WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT?

• 9 ways to feel about our changing planet 🌎, with Dr. Kate Marvel

  Today is publication day for our favorite climate scientist. Dr. Kate Marvel wrote a book called Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet. Kate is a researcher at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (one of the world’s leading research centers), where she specializes in climate modeling. Although, given the various infuriating, retrograde, anti-climate science shenanigans of the Trump administration 😤, who knows how much longer that will remain the case...I wrote a blurb for the back cover of Human Nature: “This is the best climate book I’ve ever read. It’s magnificent—both planetary and personal, saturated with electric metaphors, incisive vignettes, legitimately funny jokes, and an unflappable, knowing love for Earth, our home.”Which is to say, buy this book and enjoy this conversation with Dr. Marvel: her science origin story, what her book is all about, how climate science is under attack by the Trump administration — and what that means for Kate’s work, and all of us.Kate’s CALLS TO ACTION* Stand up for our ability to understand the Earth, aka climate research. Call your representatives and senators. Call your mom and tell her to call her reps and senators.* Learn a bit more about climate science.Mentioned in this episode* Alarmed by Trump Cuts, Scientists Are Talking Science. For 100 Hours. covered by New York Times* Goddard Institute for Space Studies* Why Is NASA Shuttering This Iconic Institute in New York City?* Kate’s book: Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet* Dance Your Ph.D. contestCredits: This episode was made possible with the support of Future Being, a grantmaking and special projects studio which supports the healing of our planet and the safeguarding of biological and cultural diversity. This show is produced and edited by Matthew Nelson/Stramash Media and me (Ayana), with help from Jenisha Shrestha. And many thanks to our guest Dr. Kate Marvel. Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

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• Climate influencers, organizers, education 👩🏻‍🏫, and Texas, with Alexia Leclercq

  Alexia Leclercq is a face of the youth climate movement — something that, as we discussed, is a tricky thing to be.She is a grassroots environmental justice organizer and scholar in Austin, Texas. Alexia is also co-founder of the Colorado River Conservancy and of Start:Empowerment, an education non-profit that provides students and teachers with an immersive climate justice curriculum. She’s led campaigns at the international and local levels to phase out fossil fuels, fight for clean water, and so much more — and she’s still in her mid-20s!In this conversation, we talk about the impact of social media and influencer culture on the climate movement, how the generations – from Alpha to Boomer to Zoomer – can collaborate, and what getting it right looks like in her home state of Texas.There’s nothing like hearing someone half your age describing their strategy and devotion to climate solutions — what a kick in the pants to step up your own work! Tune in, get inspired, and take up her call to action.ALEXIA’S CALL TO ACTION* Find an ongoing campaign happening in your community/town/city and do one thing to show up for that existing campaign — whether it’s social or environmental justice, affordable housing, whatever it is, do something for a local campaign.Mentioned in the episode:* More than 90% of Democrats, Republicans and Independents consider right to clean and clean water to be “essential rights important to being an American today.”* Young Scholars for Justice* Alexia’s organization, Start:Empowerment is a youth BIPOC-led non-profit at the nexus of climate education, solutions, and environmental justice.* Alexia’s op-ed on Teen Vogue: Social Media Influencers Get Media Attention on Climate Change — Grassroots Activists Don’t* Colorado River Conservancy* People Organized in Defense of Earth and Her Resources (PODER)CREDITSThis episode was made possible with the support of Future Being, a grantmaking and special projects studio which supports the healing of our planet and the safeguarding of biological and cultural diversity.This show is produced and edited by Matthew Nelson/Stramash Media and me (Ayana), with help from Jenisha Shrestha. And many thanks to our guest Alexia Leclerq. Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

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  57:49
• EPA, IRA, WTF 🤬, with Gina McCarthy

  For this live event at the WBUR Festival, Gina McCarthy and I discussed the EPA, the IRA, what’s at stake for us all... and, why we must never, ever pave paradise.Gina led the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under President Obama, was president of NRDC, and then, under President Biden, became the first ever National Climate Advisor, setting up a climate team in the White House.Perhaps Gina’s crowning achievement was her work on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Congress passed this landmark bill in 2022, which allocated about $400 billion to the clean energy transition and has so far created over 400,000 clean energy jobs. It also reframed climate action as an economic opportunity — America can move away from fossil fuels, while reinvigorating the economy.It was a huge deal, pivotal both in dollars and in shifting the status quo. But much of this climate progress, much of Gina’s work, is now under threat from the Trump administration. 🤬 So, Gina's shared her take on where we go from here.Gina’s Calls to Action* Work in your communities at the local level. Build constituencies. It’s all about working together.* Don’t let young people think they don’t have a future. Show them they have a hand in building the future.Mentioned in this episode:* EPA’s clean power plant rule* The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is the largest investment for climate in U.S. history.* Roughly 80% of IRA benefits in republican districts.* More than 400,000 new clean energy jobs have been created since the passage of IRA.* Texas and Iowa lead on wind energy generation.* Utility-scale solar is the cheapest form of energy, in most places.* America is All In initiative* My op-ed in Rolling Stone: What Now for Climate under Trump? Act Locally* Almost half the drinking water in the country is contaminated.* They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals by Mariah BlakeCredits: This episode was made possible with the support of Future Being, a grantmaking and special projects studio which supports the healing of our planet and the safeguarding of biological and cultural diversity. This show is produced and edited by Matthew Nelson/Stramash Media and me (Ayana), with help from Jenisha Shrestha. Thank you to WBUR and Grist for hosting us, and many thanks to Gina McCarthy. Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

