Gaia Vince

She has travelled the world extensively to research this unique time in Earth’s history, in which increasing human activities are changing the planet – and us – as never before. Her first book, Adventures In The Anthropocene, documents these changes, how they’re affecting communities from the global south to the rich world, from scientists and engineers to business leaders and heads of state – and what we’re all doing about it. In 2015, it won the Royal Society Science Book of the Year Prize (she was the first female winner of the prize).

Her 2020 book, Transcendence: How Humans Evolved through Fire, Language, Beauty and Time, explores how we got here: how a smart ape became a planet-dominating force. It rewrites the story of our ‘ascent’, describing the co-evolution of our biology, environment and our culture. It’s the story of how we made ourselves and where we are headed. She is interested in human flows (through the planetary system) of people, resources and energy – our migrations and virtual migrations.

In 2022, she released Nomad Century: How to Survive the Climate Upheaval, in which she looked at the most underreported, seismic consequence of climate change: how it will force us to change where – and how – we live. Bristol Ideas interviewed Vince about this book following its release.

She writes articles for a variety of outlets, including the BBC, The Guardian, New Scientist, Australian Geographic, Science, and also makes and presents science documentaries for radio and television. Previously, she has held senior editorial positions at Nature, Nature Climate Change and New Scientist.

Photo credit: Matt Lincoln

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