ENVIRONMENTAL 

TECHNO-UTOPIAS:

building nature better

KATE LYNCH & CHRISTOPHER LEAN

What if conservation aimed beyond the restoration of our planet, towards an improved nature?

Rather than fixing a broken environment, we could build a better one.

Broadcast 23 October 2025 by ABC Radio National's Philosopher's Zone Program. 2025’s lecture took the form of a Panel Discussion with host David Rutledge.

Watch: Video - ABC Radio National - Facebook Stream

Listen: Audio - The Philosopher's Zone

Human activity has created multiple environmental crises that threaten life on Earth. Science and policy are working to repair this damage as part of global conservation efforts, but some argue we should go further. What if conservation aimed beyond the restoration of our planet, towards an improved nature? Rather than fixing a broken environment, we could build a better one. An environment that better serves the needs of humans and even improves animal welfare.

Emerging technologies are moving us closer to this possibility. They could allow us to redesign ecosystems, revive proxies for lost species, and even invent new ecological functions. If perfected, these tools could enable us to intentionally create “better” environments. But what kind of world would that be?

This talk explores that question through the lens of science fiction, from G. R. R. Martin to Isaac Asimov, and philosophy. We believe that imagining techno-utopias (and dystopias) can expose just how complex it is to value nature, and that this complexity must guide how we set our goals for its future.

www.katelynch.net  •  christopherhlean.weebly.com

Alan Saunders Lecture