logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2022
8 m

For Earth Day, two books rethink how we ...

NPR
About this episode
Today is Earth Day, a good occasion as any to reflect on the emergencies the planet currently faces. First, Harriet A. Washington, author of A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind, talks to NPR's Sarah McCammon about the long-term damage environmental issues can have on brain development—particularly for people of color. Next, the author David Wallace-Wells talks to NPR's Rachel Martin about his book The Uninhabitable Earth, which is a lot more hopeful than the title might suggest. He runs through the worst-case scenarios climate change could wreak, and why every effort we make against further global warming matters.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
May 1
'The Take' and 'The Left and the Lucky' explore peculiar friendships across age
Two new novels center vital, but unusual connections across age. In The Take, an aspiring writer named Maggie agrees to an outlandish deal with Ingrid, an established Hollywood producer. Author Kelly Yang spoke with NPR’s Ailsa Chang about the medical procedure at the center of t ... Show More
17m 47s
Apr 30
Mikhail Zygar says the Soviet Union’s collapse was only a temporary win for democracy
Wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East are reshaping global politics. In The Dark Side of the Earth, exiled Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar traces the origins of these conflicts to the end of the Cold War. The book is a history of Russia as seen from Moscow during different mome ... Show More
8m 34s
Apr 29
In 'Yesteryear,' a tradwife influencer wakes up in the time period she’s fetishized
Natalie Heller Mills is a tradwife influencer with 5 million followers. She drinks raw milk, eats farm fresh eggs, and is “perfect at being alive.” But when she wakes up in 1855, the very time period she’s fetishized, she feels afraid – and paranoid that she’s being filmed. In to ... Show More
8m 1s
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
Is There Any Good News on Climate Change? with Bill McKibben
We’re in a massive climate crisis, but it’s hard to think about it, isn’t it? It’s a great temptation to shut our eyes to climate change. It’s overwhelming. This week on the show, climate activist and author Bill McKibben on facing the reality of the climate crisis, understanding ... Show More
51m 41s
Jun 2019
The Uninhabitable Earth: A grim portrait of the future of climate change
Author David Wallace-Wells on his matter-of-fact book, “The Uninhabitable Earth,” and what happens if we don’t slow the pace of climate change. 
21m 45s
Apr 2019
Recode Decode: "The Uninhabitable Earth" author David Wallace-Wells
Journalist David Wallace-Wells talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his new book, The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming. In this episode: How Wallace-Wells got to writing about climate change; common misconceptions about it; “we’ve made no progress at all” on clean energy ... Show More
54m 51s
Aug 2023
Defeating Doomerism: The Search For A New Climate Narrative
<p>On the last Energy Gang we looked at the impact of record temperatures on the energy sector. This week, we discuss another impact of climate change: its effect on human psychology. We discuss how the way we talk about global warming affects how we respond to it.</p><p>A recent ... Show More
57m 13s
Feb 2020
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' $10B climate pledge
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said this week he will donate $10 billion to fight climate change — working with others "both to amplify known ways and to explore new ways of fighting thedevastating impact of climate change." Today on Front Burner, we ask: What can $10 billion do for the e ... Show More
22m 35s
Jan 2022
Climate Leviathan: A Political Theory of Our Planetary Future
<p>In this episode of Red Menace, Alyson and Breht discuss and analyze <a href= "https://www.versobooks.com/books/3138-climate-leviathan">"Climate Leviathan" by authors Geoff Mann and Joel Wainwright.</a></p> <p>Book description: "Despite the science and the summits, leading capi ... Show More
1h 57m
Oct 2018
Climate Change
Twelve years to save the world. While we're squabbling about Brexit, climate scientists are reminding us that the existential threat of our day is global warming. This week’s report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issues the most extensive warning yet on ... Show More
42m 55s