Traces of civilization’s impact on our planet are everywhere. Global warming, mass extinctions, and the proliferation of man-made technologies have served as harbingers for a new era in the history of our planet, one in which humans hold the greatest influence on our environment. In this new age everything is changing—the land, the sea, the sky, life itself—and as Earth’s new stewards, we must learn to thrive along with all life on Earth or confront a future we are, quite frankly, ill-prepared for.

In his new book, The Unnatural World: The Race to Remake Civilization in Earth’s Newest Age, David Biello, the science curator for TED Conferences and former environment and energy editor for Scientific American, argues there is a silver lining to our environmental crisis. According to Biello, there is hope to change our future by following the example of an unlikely assortment of innovators, mad scientists, government officials, billionaires, and ordinary people throughout the world who have taken on the responsibility humans possess in this new era to cultivate a better future.

On Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 6 p.m., Future Tense will host a happy hour conversation in Washington, D.C., where David Biello will discuss what men and women across the world are doing to ensure that this human era endures. He’ll be in conversation with Laura Helmuth, health, science, and environment editor at the Washington Post. For more information and to RSVP, visit the New America website.