A hostile interview by TalkRadio with an environmental activist quickly took a turn toward the bizarre, with the host ultimately dunking on the guest’s statement that you “can’t grow concrete.” Yes, you can, the station insists.
What happened on TalkRadio on Tuesday was arguably one of the outstanding examples of trainwreck interviews. The conservative station invited a spokesman for the controversial eco-group Insulate Britain, infamous for causing regular traffic jams in the UK by closing highways. Some activists glued themselves to roads to stall police response.
The guest, Cameron Ford, didn’t have much of a chance to make the case for his movement, as host Mike Graham instantly adopted an accusatory tone. He inquired about Ford’s occupation, which turned out to be a carpenter, and asked: “How safe is that for the climate?”
The activist started explaining that timber is a renewable carbon-capturing material that is actually quite good in that department, but Graham would not have it. He insisted that “killing trees” cannot possibly be good for the environment. The two sparred over which building materials can be grown, with Ford pointing out that “you can’t grow concrete.”
“You can,” Graham responded emphatically, leaving Ford speechless. The interview, which by that time had lasted for less than a minute, was then wrapped up by the host.
Mike: "It turns out you can actually grow concrete."
Futurist Tom Cheesewright: "Yes, you can grow stone and effectively turn carbon dioxide in to a variety of stone like materials. In the fundamentals of the process, you are correct."@Iromg | #insulatebritain | #ConcreteMikepic.twitter.com/4qiTAydQwL
The sheer awkwardness of the exchange has proven to be a gold mine in terms of viewer engagement, spreading across social media like wildfire. TalkRadio enjoyed a hefty share of that attention. It featured the clip in a compilation of “failures” by Insulate Britain, asked people if they agreed that concrete can be “grown” (at least “metaphorically”) and pointed attention to a study, in which material dubbed “living concrete” by researchers was produced with the help of bacteria. The latter is not expected to substitute actual concrete since its properties are closer to that of mortar.
Meanwhile, people not convinced by the semantic gymnastics bombarded the outlet with a wave of mockery. Many posted images of “concrete seeds” and of what may grow if they get “planted.”
See a lot of you laughing about this very serious issue, one our local allotment holders planted a couple of concrete bushes around 4 years ago and now look at it, wake up people. pic.twitter.com/WYBwqqVbO7
One commenter asked Graham for advice on concrete gardening while another one shared a photo of “a giraffe calmly eating one of its favourite trees” – i.e. a yellow demolition crane at work.
— Secretary of State for Socially Uncaring Health (@HUncaring) October 26, 2021
Concrete is basically a mixture of aggregates like sand or gravel, water and cement, usually with various admixtures, which hardens after being poured. It’s by far the most-used building material on Earth and is obviously not grown in the sense that trees can be grown. Cement production is a major source of greenhouse gases, accounting for an estimated 8% of carbon dioxide emissions, so it’s quite natural for an environmental activist like Ford to view concrete with suspicion.
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