The Most Important Question

This week: Can Apple help improve mental health?Here's What You Can Do: ⚡️LGBTQ+ youth are 4x more likely to attempt suicide than their peers. Help the The Trevor Project build a safer, more-inclusive world through crisis services, peer support, education, and advocacy. Happy Pride! 🏳️‍🌈  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

This week: Is the future inevitable?Plus: A lack of OB-GYN’s in a post-Roe world, some new bills for agrivoltaics, the best in climate journalism, the link between COVID and Alzheimer’s, misinformation, and moreHere's What You Can Do:⚡️ Our algorithms and technology are only as good as the people who make them. Empower future innovators to consider the social impact of their work with Tech Shift. ⚡️ Donate to the Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank working on solutions and policies to make coastal cities climate-ready. ⚡️ Electrifying school buses reduces air pollution, immediately improving the health of kids while ALSO reducing emissions. Tell your school board about Highland Fleets, an organization working to make electric fleets accessible for all. ⚡️ As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather, emergency services are becoming overstretched. Climate Resilience Hubs prepare communities before, during, and after an emergency. Find yours with this interactive map from Climate Crew. ⚡️ The housing shortage is bad for people, equality, the environment, and the economy. Help your city develop, implement, and monitor local housing strategies with actionable tools and guidance from Local Housing Solutions. News RoundupHealth & MedicineHalf of US counties don’t have an OB-GYN. That’s fucking unacceptable, and abortion-bans are making it worse. Dirty air kills more people than smoking, car crashes or HIV/AIDS, cutting up to six years off the lives of billions of people. Coal (surprise!) is the worst culprit Endocrine disrupting chemicals could be the reason behind the decrease in global sperm counts A new report is highlighting how hospitals can address the nursing shortage by attracting and retaining more nurses (cough-pay them-cough) ClimateA coalition of environmental organizations have the solutions to scale up transmission infrastructure in an equitable way The US Treasury and IRS have the released the latest updates on IRAs clean energy incentives, in time for Rewiring America to determine the pace at which we need to electrify everything to meet climate goalsIndigenous communities are leading the climate fight as usual, this time with the help of mapping tech to claim their land rights, and stop deforestation Climate-related start-ups in Africa have received $2.8 billion in funding since 2019 Covering Climate Now has released the finalists for the 2023 CCN Journalism awards, honoring the best coverage of climate change and climate solutions around the worldFood & WaterAgrivoltaics get a boost in the Senate, a climate solution that benefits farmers, ecosystems and the climate Chickens in Europe are getting dose with antibiotics “critical to human health”, causing growing concerns about superbugsSooo what happens if California’s dams fail? Beep BoopICE is using LexisNexis to track and gather information on people in order to make arrests for deportationWhat data does your car have on you? If misinformation actually is increasing, what can we do about it? An algorithm designed to reduce poverty is doing a bad job COVIDResearchers have established a link between Covid-19 and Alzheimer’sA common drug for diabetes may prevent Long COVIDGet 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: Got fired? Start over.Plus: More young people are getting cancer, the rise of solar power, new YouTube misinformation rules, getting paid to bike to work, and moreHere's What You Can Do:⚡️ If apocalyptic skies and hazardous air quality reports are making your climate anxiety a little more intense this week (I feel you), look into the Climate Psychiatry Alliance’s database to find a climate-aware psychiatrist near you.⚡️ Help spread fire adaptation practices and give communities the tools they need to reduce their wildfire risk and increase their resilience by donating to Fire Adapted Communities.⚡️ Campaign to speed up the transition away from coal in your community by joining a local team to retire coal plants.⚡️ While you’re staying indoors to avoid the unhealthy air outside, purchase an air purifier to keep your indoor air quality up to par (got Scrooge McDuck cash? Donate a few to local schools).⚡️ Learn more about the impacts of air pollution, and read these recommendations for proper building ventilation.News RoundupHealth & MedicineA new pill for lung cancer was found to cut the risk of death in half during clinical trials, yay!Unfortunately, cancer is on the rise for people under 50 worldwide, and we don’t really know why, god I really fucking hate cancerThe chatbot “working” for an eating disorder helpline, instead of real humans capable of human empathy, was found to be encouraging unhealthy eating habits. Cool cool coolThis week was one of the worst wildfire pollution events in U.S. historyClimateBiofuels might not actually be the best climate solutionReforesting the Amazon could drastically help slow global warming, but there are a lot of roadblocksWould you bike to work if the feds paid you to?The clean energy transition is reliant on mines — but young people don’t want to work in themSolar is growing fast enough to meet global decarbonization goals — here’s a graph as a treat. You deserve it.Food & WaterLack of water is limiting construction in Arizona, which I don’t know, feels like a big dealAs global food costs soar, a food delivery company is launching a fund for food-insecure AmericansDroughts in France are leading to water shortages, and the current solution isn’t sustainableA pretty pretty vital Ukrainian dam was destroyed this week, leading to major floodingBeep BoopCould online age verification rules designed to protect children come at the price of everyone’s privacy?The A.I. boom could be hindered by the cost of operating systems to run themYouTube has changed its misinformation policy to allow 2020 election denial videos to remain on the site GREAT WORK EVERYBODYCOVIDAnti-vaxxers and medical misinformation spreaders are getting their social media platforms backWildfire smoke can increase the risk of contracting Covid. Let’s do neither?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

