Makarieva:

Dr. Anastassia Makarieva is a Russian atmospheric physicist and senior researcher at the Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute. She obtained her Ph.D. in atmospheric physics from St. Petersburg State University in 2000. Makarieva is best known for co-developing the "biotic pump" theory alongside the late Professor Victor Gorshkov. The theory posits that forests play a crucial role in driving atmospheric moisture transport, effectively influencing rainfall patterns over land. Her work emphasizes the importance of intact forests in maintaining climate stability and has challenged conventional climate models to incorporate the dynamic role of vegetation in atmospheric processes.


Show Notes and More:
https://www.thegreatsimplification.co...

Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie:
   • The Great Simplification | Film on Energy,...  

---

Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future:
https://www.thegreatsimplification.co...

Join our Substack newsletter:
https://natehagens.substack.com/

Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners:
https://www.hylo.com/groups/the-great...

---

00:00 - Introduction
03:38 - Anastassia's Background
11:35 - The Role of Forests
14:17 - Climate Models
23:45 - Biotic Pump Theory
34:22 - Differences in Rainfall
37:48 - Deforestation
45:27 - Greenhouse Gases
53:06 - Wildfires
58:42 - Desertification
01:04:57 - Types of Forests
01:11:38 - Tipping Points
01:18:05 - Three Legged Model
01:25:04 - Adopting the Biotic Pump Theory
01:31:44 - What Can We Do?
01:35:15 - Anastassia's Favorite Forest
01:39:57 - Closing Questions