Podcast
How We Survive
Hosted by Marketplace · EN
“How We Survive” is an award-winning podcast from Marketplace, hosted by Amy Scott, about the messy business of climate solutions. In the eighth season, we’re taking a closer look at what’s on our plate. We embark on a food tour of the future. We sample “cell-cultivated” salmon and chocolate. We visit farmers in our nation’s breadbasket where hotter, drier, less predictable weather has global consequences. And we’ll take you on the ground into one of the more demonized (and misunderstood) parts of the agricultural system: factory farms.
24episodes
Episodes
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How to Dim the Sun
1w ago00:36:19Tap to summarizeCould dimming the sun be the key to cooling things down before the climate crisis worsens? Some scientists say yes, that we can cool the earth by launching tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. It’s a type of solar geoengineering that was once seen as preposterous, meant to exist only in the pages of a sci-fi novel. But now, it’s a reality. To find out for ourselves, we travel to Northern California where two entrepreneurs are launching sulfur-filled balloons from the top of stacked shipping containers. Later, we talk with scientists on both sides of this issue to find out if solar geoengineering could help prevent catastrophic tipping points or introduce a whole new slew of cascading consequences.
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"How We Survive" returns May 27
2w ago00:02:38Tap to summarizeThe climate crisis is escalating. We have to decarbonize our economy, but we’re moving too slowly. So, what’s the backup plan?This season of “How We Survive” is about engineering nature: large-scale interventions that could be our last hope. We’ll explore technology being developed that could alter our weather patterns, transform our planet, and possibly save us all from the worst outcomes of the climate crisis. Or lead to catastrophic, unintended consequences. On our hunt for solutions, we tag along with entrepreneurs trying to launch sulfur into the stratosphere, venture to the Utah mountains where there’s a serious endeavor to create more rain and snow, find out how (and why) scientists are trying to resurrect extinct animals. Join us for the new season of “How We Survive,” starting May 27.
Transcribe →The Carbon Gold Rush (bonus episode from "Drilled")
3w ago00:27:19Tap to summarizeThis week, we’re sharing an episode of another podcast we like — from another journalist named Amy.Award-winning climate journalist Amy Westervelt returns with a new season of Drilled, a true-crime podcast about the deception, disinformation, and power structures standing between us and real climate solutions. This season is called “Carbon Cowboys,” and exposes how Republican corn ethanol mogul Bruce Rastetter sold his “sustainable aviation fuel” to world leaders, from North Dakota to Brazil.The problem? His “clean energy” project does nothing to help climate change. “Drilled: Carbon Cowboys” follows the land grabs, pipelines, and political power stopping real progress from being made.Here’s episode one. Find “Drilled” wherever you get podcasts, and hear episodes early and ad-free with a Pushkin+ subscription. Sign up on the “Drilled” show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.
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Burning Questions: The EPA repealed the endangerment finding. Who are the economic winners and losers?
Feb 2400:17:44Tap to summarizeEarlier this month the Trump administration revoked the endangerment finding, which gave the federal government a legal basis for regulating greenhouse gas emissions. The move is already being disputed in court. If the repeal is successful, who are the economic winners and losers?“How We Survive” host Amy Scott talks with Stanford professor Chris Field to unpack the history and legal implications of the endangerment finding and how its repeal – though framed as saving Americans money – could lead to higher costs and a competitive disadvantage for the U.S. Later in the episode we turn to one specific winner (or loser, depending on who you ask): the U.S. auto industry. Amy talks with Rachel Muncrief from the International Council on Clean Transportation to find out if market forces and global competition will continue to push carmakers to innovate on cleaner vehicles or if this could seriously slow progress.
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Feeding the Family (bonus episode)
Nov 2600:52:02Tap to summarizeWe’re dropping into your feeds today to share this special bonus episode. For many people gathering around the table this holiday season, things feel a little different. Maybe it’s the cost of ingredients that’s on your mind, or cuts to USDA funding that have left your food bank running low. Or maybe it’s the simple reality of a packed schedule – there’s a lot to cook, and so little time. In this special from Marketplace, we bring listeners a collection of stories on the business and economics of food. Our reporters take us across the country to farms, home kitchens, and restaurants. We visit a refugee farmer in Houston, a chocolate-making lab in California, and stop for a bite at an award-winning restaurant in Portland.
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Is grass-fed beef more nutritious? How can I waste less food? Is insect protein tasty?
Nov 1200:24:58Tap to summarizeThroughout the season, we asked you all what questions you had about food, solutions and climate change, and you did not disappoint! In this episode, we find answers to your most pressing questions, like whether grass-fed beef is more nutritious than grain-fed, if cell-cultivated meat is considered an ultra-processed food, and we find out what’s going on with insect protein (of course, a taste test is involved). Plus some tips for reducing food waste.
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The Dry Line
Nov 500:33:13Tap to summarizeThe 100th meridian is the longitudinal boundary separating the humid East and the arid West. Researchers say the dry line is moving east because of climate change, threatening some of our cheapest and most reliable crops, like wheat and corn. In this episode, Amy drives across Kansas to talk to farmers on both sides of the dry line to see how they’re adapting to climate change. And we hear from a scientist who’s trying to breed crops that will thrive in a hotter, drier world.
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What the World’s Farmers Can Teach Us About Climate Resilience
Oct 2900:22:38Tap to summarizeClimate change is transforming how the world grows and eats. In this episode, host Amy Scott talks with New York Times international climate correspondent Somini Sengupta about what she’s learned from farmers adapting to extreme weather. From drought-resistant crops to regenerative practices, Sengupta shows how communities on the front lines of climate change are finding new ways to survive and feed their families — and what their stories can teach us about building a more resilient global food system.
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The Land Problem
Oct 2200:33:05Tap to summarizeAbout a third of the greenhouse gases cooking our planet come from our food. Agriculture and livestock production are incredibly taxing on the planet. To curb the impact, we need to drastically reduce the amount of land we use to make food, while at the same time making more food for a growing population. How are we going to do that? In this episode we go fishing with an eccentric rancher in Northern California and hop over to Colorado to get a rare peek into the demonized factory farm industry on our hunt for answers.
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The Uncanny Valley of Meat
Oct 1700:32:15Tap to summarizeIf you have ever bitten into a plant-based burger and felt dissatisfied, or even grossed out, you’re not alone. In this episode, we explore the uncanny valley of meat and dive deep into what makes meat so … meaty. Plus, “The Splendid Table” host Francis Lam joins Amy Scott for a taste test of cultivated meat and shares his go-to recipes for climate-friendly proteins.
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