The Most Important Question

Over the past few years, more and more voters have cited “action on climate” as a reason for voting the way they do.But here’s the thing: lots of voters who are registered, and even those who do vote in presidential elections – don’t turn out for midterms.Much less for state and local races.Millions of registered voters who list the environment or climate as their most important issue do the same. Success might not actually be about identifying and focusing on one specific issue, campaign, or candidate. It might come down to how we want to see ourselves, why we wear those little “I Voted” stickers, how we identify, and our behaviors.And that’s what the Environmental Voter Project is all about, and why we are rerunning our 2022 conversation with Nathaniel Stinnett.Nathaniel founded the Environmental Voter Project in 2015 after over a decade of experience as a senior advisor, consultant, and trainer for political campaigns and issue-advocacy nonprofits, and he sits on the Board of Advisors for MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative. He’s here to help me understand the EVP’s mission and tactics, and how we can help them achieve their goal of turning out more climate-focused voters this year and in the years to come.-----------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 Overstory by Richard PowersFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Follow Nathaniel on TwitterVolunteer with the Environmental Voter Project today!Follow the Environmental Voter Project 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

Voluntary carbon credits are a lot like used cars: You really have no idea what their quality might be. Or maybe they’re more like expensive bottles of wine. Many people (or at least Shayle) can’t tell whether they’re actually buying good-quality wine. If it’s expensive, it must be good, right?That’s the kind of logic that has plagued voluntary carbon markets for years. A carbon credit can work in one of two ways. First, it can avert 1 metric ton of emissions that would have otherwise happened by, for example, preventing deforestation. Alternatively, a credit can directly remove a ton of carbon from the atmosphere through methods such as direct air capture or biochar.But widespread reporting reveals that most credits don’t do what they say they do. Just this month, the CEO of the world’s leading certifier stepped down after an investigation by The Guardian revealed that over 90% of rainforest carbon credits were worthless. In May, a $1 billion lawsuit filed in California alleges that the credits that Delta Air Lines relies on for its claim of reaching carbon-neutrality are bogus.Carbon credits have reached a crisis point at the same moment we need to massively scale them up to meet net-zero goals. So what do we do about these quality problems? In this episode, Shayle talks to Allister Furey, co-founder and CEO of Sylvera, a company that rates the quality of credits in a manner akin to what agencies like Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s do for bonds.Shayle and Allister cover topics including:The history of the first voluntary carbon markets and their early problems, such as producing fluorocarbons just to destroy them.The current state of the market, including its size, segments and prices.The wide gulf in price between the cheapest avoidance credits and the most ambitious engineered removal credits Why Allistair thinks we need to be on a  “war footing” to reach the highly ambitious carbon-removal targets needed to meet net zero, such as growing the market from $2 billion to $1 trillion by 2050.Why high prices do not necessarily mean high quality.Recommended resources:The Guardian: Revealed: more than 90% of rainforest carbon offsets by biggest certifier are worthless, analysis showsThe Guardian: Delta Air Lines faces lawsuit over $1B carbon neutrality claimCatalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.More episodes of Catalyst can be found here.-----------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.-----------Follow 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:Telling better stories is a type of Compound Action.Here's What You Can Do:Check out the Good Energy Project's playbook on how to tell better climate stories.Donate to Experiment, a platform where scientists can crowdfund their research, and you can pick and choose what research you want to support.Volunteer with our friends at the Environmental Voter Project, a non-partisan non-profit with a proven track record of getting non-voting environmentalists to the polls.Get educated about climate change and combat disinformation with Climate Feedback, a worldwide network of scientists sorting fact from fiction in climate change media coverage.Be heard about climate action and keep your representative accountable by checking out this list of candidates and elected officials that have signed the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge.Invest in deforestation-free companies by moving your money into investments that aren’t killing the planet with Deforestation Free Funds.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 it Advertise with us: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

