Clip of the Week: Dwelling in the Future

As the 2020 Presidential Election approaches, debates are raising the question: what is the most important change that needs to be done? From immigration to women’s rights, candidates like Elizabeth Warren discussed their plans to save planet Earth for the current and future generations. Plans for reversing–or at least pausing–climate change are not necessarily new, but as the years go by places like the North Pole and Alaska are losing icebergs, causing species to become endangered at rapid rates. The scary part is that cold environments are not the only places being affected.

Planet Earth has provided housing for many species, one of them being a beautiful creature: the Monarch Butterfly. For years, the monarch butterfly is the only insect known to migrate 2,500 miles to a warmer climate each year, but this may soon come to an end. According to National Geographic, monarch butterfly migration dropped 86% from 2017 to 2018. And in just two decades, its population has dropped from an estimated 1 billion to 35 million. These staggering numbers have become a concern for many, including Mitchell Joachim, co-founder of Terreform ONE. The architect designed a biome sanctuary for butterflies, and you can now see it displayed at the Cooper Hewitt in NYC.

MNN partnered with MCNY for "Housing Tomorrow's City". New York is in the midst of a housing crisis, with the cost of housing increasingly unaffordable. Designers and artists discuss manifestations of future living in New York City. The panel features; design researcher Alix Gerber, architect Mitchell Joachim, science fiction writer Sam Miller, and artist Ayodamola Tanimowo Okunseinde. Moderated by K.A. Dilday, senior editor at CityLab.

Watch full episode here.

Watch more of Housing Tomorrow's City.