The Most Important Question

This week: Things feel pretty out of control. Get used to it.Plus: The Canadian West is burning, Oregon bans PFAS, ChatGPT plugins for everyone, the All We Can Save project is hiring, and moreHere's What You Can Do:⚡️Wildfire smoke exposure is directly linked to myriad health impacts due to poor air quality. Know your daily risk by using this Purple Air outdoor air monitor.⚡️We need to heal ourselves to heal the planet. Find resources and community to help with your climate anxiety through the Climate Mental Health Network.⚡️Act locally. Use ReFED to find current food waste policies and programs you can learn from and implement in your town.⚡️Work in local government? Biobot Analytics provides wastewater testing tools so we can better estimate the number of COVID-19 (and other diseases) infections in the communityNews RoundupHealth & MedicineThese are the cities with most bike deaths per capita (I share news like this to illustrate where we can make drastic improvements)Not to be outdone, the South Carolina House passed a six-week abortion banUnitedHealthcare wants doctors to get prior authorization for colonoscopies. People are very pissed off.Where American air pollution is improving, and getting worseClimateOur friends at the All We Can Save project are hiring a Programs & Community Manager — details here!Could enormous robots dramatically speed up solar farm construction? Sure!How can we restore oyster reefs without oyster shells?Octopus Energy continues to be a model for…everyone elseThe Canadian west continues to burn, and climate change is a big reason whyFood & WaterOregon banned PFAS (forever chemicals) in food containersHow plant-based food makers can fight back against meat and dairy disinformationIf growing one almond requires 3.2 gallons of water out west, how do we reconcile that?The women working for food sovereignty on island territoriesUndercover audio of a Tyson employee reveals “free-range” chicken is bullshit (more on humanewashing)Beep BoopOpenAI rolled out ChatGPT plugins to everyone, should be fineRansomware hackers are zeroing in (again) on under-resourced cities and townsThe Supreme Court ruled Twitter and Google aren’t legally liable for terrorists using their platformsCOVIDThis isn’t COVID-specific (I wrote that big update last week), but it could be monumental, if we do the work: the CDC released a new health-based indoor air ventilation target, and the the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers released its own enhanced ventilation standard.Here’s Joseph G. Allen on why it could be a game-changer.Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at https://www.importantnotimportant.com/ Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpSubscribe to our YouTube channelTake a nap you deserve itAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

Is healthcare a human right? That's today's big question, and it clearly shouldn't be a question, but here we are. My guest to help explain the obvious today is Dr. Sheila Davis, the CEO of Partners in Health. Sheila entered the global health arena in 1999, responding to the global HIV and AIDS pandemic. A few years later, she co-founded a small NGO that worked in both South Africa and Boston on a wide array of health projects, including the operation of a rural village nurse clinic. She joined PIH in 2010 as their main operation in Haiti was torn apart by the earthquake there and worked her way up over the years, becoming the Chief of the Ebola response during the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic. And then as the Chief of Clinical Operations and the Chief Nursing Officer, Sheila oversaw nursing efforts as well as the supply chain, medical informatics, laboratory infrastructure, and quality improvement activities.Dr. Davis is a frequent national speaker on global health and clinical topics, including HIV and AIDS, the Ebola epidemic, leadership in public health, and the role of nursing and human rights. And folks, if it is not clear enough for the past few years, just in the US, much less everywhere around the world, yes, healthcare is a human right, and everyone deserves a fair shake. -----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------INI Book Club:Devotions by Mary Oliver (a starting point, as one of many Mary Oliver poetry selections)Mountains Beyond Mountains by Paul FarmerAbove Ground by Clint SmithFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Get involved with Partners In HealthFollow Dr Davis on TwitterFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

