logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2014
36m 11s

182. How Can Tiny Norway Afford to Buy S...

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode
The Norwegian government parleys massive oil wealth into huge subsidies for electric cars. Is that carbon laundering or just pragmatic environmentalism? 
Up next
Jan 30
661. Can A.I. Save Your Life?
For 50 years, the healthcare industry has been trying (and failing) to harness the power of artificial intelligence. It may finally be ready for prime time. What will this mean for human doctors — and the rest of us? (Part four of “The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better.” ... Show More
1 h
Jan 23
660. The Wellness Industry Is Gigantic — and Mostly Wrong
Zeke Emanuel (a physician, medical ethicist, and policy wonk) has some different ideas for how to lead a healthy and meaningful life. It starts with ice cream. (Part three of “The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better.”) SOURCES:Zeke Emanuel, oncologist, bioethicist, profess ... Show More
1h 5m
Jan 21
Steve Levitt Quits His Podcast, Joins Ours
After five years, Levitt is ending People I (Mostly) Admire, and will start hosting the occasional Freakonomics Radio episode. We couldn’t be happier. SOURCES:Steve Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics and host of People I (Mostly) Admire. RESOURCES:"How to Help Kids Succeed," by Pe ... Show More
45m 58s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2024
Do fossil fuels get $7 trillion in subsidies?
Governments around the world have promised to fight climate change. But are they also pumping an absolutely massive amount of money into subsidies for fossil fuels? In 2022, an IMF working paper estimated that global subsidies for fossil fuels totalled $7 trillion. But when you d ... Show More
8m 56s
Oct 2025
How to pull the emergency brake on global warming | Mohamed A. Sultan
Landfills across African cities are catching fire and releasing methane, an invisible greenhouse gas with more short-term warming potential than CO2. Sustainable strategist Mohamed A. Sultan reveals how local communities are turning this crisis into opportunity, diverting hundred ... Show More
13m 23s
Sep 2025
Most countries fail at clean energy. Here’s how mine succeeded | Sebastián Kind
Energy expert Sebastián Kind helped Argentina go from virtually no renewable energy to generating nearly 40 percent of its electricity from wind and solar in just six years, despite economic crises and skepticism. How did the country's transition off fossil fuels happen so quickl ... Show More
12m 49s
May 2021
How to make electric cars fun to drive #59
Can electric cars ever be genuinely fun to drive the way the best combustion engine cars are? Dan thinks he's figured it out, but Andrew is going to take some convincing. Ultimately it comes down to the charging infrastructure, because without readily available fast chargers ... Show More
42m 52s
Apr 2024
TED Climate: The innovations we need to avoid a climate disaster | Bill Gates
The single most important thing for avoiding a climate disaster is cutting carbon pollution from the current 51 billion tons per year to zero, says philanthropist and technologist Bill Gates. Introducing the concept of the "green premium" — the higher price of zero-emission produ ... Show More
42m 1s
Jun 2024
Electric Cars: Made in China?
China produces more than half the world's electric vehicles and is scaling up exports, but there are concerns its manufacturers would have an unfair advantage in the UK, which could spell disaster for domestic firms.Evan Davis and guests discuss the UK's dilemma around Chinese EV ... Show More
32m 40s
Jul 2021
154- The economics of climate change, the coming resource wars and what we can do about it.
Economists are dangerous, so says this week's guest iconoclastic economist,Professor Steve Keen and this is particularly the case if we think about climate change. What can we do to avoid a climate catastrophe? Carbon credits could be the answer, but we have to act quickly. ... Show More
34m 12s
Oct 2025
How to pull the emergency brake on global warming | Mohamed A. Sultan
Landfills across African cities are catching fire and releasing methane, an invisible greenhouse gas with more short-term warming potential than CO2. Sustainable strategist Mohamed A. Sultan reveals how local communities are turning this crisis into opportunity, diverting hundred ... Show More
13m 23s
May 2024
Going green: Can the global south develop without fossil fuel?
Climate anxieties—and global temperatures—are on the rise. According to the United Nations, if the planet warms by 1.5 degrees Celsius, we’ll be facing irreversible climate damage. To stop that increase, we need to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Reaching such an ambitious goal ... Show More
38m 29s
Mar 2025
How to finance the future of farming | Berry Marttin
Agriculture is key to solving the climate crisis, but most farmers don’t have the financial incentive to switch to more eco-friendly practices, says banker and farmer Berry Marttin. He explores how improving the systems around carbon and biodiversity credits could bolster the eco ... Show More
10m 11s