Podcast Summary: "Preview: Not Built For This"

Podcast: What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law
Host: Roman Mars
Featured Speaker: Emmett Fitzgerald
Episode Date: August 14, 2024
Episode Overview:
This episode is a sneak preview of the upcoming miniseries "Not Built For This" from the creators of 99% Invisible. The series will examine how the foundational systems supporting modern life—like infrastructure, insurance, housing, and public health—are ill-prepared for the seismic challenges of climate change. Host Emmett Fitzgerald offers personal stories and interviews with individuals affected by climate-related disasters, framing the series as an exploration of adaptation and resilience.

Main Theme

"Not Built For This" explores the disconnect between existing societal systems and the profound impacts of climate change. The episode introduces listeners to the concept that no place is invulnerable—every community, no matter how seemingly protected, faces escalating risks and uncertainty. The miniseries seeks to document these vulnerabilities and the human responses to them.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Illusion of "Climate Havens"

• Emmett Fitzgerald opens with reflections on growing up in Vermont, often touted as a "climate haven."
  • Vermont frequently appears on lists recommending relocations to escape climate impacts, which Fitzgerald admits once comforted him.
• Personal Experience of Disaster:
  • Recent catastrophic flooding in Montpelier, VT shattered the sense of safety.
  • [00:28] "About a year ago, it rained so hard in central Vermont that my little green valley filled up like a bathtub, flooding downtown Montpelier... the universe was ringing some kind of planetary alarm bell, saying, snap out of it. Your quaint little home isn't as safe as you think." (Emmett Fitzgerald)

2. Our Systems Are Outmatched

• The systems that govern life—physical infrastructure, legal frameworks, public health, insurance, and housing—were constructed for a different era and set of environmental assumptions.
• The series promises to tackle how these systems are "not built" for current and future climate realities.

3. Human Stories of Displacement and Realization

• Sam (Interviewee) shares the visceral moment climate change became undeniable in his life:
  • [01:45] "When that fire hit, all of a sudden, it came clear to me, oh, my God, we are in it. This. This is it. This is climate change. This is what's going to happen. It just kind of came roaring up."
• The shock of sudden migration and loss is emphasized—tens of thousands displaced and the emotional toll it exacts.
  • [02:01] "And I roughly did the math. Somewhere between 35, 45,000 people have been displaced. I burst into tears." (Emmett Fitzgerald)

4. A Call to Rethink Preparation

• The miniseries is designed to examine what future preparedness might look like in a landscape of constant upheaval.
  • [02:14] "This is a series about how we prepare for the extremely bumpy ride ahead of us. Because right now, we're all living in a world that was just not built for this." (Emmett Fitzgerald)
• Sam challenges the notion of "100-year floods," highlighting the new normal:
  • [02:28] "How you gonna keep telling it's a freaking hundred year flood? Well, God dang it. 100 years coming every six months. Straight up, it's called. You guys, Infrastructure is horrible." (Sam)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the False Security of "Safe" Places:
  "[00:28] ...the universe was ringing some kind of planetary alarm bell, saying, snap out of it. Your quaint little home isn't as safe as you think."
  — Emmett Fitzgerald

• On Experiencing Climate Change Directly:
  "[01:45] When that fire hit, all of a sudden, it came clear to me, oh, my God, we are in it... It just kind of came roaring up."
  — Sam

• On the Emotional Impact of Displacement:
  "[02:01] ...Somewhere between 35, 45,000 people have been displaced. I burst into tears."
  — Emmett Fitzgerald

• On the Inadequacy of Old Assumptions:
  "[02:28] How you gonna keep telling it's a freaking hundred year flood? Well, God dang it. 100 years coming every six months... Infrastructure is horrible."
  — Sam

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:12 — Introduction to Vermont as a 'climate haven' and Emmett's personal experience
• 01:45 — Sam discusses transformative realization during a wildfire
• 01:55 — Discussion of mass displacement and emotional impact
• 02:14 — Framing of the series as a look at future preparedness
• 02:28 — Sam criticizes infrastructure and outdated climate terminology

Closing Tone and Information

The preview sets an urgent, reflective, and deeply personal tone, blending stories of loss and adaptation with critical questioning of how American systems can be reimagined for an era of climate upheaval. "Not Built For This" promises a multidimensional look at life on the frontlines of climate disruption, with an emphasis on the inadequacy of current systems and the resilience needed to face the future.

Next Episode Release: August 20th in the 99% Invisible feed.