This week: COVID is over (as far as we know it). What did we learn, and what’s next?PLUS: Gay blood donations are a go, wind power in the UK, social media guidelines, millions for Black farmers, water report cards, and moreHere's What You Can Do:⚡️ Discover which websites are harvesting your data using The Markup’s Blacklight tool ⚡️ Prepare your home for a wildfire using these resources from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection⚡️ Ensure everyone, everywhere, receives access to quality healthcare by donating to Partners In Health⚡️ With SNAP benefits getting rolled back, make sure more people have access to food and volunteer with or donate to Feeding America⚡️ Keep an eye on wastewater tracking data to understand the prevalence of COVID in your area News RoundupHealth & MedicineThe APA has released a health advisory on social media use for kids Gay and bisexual men are now eligible to donate blood without having to abstain from sex. Welcome to the 21st century, FDA! A new discovery about T cells could inspire new anti-tumor treatments Google is using AI to improve hearing technologyClimateIn Europe, British wind power has overtaken gas, and e-bikes are taking over in Germany The Biden-Harris Administration is committing $50 million to fund clean energy solutions in rural AmericaWe can halve the amount of land use needed for renewables in the US Exxon is in breach of its Environmental Permit in Guyana, according to a High Court Judge Food & WaterLouisiana is publishing report cards for its water systems to improve transparency Black farmers are getting a $20 million boostThe Farm Bill needs to include funding for Indigenous food producers Beep BoopGoogle Search is facing some big AI-related challenges A lawsuit is threatening the cybersecurity of US critical infrastructure An interactive map from The Markup explores what neighborhoods internet providers excluded from fast internet COVIDNearly a million New Yorkers lost at least 3 loved ones to COVID Food banks are being hit hard as pandemic aid expires Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at https://www.importantnotimportant.com/ Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpSubscribe to our YouTube channelTake a nap you deserve itAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

How much food do you throw away every week? And do you have to? That's today's big question, and my guest is Matt Rogers. Matt is a former Apple iPod and iPhone engineer. The Co-Founder of Nest thermostats, Founder of incite.org, and former Chairman of Carbon180. He is now the Co-Founder and CEO of Mill.What's Mill? It's a membership to a food-shrinking, de-stinking kitchen bin, and it just may be one of the most important levers you and I can take to fight food waste and climate change. I'm a huge fan of Matt's multidisciplinary work to drive systems change across tech, non-profits, and politics.Mill may be his most direct take on it yet. -----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------INI Book Club:The Alchemy of Air by Thomas HagerCradle to Cradle by William McDonough and Michael BraungartFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Reserve your Mill binFollow Mill on Instagram and TwitterFollow Matt on TwitterRead the recent Nature article on food waste and emissionsFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

This week: Solutions to our biggest problems shouldn’t be so perplexing. On the other hand, washing our hands wasn’t obvious for a couple hundred thousand years, and my kids STILL don't want to do it.Plus: Seasonal allergy news, a new Barbie, non-profit grocery stores, climate hackers, the SEC, the WHO, Google’s huge new feature, and Khan Academy revolutionizes education — againHere's What You Can Do:⚡️ Floods or not, fire season’s (probably) right around the corner. Get up to the minute air quality reports with a Purple Air monitor (and nifty map, too) ⚡️ Your community may need to replace toxic lead water service lines. Check out Beyond Plastic’s report on the pros and cons of PVC pipes. ⚡️ Sure, the economy and market are completely unpredictable at this point, but there’s no better time to put your retirement fund to work fighting climate change. Do it with Carbon Collective. ⚡️ Speaking of lead pipes — will microplastics and PFAS (“forever chemicals”) be our version? Check out PFAS Central’s PFAS-free brands and consumer products. News RoundupHealth & MedicineSeasonal allergies are coming for us all In Cancer Alley, US chemical giants mounted a campaign against grassroots organizers, so they can continue to kill people Apparently forever chemicals in food packaging (like take-out containers) can migrate into food North Carolina passed a 12 week abortion ban, fuck those guys Barbie launched the first doll with Down’s syndrome ClimateNone of the world’s top industries would be profitable if they paid for the natural capital they use Recycling, which doesn’t really work, also spews microplastics Environmentalists sue California over their stupidly reduced solar incentives The SEC is taking forever to regulate climate disclosures, so the EU has gone one farther and oh boyFlorida and Louisiana are borrowing millions to pay insurance claims (go deeper in my must-listen convo with Washington Post reporter Brianna Sacks) Food & WaterIn which the FDA chief dips his toe very gently into the idea of food as medicine Non-profit grocery stores are trying to rehab America’s food deserts Inside Big Beef’s (incredibly effective) climate messaging machine Meet the climate hackers of frontline Malawi Pollution from farms violates civil rights, maybe? Beep BoopWATCH: Sal Khan unveils Khan Academy’s new educational chatbot, Khanmigo Google began rolling out passkeys — this is a great day for data security (check out how to enable it now) The FTC wants to stop Meta/Facebook from releasing any new products until they stop trouncing kids’ privacy Washington State passed a sweeping health data law COVIDPer the WHO, with commentary from David Wallace-Wells: Apparently the Pandemic Emergency is Over (it was America’s 4th leading cause of death in 2022) There’s a new culprit behind Long COVID: monocytes Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at https://www.importantnotimportant.com/ Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpSubscribe to our YouTube channelTake a nap you deserve itAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

