Inside The Chaotic, Lucrative ‘Disaster Economy’ With Grist

Inside The Chaotic, Lucrative ‘Disaster Economy’ With Grist

Author: Climate One from The Commonwealth Club January 9, 2026 Duration: 1:02:26
It’s been a year since catastrophic fires tore through Los Angeles. For those who lived through them, the impacts are still being felt. Rebuilding in the aftermath of more frequent and severe fossil-fueled disasters is becoming a big business. Enter the disaster economy, powered by a grab bag of dedicated people helping communities rebuild, and by contractors who may overpromise, underdeliver, and profit from tragedy. Caught in the middle are the survivors, often left to navigate red tape, scams, and soaring costs just to rebuild their lives. In this episode, produced in collaboration with Grist, we explore the people and systems behind this booming, often exploitative multi-billion dollar industry, and share strategies to help listeners stay protected. Episode Guests:  Haley Geller, Photo Stylist; Mother Ayurella Horn Muller, Staff Writer, Grist Cricket Logan, Wastewater Management Mechanic, City of St. Petersburg, Florida Naveena Sadasivam, Writer and Editor, Grist For show notes, related links, and episode transcript, visit ClimateOne.org Highlights: 00:00 - Intro 05:06 - Haley Geller on her personal wildfire experience 07:22 - Haley Geller on how life has changed since the fire 11:04 - Haley Geller on navigating the recovery process 16:21 - Ayurella Horn Muller on covering recovery workers 18:39 - Cricket Logan on his disaster recovery work experience 24:16 - Ayurella Horn Muller on the mental health work of disaster recovery 28:25 - Ayurella Horn Muller on working conditions for recovery workers 38:03 - Naveena Sadasivam on talking to people who experienced disaster recovery 40:22 - Naveena Sadasivam on one person’s experience with rebuilding after a fire 49:51 - Naveena Sadasivam on what regulations exist to help prevent fraud 53:41 - Naveena Sadasivam on steps people can take to protect themselves ******** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today at patreon.com/ClimateOne.  Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The conversation about our changing planet is often reduced to headlines and political noise, but Climate One moves beyond that. Hosted by Greg Dalton, Ariana Brocious and Kousha Navidar, this podcast from The Commonwealth Club creates a space for the full, complex dialogue we need. Each episode features candid discussions with scientists, policymakers, activists, and thinkers who are on the front lines. The focus is on drawing connections-between personal action and economic systems, between daunting scientific reports and tangible community solutions. You’ll hear analysis that doesn’t shy away from the severity of our situation while actively exploring pathways for genuine progress, from technology and finance to culture and justice. This isn't about alarmism or easy answers; it's about equipping listeners with a deeper understanding of the intertwined challenges and opportunities. Tuning into this podcast means joining a crucial exploration of how we adapt, mitigate, and fundamentally rethink our relationship with the natural world. The dialogue here is built on the idea that confronting the climate emergency honestly, in all its facets, is the first necessary step toward shaping a livable future.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Climate One
Podcast Episodes
Cities Leading the Way [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:39
While the federal government has all but abandoned trying to address the climate crisis, cities around the world are stepping up. C40 is an international network of 97 cities representing 920 million people and 23% of th…
Electric Bills are Bonkers. What Can We Do About It? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:43
Rising electricity rates across the country are adding pressure to families and businesses already dealing with inflation in other aspects of their lives. Most Americans get their power from a utility that needs to turn…
EPA Cancels Billions in Grants. Recipients Won’t Back Down [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:51
Congress approved billions for federal grants and programs through the EPA during the Biden administration. Those dollars were meant to help disadvantaged communities and fund community resilience projects, public health…
Figure It Out…Or Else: Feds to Colorado River States [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:12
It’s been an unusually warm and dry winter across the west, and that’s bad news for the seven states and 40 million people that rely on water from the Colorado River. The water flowing into the river from snowmelt and ra…
Crude Behavior: Venezuela and the Global Politics of Oil [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:57
On January 3, U.S. forces captured Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, and flew them to New York to stand trial for drug trafficking and narco-terrorisim. At the same time, President Trump has not been s…
Under the Weather: The Climate Crisis is a Health Crisis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:14
As the planet warms, the story of climate change is increasingly becoming a story about human health. Rising temperatures, wildfire smoke, flooding, and shifting disease patterns are no longer distant threats; they are e…
Beyond the Obvious: What We’re Watching in 2026 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:39
We’re only about a month into 2026, and already so much has happened — from the Trump administration’s forcible removal of Venezuela’s president to the US pulling out of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change… It’…
Crop Shoot: Farmers Caught Up In Policy Turmoil [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:02
Agriculture is directly responsible for 10 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and farmers and ranchers face growing climate impacts every day, from more severe storms to intense droughts, making it harder to grow…
ENCORE: Solar Power to the People [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:06
At this moment, the cheapest way to create electricity is by pointing a solar panel at the sun. That’s good news for the climate. It’s also good news for communities who want to take control of their own electricity gene…