logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2024
11m 6s

How to be an "apocalyptic optimist" | Da...

TED
About this episode
Dana R. Fisher calls herself an "apocalyptic optimist" based on her research as a sociologist of large social movements. Her studies suggest that ever-increasing climate disasters will get people out in the streets demanding the action we need. She breaks down how to cultivate resilience to catastrophe in yourself and your community — and how to rally for change in the face of seemingly intractable problems.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
How AI could generate new life-forms | Eric Nguyen
If DNA is just a string of letters, could AI learn to read it … or even write it? Bioengineering researcher Eric Nguyen reveals how AI has upended the rules of biology, potentially creating a future where disease is cured with personalized medicine, extinct species are resurrecte ... Show More
13m 5s
Yesterday
TED Talks Daily Book Club: Intentional Ambition: Redefining Your Work for Greater Joy, Freedom, and Fulfillment | Rha Goddess
Rha Goddess is an entrepreneurial soul coach and author of the new book "Intentional Ambition: Redefining Your Work for Greater Joy, Freedom, and Fulfillment." In this TED Talks Daily Book Club interview with host Elise Hu, Goddess talks about moving forward after the 2020 pandem ... Show More
53m 52s
Aug 23
Why having fun is the secret to a healthier life | Catherine Price (re-release)
Have you had your daily dose of fun? It's not just enjoyable, it's also essential for your health and happiness, says science journalist Catherine Price. She proposes a new definition of fun -- what she calls "true fun" -- and shares easy, evidence-backed ways to weave playfulnes ... Show More
13m 26s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2024
What to do when climate change feels unstoppable | Clover Hogan
Today's youth have inherited a big, unprecedented climate problem to solve — and the eco-anxiety to go with it. Gen-Zer and activist Clover Hogan knows the struggle firsthand, but she also understands the path to climate action starts with the one thing you can control: your mind ... Show More
24m 44s
Feb 2025
‘Researching climate change feels like standing in the path of an approaching train’
Three researchers with personal experience of anxiety and depression triggered by studying the environmental destruction caused by a changing climate describe the steps they take to protect their mental health.Ruth Cerezo-Mota, a climate scientist based at the National Autonomous ... Show More
24m 43s
Jan 2025
How to turn climate anxiety into action (w/ Luisa Neubauer) (re-release)
Amidst the multiple devastating fires in Los Angeles, where Chris lives, extreme weather events and shifting climate patterns are occurring across the globe, making our everyday lives all the more unpredictable. Today we are re-airing this episode from the very first season of Ho ... Show More
31m 29s
Jul 2022
Climat : peut-on sauver la planète avec des petits gestes ?
A quel point les gestes individuels contribuent-ils à limiter notre empreinte carbone ? Faut-il arrêter de prendre l'avion, cesser de manger de la viande, changer sa chaudière à gaz ? Ou bien est-ce que c'est d'abord à l'Etat, aux grandes entreprises de faire des efforts ? La que ... Show More
45m 59s
Feb 2024
Audra Mitchell: Rethinking conservation, biodiversity, and extinction
What does it mean to recognize the limitations of “biodiversity” as a gauge of planetary wellbeing? How do we make sense of the heads of big corporations like Shell being major patrons of the largest conservation organizations? And how might a politics of disability justice shape ... Show More
41m 37s
Feb 2025
How To Survive the News. CNN’s Bill Weir on Moving From Anger and Despair to Optimism and Resiliency.
A node of sanity in these challenging times.   Bill Weir is America’s leading climate reporter. His new book is a celebration of our planet and human brilliance. It is a hopeful plea for communities to rally around nature, new ideas and each other, to create the kind of resilienc ... Show More
1h 13m
Nov 2024
The antidote to climate anxiety
In this episode, host Sean Illing speaks with marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson about her book What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures.Johnson approaches climate change with informed optimism, encouraging us to stop waiting for the worst to happen. She doesn’t ... Show More
55m 3s
Jul 19
162. Will We Solve the Climate Problem?
Kate Marvel spends her days playing with climate models, which she says are “like a very expensive version of The Sims.” As a physicist she gets tired of being asked to weigh in on economics, geopolitics, and despair — but she still defends the right of scientists to have strong ... Show More
57m 56s
Sep 2023
Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young Lutunatabua, "Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility" (Haymarket, 2023)
These days, with catastrophe after catastrophe, it can be easy to turn to despair and to believe that there is nothing we can do. But writer Rebecca Solnit is determined to change that narrative. Over the course of her career, Solnit has published twenty-five books on feminism, p ... Show More
1h 3m
May 12
How to Age Up on a Warming Planet
How should we think about aging when the impacts of climate change can make the future feel so uncertain? That’s a question Sarah Ray, professor and chair of environmental studies at Cal Poly Humboldt, has been helping her students consider. Though climate anxiety can cause some ... Show More
42m 3s