You've got insurance, right? Are you sure? That's today's big question, and my guest is Washington Post reporter Brianna Sacks. Brianna's an extreme weather and disaster reporter for the Post where she explores how climate change is transforming the United States through violent storms, intense heat, widespread wildfires, and other forms of extreme weather.Brianna deploys to disaster zones, which are sometimes very close to home, and does enterprise reporting on the preparations for responses to and the aftermaths of catastrophic events. We're having this conversation today because last month Brianna revealed how insurers have slashed Hurricane Ian payouts far below damage estimates, often up to 80%.I cannot emphasize enough that the future includes an insurance landscape that is among the most important in our very brittle economy and society. It underpins everything we rely on, so understanding not only your own insurance but how well your mortgage holder and the system at large are prepared for what's here and what's coming, is essential.-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------INI Book Club:What I Talk about When I Talk about Running: A Memoir by Haruki MurakamiOn Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen KingTraining for the Uphill Athlete by Steve House, Scott Johnston, and Kilian JornetThe Great Displacement by Jake BittleFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Follow Brianna on Twitter and InstagramRead Brianna's piece on Hurricane Ian insurance cutsRead more of her reporting at The Washington PostFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

This week: Is what you’re working on important?Plus: The cleanest produce, a mosquito factory, lots of rooftop solar, autonomous GPT, maybe, and the latest with the Colorado RiverHere's What You Can Do:⚡️ Climate change and mental health are inextricably linked. Get some help with the Climate Mental Health Network. ⚡️ Live in or own a multi-family building? Check out how BlocPower can help electrify it. ⚡️ If you’re like “I wonder if my town or state has e-bike rebates”, here’s a Google Sheet with every known rebate in the country ⚡️ Start a student alliance for tech ethics at your university with the Techshift Alliance. News RoundupHealth & MedicineThe countries with the highest rates of malaria deaths have approved Oxford’s new vaccine Brazil built a massive mosquito factory — it’s not what you think Our friends at Biobot Analytics have expanded their wastewater monitoring into norovirus outbreaks Are we close to a combo flu and COVID vaccine? ClimateWhy SUV’s got so big, and so popularGermany shut down their remaining operational nuclear plants for really no reason, but banned new gas and oil heating? Elon’s Twitter could break disaster response Jigar’s Energy Department committed $3 billion to rooftop solar access for those with lower credit scores Food & WaterThese are EWG’s “Dirty Dozen” in produce Radical “seed breeding” could bring about more climate friendly crops The Colorado River crisis didn’t have to be this way, but big meat made it this way The massive batteries sloshing around beneath our feet Beep BoopOpenAI’s hunger for data might come back to bite them State tech laws are starting to look like state marijuana laws How Mexico became the biggest user of Pegasus spyware Hype grows over “autonomous” GPT COVIDThe NIH spent $1 billion on Long COVID research. Where’d it go?Ed Yong is back and asking why we’re so keen on erasing Long COVID Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at https://www.importantnotimportant.com/ Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpSubscribe to our YouTube channelTake a nap you deserve itAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

