Article by Katarina Zimmer, July 5, 2025
‘How the Biosphere 2 experiment changed our understanding of the Earth’
In recent years, however, many experts have come to see the Biosphere 2 experiment in a new light, with valuable lessons about ecology, atmospheric science, and, importantly, the irreplaceability of our own planet.
Lisa Rand, a historian of science at the California Institute of Technology, argues that these lessons are especially worth revisiting today as billionaires advance private space programs and float the idea of space colonies while our planet is increasingly suffering from climate change and other man-made problems. And to environmental scientists, the Biosphere 2 experiment also demonstrates the value of bold experiments to better understand how the natural world works.
In fact, today, the facility is bustling with scientists testing the effects of climate change on its living ecosystems. Far from helping humans escape Earth, Biosphere 2 seems to have become one of our best tools to understand Biosphere 1.
This place—Biosphere 2—was an audacious, controversial, and deeply influential experiment that still ripples through how we understand the Earth and our relationship to it today.
The recently published BBC Future article written by Katarina Zimmer dives into the profound legacy of Biosphere 2, revisiting the bold ideas and turbulent challenges that defined the project. But its significance cannot be overstated: Biosphere 2 was more than an experiment. It was a prototype for planetary stewardship.
For those of us working in ecological restoration, agroecology, forestry, sustainability, education, or bioregional design, Biosphere 2 remains a touchstone. It invites us to embrace bold experimentation while remaining grounded in ecological reality. It reminds us that modeling Earth’s systems is as much an art as a science and that empathy, creativity, and cooperation are just as essential as data.
Today, as the world faces unprecedented environmental challenges, the call is not to recreate Biosphere 2—but to live as if we were already inside it. Because, in truth, we are. Earth is our biosphere. There is no “outside.”
The sooner we act with that understanding, the better our chances of thriving—together.
Photo above by Steven Meckler
Photos below by Abigail Alling