How can we provide better mental health support for pregnancy, postpartum, and loss around pregnancy? That's today's big question, and obviously in America in 2023, it's a loaded one, so I'm so thankful that my guest today is Simmone Taitt. She's the Founder and CEO of Poppy Seed Health. Simmone experienced the vast gaps in emotional and mental support in American maternal healthcare while navigating her own path to parenthood after suffering multiple miscarriages, which she talks about today, with and without health insurance, like so many Americans.In 2019, Simmone identified a better way forward for all birthing people, becoming a birth and full spectrum doula, and then launching Poppy Seed Health, a growing network of diverse, very qualified doulas, midwives, and nurses. They provide care within seconds, private care right in the app just when you need it the most. If you've ever been a part of this journey as a pregnant person intentionally or not, as a partner, or in postpartum, whatever your path, you are probably intimately aware of how much and how often, often in the middle of the night, you just desperately need someone informed who can help answer questions around birth and postpartum planning, lactation support, general comfort, miscarriages, relationships, sleep, and so much more. And we do it very, very poor job as a country of intentionally providing these essential services, often intentionally not providing it.And so that's why I am so glad that Poppy Seed exists. -----------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 Mountain Is You by Brianna WiestFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Learn more about Poppy Seed HealthDownload the app on iOS or Google PlayFollow Poppy Seed Health on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and LinkedIn Follow Simmone on Instagram and LinkedInFollow 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

How did we get here?That's today's big question, and today my guests are Roy Moger-Reischer, and our first three-time guest, Brandon Ogbunu. Roy Moger-Reischer is a scientist trained in microbiology, evolution and data analysis for his PhD. He's currently a fermentation specialist Arzeda, working to develop new proteins and biochemistry for the production of valuable molecules. Brandon Ogbunu, described as a radical collaborator, is an assistant professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale. His research takes place at the intersection of evolutionary biology, genetics, and epidemiology. When I first read about the work of Roy and his lab compatriots to take this idea of a cell stripped down to only what is most essential -- a minimal cell -- and then to see if it would or could evolve to survive even basic mutations, my first thought was, "What?"The answer, it turns out, is profound as hell. And because I'm a self-aware moron, I also begged past guest, Brandon Ogbunu, to come back on the show to help me understand what the hell is happening here and what it means for our history, for society today, and for future breakthroughs to help answer the question:What can you do with just 493 genes? And if the answer is not only survive, but thrive, what can we do once we know that about the building blocks of life? -----------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 Ghost in the Shell by Shirow MasamuneThe Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David WengrowFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Read Roy's paper on the minimal cellKeep up with Roy's workKeep up with Brandon'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, we’re running an episode of Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers, from our friends at the Environmental Defense Fund.This episode is part of a new miniseries called “The Year of the Climate Job,” hosted by EDF Innovation Director Daniel Hill.Each episode provides the best advice from movers and shakers in the green careers landscape. They share creative, practical ways to land a job and build a career in climate work. In this episode, Drawdown Labs Director Jamie Beck Alexander is pushing for every company on the planet to fight climate change. How? By harnessing the power of employee voices to change systems for the better from the inside.A new season of Degrees launches in September. Right now, there are new and emerging green job opportunities in nearly every industry. Degrees is the podcast for climate career inspiration and job advice.Make sure you check out other Degrees episodes about how the green jobs transformation is shaping the future. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.Degrees homeEDF Green Jobs Hub-----------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.-----------Follow 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: How to be excited about the future, explained.Plus, the news:🌊 The tipping point for the Atlantic Ocean👶 An RSV shot for babies🥕 Examining the “N” in SNAP🤖 Profiting from AI toolsAnd more!Here's What You Can Do:Donate to the Institute for Policy Studies to help turn transformative policy ideas into action.Join a Ride Spot Challenge by committing to replace car trips with bike rides. Biking is an easy way to lower your emissions and be part of the climate solution, even if you just start at one trip a week.Get educated about parking reform, which has the potential to impact climate change, equity, and housing.Be heard about climate change by helping Climate Cabinet elect candidates that give a shit about drafting legislation to combat the climate crisis.Invest in the world’s natural capital with ReGen.News RoundupHealth & MedicineYes, heat can be fatal. But it also has a plethora of non-fatal health consequences on both the body and the mindInfants can now get a preventative shot for RSV, which is the leading cause of infant hospitalization in the USA new analysis is skeptical that Biden’s Justice40 program will fix the racial gap in air qualityLiterally go and touch some grass. It’s scientifically proven to be good for you.ClimateExtreme heat is a key issue in UPS contract dealsDiffering theories of decarbonization could create rifts in climate coalitions and derail progressFederal regulatory agencies are starting to (think about) cracking down on dubious carbon offset programsChanges in the Atlantic Ocean are definitely not great, but exactly when we hit the tipping point of totally fucked is hard to predictFood & WaterWhat’s the price of water scarcity? The finance industry doesn’t knowThe “N” in SNAP is complicatedThe companies that make ultra-processed food should be held accountable for the damage they are doing to the health of their customersSome states are starting to step up and help families feed their kids with Child Tax CreditsBeep BoopNo one is exempt from the impacts of climate change. Not even artificial intelligence.It’s time to start thinking about how AI creators intend to profit from itCigna Healthcare used algorithms to deny health insurance claims, prompting a class action lawsuitiOS users can easily manage prescription drug treatment plans with the new “Medicine Cabinet” toolGet 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