What can I do? The simple question is the underlying premise of everything we do here. It's often the easiest one to help people answer for themselves, but from the outside, it's often the most imposing.All of which is why we keep coming back to it, and why I'm so excited about the fantastic new book, The Climate Action Handbook by Dr. Heidi Roop. Dr. Roop is the Director of the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership and an assistant professor of climate science and extension specialist at the University of Minnesota. She also serves as the Director of Knowledge Transfer for the NSF-funded COLDEX Science and Technology Center.Dr. Roop's research and extension programs have taken her from Antarctica to Minnesota, and they combine cutting-edge climate science and effective science communication to increase the use and integration of climate change information in decision-making at a whole range of scales, from city and state to national and international levels.Safe to say, I'm very into that and you're going to love her. If you've struggled to find a way to get involved in the climate fight, this book and this conversation are for you. -----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------INI Book Club:The Climate Action Handbook by Heidi RoopKeep the Lights Burning, Abbie by Connie & Peter RoopA Brief History of Life on Earth by Clemence DupontFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Follow Heidi on TwitterKeep up with Heidi's workFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

This week: A very basic way to use a mental model, you’re welcome.PLUS: Mosquitoes, overseas abortion pills, healthy ice cream, German nuclear power, electric school buses, and more.Here's What You Can Do:⚡️ Interested in community solar? Check out Wattbuy’s tools to get some. ⚡️ One of the most effective ways to make fashion more sustainable is to partner up with our friends at Fashion Revolution⚡️ Want to understand if there’s (actually) a moral case for fossil fuels? You should read Amy Westervelt’s handy little guide. ⚡️ There are over 9000 school board seats up for election this year. Help Run for Something support candidates who actually give a shit about kids. ⚡️ Over 60? Put your experience and skills to work and join Third Act to help fight the climate crisis. News RoundupHealth & MedicineHere come the mosquitoes (the screened porch is one of mankind’s best inventions) Could an mRNA treatment wipe out peanut allergies? Inside the online market for overseas abortion pills Air pollution is increasingly linked with both dementia and reduced lung function in kids Hear me out: could ice cream have health benefits? (Happy Birthday, Dad! I got you a study scientists are very confused about) ClimateGermany quit nuclear power, which isn’t helpful Puma, a brand I’m nowhear near fashionable enough to rock, opened up their supply chain to Gen Z sustainability nerds Why the next EV push is to electrify school busesSoutheastern US seas are rising triple the global average Check out how your state’s clean electricity efforts are going The new EV rules are in — here’s 7 big takeaways before you go shopping Food & WaterWall Street made a run on the west’s precious groundwater supplies Speaking of: All those atmospheric rivers have temporarily reduced drought warnings, which is (truly) great, but flooding’s getting worse, and the Colorado River is still in trouble, so the feds finally stepped in Italy’s plan to ban lab-grown meat won’t help their climate issues Beep BoopOpenAI launched a bug bounty program Semi-related: Spain and Italy are investigating whether OpenAI breached GDPR Is ChatGPT hallucinating, or bullshitting? Millions of Facebook users had their info stolen in a ChatGPT app Semi-related: WhatsApp made it harder for scammers to steal your account info COVIDCOVID is climbing steadily in India — here’s why Semi-related: Antimicrobial resistance is growing in India — and everywhere — because we’re over-prescribing them The jury is still out on how often you and we should get COVID boostersGet more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at https://www.importantnotimportant.com/ Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpSubscribe to our YouTube channelTake a nap you deserve itAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

Why is it so dangerous to have Black babies in America?April 11-17th is Black Maternal Health Week, and so we are replaying one of our favourite episodes from 2021 with guest Representative Lauren Underwood of Illinois, a nurse and former senior advisor to President Obama. We discuss how this country is failing Black mothers, and her incredible Momnibus Act, a suite of 12 bills designed to improve Black maternal health outcomes in America, where Black women are dying in or after childbirth at 3x-4x rates of white women.In this incredible conversation, Rep. Underwood goes deep to help us understand the complexities of the problem, the crushing personal inspiration for her work, and what we can all do to help.-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------INI Book Club:Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:underwood.house.gov Twitter: @RepUnderwoodBlack Maternal Health Momnibus ActFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comAdvertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors Mentioned in this episode:Become An Important Member