About Global Town Hall June 2026

On the last Sunday of June, a micro-community of activists, scholars, and researchers gathered virtually for Project Save the World’s monthly town hall. Hosted by Metta Spencer—who casually announced her upcoming 95th birthday during the call—the conversation served as a stark barometer of human anxiety. What began as a gentle dialogue about the emotional lives of California mountain lions seamlessly evolved into a sweeping interrogation of the poly-crisis facing modern civilization: the erosion of human intellect via artificial intelligence, the rise of “surveillance capitalism,” experimental nonviolent pedagogy, and the grinding realities of the war in Ukraine.

The Minds of the Wild

The session opened with Marilyn Krieger, a California-based behavioral therapist specializing in felines. Krieger monitors local mountain lions and bobcats to observe how rampant urbanization and human encroachment—even seemingly benign additions like hiking trails in open-space areas—disrupt wildlife behavior.

Marilyn Krieger

For Krieger, the core of her work relies on building human empathy. By profiling individual animals on social media, she hopes to inspire voters to protect local ecosystems. “Animals are capable of very complex emotions,” Krieger noted, sharing a striking story captured on her trail cameras. After a mother deer fled from a perceived threat, her three-week-old fawn deliberately turned back to nudge and rescue an anxious, lagging sibling.

“Most people think animals are purely instinct-driven... but this little fawn was showing concern for her sibling.”