Fighting Fire with Fire

Fighting Fire with Fire

Author: Gimlet July 15, 2021 Duration: 40:30
From California’s crimson skies to smoke so thick along Colorado’s front range that sent people indoors for days, wildfires in the US have becomes more and more extreme. On today’s episode, we ask, how did the wildfires get so bad – and what can we do to address them? This episode originally aired in October of 2020. Call(s) to action Help build fire adapted communities. If you're interested in learning more about the range of small, wonky, zoning-type solutions to reduce pressures driving people to the WUI (pronounced wooie!)and make managed retreat a more palatable option, check out fireadaptednetwork.org, where you can keep track of all the little policy changes that would actually help make a big difference. Prepare Your Home for Fire. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, better known as CalFire, has a great resource to teach you how to prepare your home for wildfire. You can find it at readyforwildfire.org. Learn More about Fires from Bobbie Scopa through the audio stories she tells on her website, Bobbie on Fire Guests: Bobbie Scopa and Suzy Cagle *And one last thing, the anthology that Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson co-edited with Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, All We Can Save, will be published in paperback on July 20th. So, we are using that as a chance to celebrate! On publication day, Ayana and Katharine hosting a celebration featuring a bunch of the contributors to the book – women leading on climate solutions, poets, artists. And you’re invited! Please save the date, July 20th, and head to allwecansave.earth/events to save your virtual spot.* Check out our Calls to Action archive here for all of the actions we've recommended on the show. And if you take any of the actions we recommend, tell us about it! Send us your voice message, ideas or feedback with our Listener Mail Form. We might use it in an upcoming episode. Sign up for our newsletter here. And follow us on Twitter and Instagram. This episode of How to Save a Planet was produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis. The rest of our reporting and producing team includes Rachel Waldholz, Anna Ladd and Felix Poon. Our senior producer is Lauren Silverman. Our editor is Caitlin Kenney. Sound design and mixing by Peter Leonard with original music by Emma Munger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Looking for a way to engage with the climate crisis that goes beyond the headlines of doom? How to Save a Planet is that conversation. Hosted by journalist Alex Blumberg and marine biologist and policy expert Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, this Gimlet podcast digs into the practical, human, and often surprising realities of addressing our planet's greatest challenge. The show moves past abstract fears to explore tangible solutions, asking not just what needs to be done but how we can actually get it done. Each episode is a journey, scouring the earth for ideas and talking to the people on the front lines-from scientists and activists to policymakers and innovators-who are crafting real-world answers. The tone is grounded yet hopeful, blending serious investigation with relatable curiosity and the occasional dumb joke. Listening to this podcast means joining a search for agency and understanding, breaking down a monumental problem into stories about our collective power, systemic change, and the unexpected paths forward. It’s for anyone who feels the weight of the issue and wants to be part of a smarter, more constructive dialogue about our future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

How to Save a Planet
Podcast Episodes
Is Your Carbon Footprint BS? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:50
We're tackling a sibling debate: Do your individual actions matter when it comes to climate change? Or is it all about big, systemic change? In this episode, we break down both sides of the argument. We lay out the actio…
Like The Monarch, Human Migrations During Climate Change [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:01
Human migration is nothing new, but the scale at which people will need to relocate due to climate change will be different than ever before. A World Bank report estimates that over the next thirty years, 143 million peo…
Soil: The Dirty Climate Solution [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:29
On this week's episode, we meet two farmers who, at first glance, seem very different. One is a first-generation farmer in upstate New York raising fruits and vegetables for the local community. The other is a third gene…
Drs. Jane Goodall & Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Talk About Hope [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:38
If you’re curious to know how Drs. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Drs. Jane Goodall first fell in love with the natural world, both on land and underwater, this week’s episode is for you. Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of t…
Recycling! Is it BS? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:53
The recycling bin — many of us have learned to view this humble container as an environmental superhero. It is, after all, the critical first step in turning our trash into… well, not treasure, but at least more stuff. O…
An Origin Story of the Blue New Deal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:06
This week, the inside scoop on how a climate policy gets made. In 2019, when the Green New Deal resolution was unveiled, How to Save a Planet co-host Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson noticed something big (and blue) was missi…
Presenting: Gastropod [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:40
Over the past century, we've transformed the arid lands of the American west into year-round, well-irrigated agricultural powerhouses. Today, fruits, nuts, and nearly all of our leafy greens are grown in the desert, usin…
How Amazon Workers Got Serious About Climate (and How You Can, too) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:05
A common piece of career advice is to bring your whole self to work. But what if your whole self includes a deep concern for the climate? Can you bring that part of yourself to work, even if it makes your workplace uncom…
Encore: Are Electric Cars Really Better for the Climate? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:36
We love listener mail! You've sent us some amazing notes. Some made us laugh, some made us cry, and some made us say – hey, that’s a great question! We should answer it. So this week, we dig into one of your questions, a…
Is Biden’s Jobs Plan a ‘Skinny Green New Deal’? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:03
The Biden Administration's American Jobs Plan is billed as an "infrastructure" package. But it's also something else: the most ambitious climate plan a U.S. president has ever proposed. So what's in it? And how can we ma…