The Planet Master

Synopsis. This radio play addresses the issues of human overpopulation and global nuclear war. The play describes the reasons why global nuclear war is likely to happen and considers a scenario in which Russia prevails after the war. Scene 1 describes the destruction to the biosphere that is being caused by large human numbers and industrial production. Scene 2 is a meeting with the Russian President, Prime Minister, and ministers of three portfolios – economic development, natural resources and environmental protection, and defense – in preparation for an annual presentation to Russia’s Duma. Scene 3 describes the state of Russia’s economy, and Scene 4 describes the state of its natural resources and environment. Scene 5 describes the nature and likelihood of nuclear war. Scene 6 describes goals, decision criteria, and strategy related to nuclear war. Scene 7 describes tactics for waging nuclear war. Scene 8 describes possibilities that might arise when access to important situational information is lost during nuclear war. Scene 9 describes implications of Russian goals and decision criteria, including discussion of how a small nuclear conflict could escalate to a large-scale one, and how Russia might prevail in such a war and establish a long-term-sustainable planetary management system. Scene 10 discusses long-term-sustainable population levels. Scene 11 discusses the state of the world twenty years after global nuclear war and Scene 12 describes an evening somewhere on the North American Great Plains, 500 years after the war.

Production Notes. Scenes 3 and 4 may be omitted for an abbreviated version of the play. Scenes 6 and 7 may be omitted for a further abbreviation. The play includes four sets: Scene 1 takes place in a radio studio, located anywhere in the world. Scenes 2-10 take place in a meeting room in the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia; Scene 11 takes place in the office of a human-resource officer in the Office of Planetary Management in Astoria, Oregon, 20 years after the occurrence of a global nuclear war; Scene 12 takes place outside a tepee on the North American Great planes, 500 years after this war.