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  46:38
• A sweet How to Save a Planet reunion 🎙️, plus electrifying buildings 🌇, with Alex Blumberg

  Today’s episode is a very sweet reunion with my former podcast co-host Alex Blumberg. Alex and I co-created How to Save a Planet, which ran for 2 years as Spotify’s flagship climate show. This episode opens with the hilariously unlikely origin story of our fab collab. (Note: When you hit play, remember to also follow this podcast :)Podcast nerds will be familiar with Alex’s work, but for the rest: Alex was a longtime producer at This American Life, one of the biggest radio/podcast shows of all-time. He went on to co-create to show Planet Money, and then co-founded Gimlet Media, a podcast company that launched huge shows like Reply All and Science Vs. Gimlet also made How to Save a Planet. This was our first time back in a recording studio together since 2022. He’s now retired from podcasting — he hung up his headphones and launched something entirely different, something that makes him a legitimate guest on this show about getting it right on climate. What exactly is that something? Well, Alex taught me the importance of a good narrative tease, so if you want to find out, you’re just going to have to listen.Alex’s CALLS TO ACTION* Less hectoring and less judgment and more doing. Just figure out something to do that can affect somebody beyond you. (Climate Venn anyone?)* Join your condo/HOA boards to advocate for clean energy and energy efficiency measuresMentioned in the episode:* How to Save a Planet — check out the back catalog on Spotify or Apple* Alex’s company: Daisy Chain Energy* Buildings and construction account for 38% of CO2 emissions globally—cement manufacturing alone accounts for 8%* NYC’s building energy grading law requires buildings to benchmark their energy and water consumption. (Get an A on* NYC’s Local Law 97 (enacted in 2019) aims to drive deep emissions cuts from buildings, which are responsible for more than two-thirds of NYC’s greenhouse gas emissions.* IRS residential clean energy credit (30% of installation cost)CREDITSThis episode was made possible with the support of Future Being, a grantmaking and special projects studio which supports the healing of our planet and the safeguarding of biological and cultural diversity.This show is produced and edited by Matthew Nelson/Stramash Media and me (Ayana), with help from Jenisha Shrestha. And many thanks to our guest Alex Blumberg. Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

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• The true crime story of forever chemicals ⚠️, with Mariah Blake

  A tale of over-ups, poison, sludge, and the last bipartisan environmental issue. They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals by Mariah Blake is a true crime story on the scale of what the tobacco and fossil fuel industries have done to knowingly imperil our health and our futures. But this book also highlights what’s possible when unlikely advocates, regular folks, come together and unite for a common cause. In other words, there are heroes in this story too.The book is a landmark investigation that required years of her on-the-ground reporting and reviewing tens of thousands of documents. The topic is PFAS, substances that are more commonly called “forever chemicals.” Mariah's book tells the story of these incredibly dangerous substances and the lives they’ve impacted — from their genesis in the Manhattan Project, to becoming so ubiquitous that they are present in the blood of virtually every human being, and in the drinking water of about half the people in America.Mariah Blake is an incredible investigative journalist. She’s written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, Mother Jones, The New Republic, and other publications. She was a Murrey Marder Nieman Fellow in Watchdog Journalism at Harvard University. And I was truly honored that she asked me to be in conversation with her to launch her book tour.As Mariah explains, PFAS chemicals affect us all. And her reporting especially timely because just last week the Environmental Protection Agency announced that they plan to weaken restrictions for certain forever chemicals in our drinking water.CALLS TO ACTION:* Advocate for stricter standards and a class-wide ban on PFAS. Find a local organization working on this and join them. (Like Brunswick Area Citizens for a Safe Environment, some of whose members were in the live audience.) Track your state’s progress here.* Reduce your own PFAS exposure — use natural materials for cooking and storing food, filter drinking water (consider reverse osmosis, look for NSF certification).Mentioned in the episode:* Mariah’s book:They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals* Washington Post’s review of Mariah’s book: Chemical makers they the harm. It didn’t matter.* News: EPA will weaken rule curbing ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water* News: Massive Brunswick PFAS spill is Maine’s largest ever firefighting foam contamination* Op-ed in Washington Post (coining the term ‘forever chemicals’): The EPA is trying to regulate 6 forever chemicals. Just 10,000 to go.* News: America’s Dairyland May Have a PFAS Problem* Story of Fred Stone: The curious case of tainted milk from a Maine dairy farm* News: Maine bans use of sewage sludge on farms to reduce risk of PFAS poisoning* News:Taco Bell to remove chemicals of concern from packaging* Overview of NSF certification* Research Article: Outside the Safe Operating Space of a New Planetary Boundary for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)* Research Article: Historical Comparison of Perfluorooctanesulfonate, Perfluorooctanoate, and Other Fluorochemicals in Human BloodCREDITS: This podcast was made possible in part with the support of Future Being, a grantmaking and special projects studio which supports the healing of our planet and the safeguarding of biological and cultural diversity. It’s produced and edited by Matthew Nelson/Stramash Media and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, with help from Jenisha Shrestha. Thank you to This episode was taped in front of a live audience at SPACE Gallery in Portland, Maine for hosting this event. And many thanks to our guest Mariah Blake. Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

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  1:01:08

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