This week, we want to tell you about Andrea Learned’s podcast: Living Change: A Quest for Climate Leadership. In season one, Andrea interviews local leaders living the change they want to see reflected in their communities, from John Bauters and Alex Fisch on the west coast to Barbara Buffaloe in Missouri. But she also goes beyond city leaders to find corporate and media professionals leading the way – from CFO’s to Emmy award winners. The conversations highlight how their personal values integrate into their work. There are some really interesting stories here – we enjoyed it so much we’re highlighting her conversation with Mark Gamba in our feed. Mark Gamba’s path into local politics in Oregon is uniquely “Living Change.” As a professional nature photographer seeing climate change on the landscape in real-time, he had all the motivation he needed to run for Mayor of Milwaukie, Oregon. Biking for transportation around town, and working to make it safer for anyone else who wants to do it, has become part of his brand. For local political leaders across the country, Mark’s inspiring journey – and the way he shares it in this episode – is an aspirational model.Links:Subscribe to Living ChangeProduced by Larj Media-----------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-clubFollow 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: This week: Are car dealers the devil? And why?Plus, the news:🇨🇳 Can we build a green economy without China?🦆 Bird flu, explained🇷🇺 Russia quits the Black Sea grain deal🤖 A.I. journalistsAnd more!Here's What You Can Do:Donate to Grid Alternatives, an organization building community-powered clean energy solutions that advance economic and environmental justice.Volunteer your school or workplace to participate in the EPA’s Clean Air in Buildings Challenge.Get educated about leasing an EV with electrek’s cultivated list of Factory Lease offers.Purchase fresh produce from your local farms with GrownBy (and if you’re a farmer, starting selling on the app).Invest in a better world with Impact Assets, and ensure your philanthropic dollars are making a measurable difference.News RoundupHealth & MedicineIt’s time to get serious about bird fluHow long Covid is impacting the Global SouthFamily homelessness is on the rise, and the Federation of Scientists is crowdsourcing for national policies to increase housing supply. Submit your idea here.Tornado damage to Pfizer plant will likely lead to long term shortages of medicine great greatClimateWhy the impacts of climate change are escalating so quicklyA new registry could make carbon removal more accessible, and more trustworthy, maybe?China’s role in America’s green economyWhat the warming planet means for the future of pathogens and diseasesFood & WaterVegan (ahem, plant-based) diets result in 75% less emissions, water pollution, and land use 🤝 🫘👩‍🌾Manufacturing silicon chips requires a shit ton of water Russia has quit its grain deal with Ukraine — originally made to avert a global food crisis — and will target commercial ships in the Black SeaSchool lunches are now free in six statesBeep BoopBots are grabbing students personal data when they complete online assignments. We shouldn’t do this?Google is testing a new A.I. tool that can write news articlesSecretaries of State are getting ready for AI-fueled disinformation during the 2024 campaignFacebook messages could be used in a Nebraska abortion caseGet 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

Sure, we've got to electrify everything, including 1 billion machines by 2050. But where are we now and how do we get there? That's today's big question, and my guest is Cora Wyent from Rewiring America. Cora is the Director of Research at Rewiring America, where she's conducting research and analysis to enable rapid electrification of everything in the economy.Prior to joining Rewiring America, Cora completed her PhD in physics at Caltech, where she studied new materials for ultra thin solar cells and performed techno economic analysis of new photovoltaic and carbon capture technologies. Before that, she received her bachelor's degree in physics from the beautiful UNC Chapel Hill.If you're new here, you should know this is another in our continuing series on electrifying every building and car in America, including your home, whether you own it or whether you rent. We've partnered with the best in the business at Rewiring America to understand where we need to all go on the whole, what we can do, and how you can get started on your own journey.And of course, to unlock an easier path for everyone else. -----------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 Sum of Us by Heather McGheeFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Read Rewiring America's Pace of Progress reportFollow Cora and Rewiring America on TwitterRead our series with on home electrification with Rewiring America, including our product recommendations, guide to IRA, and home electrification prep guideListen to our home electrification Q&A episodeUse the Watt Diet CalculatorRenters! Read our Renters Guide to Home ElectrificationFollow 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