This week: Ask these questions before you click on ANYTHING.Plus: Gut inflammation news, California insurance gets harder to find, 750k adults just lost Medicaid, what (non-vaccinated) COVID actually does to your lungs, and moreHere's What You Can Do:⚡️ PFAS (“forever chemicals”) have been linked to serious health problems. Urge Congress bans PFAS from all food contact materials by using this script from Toxic-Free Future. ⚡️ Work in marketing? Join Clean Creatives, a movement of advertisers and PR professionals, and pledge to cut ties with fossil fuels.⚡️ Reclaim your right to privacy online with the Mullvad VPN (I use it every day). ⚡️ Keep informed with Circle of Blue’s in-depth reporting on the solutions and challenges to the water scarcity crisis. News RoundupHealth & MedicineMost pregnancy-related deaths occur in the year after a baby is born, prompting new strategies in caring for new mothers The science behind how chronic stress impacts gut healthNano-plastics are causing inflammation in the gut and brain, but the damage is reversible when they’re removed Maybe everyone knowing where you are at all times isn’t actually the healthiest thing for our relationships? Imagine being a teen worrying that everyone is hanging out without you, and then confirming your suspicions are correctClimateState Farm is no longer accepting homeowner insurance applications in California What the Debt Ceiling Deal means for the climateThe White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs is changing the way the government calculates the costs and benefits of regulation, all in the name of fighting pollution How and where to build a strong manufacturing base for clean energy in the US Food & WaterHow the debt ceiling agreement will put 750,000 older adults at risk of losing food assistance Commodity farmers are using regenerative cover cropping to adapt to climate change A million plastic bottles are purchased worldwide every minute. EVERY MINUTE! That’s a shit ton. If you need help visualizing a shit ton, here’s a visual. Beep BoopA summary of Wolfram Alpha’s breakdown on what the hell is going on with ChatGPT and LLM’s It’s time to start thinking about the governance of superintelligenceAmazon has settled with the FTC for illegally spying on users and collecting kids data COVIDHere’s what COVID does to your lungsAnd the 12 most common symptoms associated with 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's in wildfire smoke and how can you protect yourself from it? Those are today's big questions, and my guest is Dr. Mary Prunicki. Dr. Prunicki is the Director of Air Pollution and Health Research at Stanford University under the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research. Her lab examines the impact of air pollution and wildfires on health, specifically immune health. Dr. Prunicki and I got together in late summer 2021 as fires and smoke just enveloped the American West and eventually the East Coast too. Almost two years later, the west has seen a very wet winter and relative if temporary respite from fires, but Canada's on fire now, and everyone can see and taste the smoke as the jet stream carries it all the way across the continent. So it's always a good time to understand how to protect yourself and your family, and that begins with understanding what you're protecting yourselves from, so we're rerunning this very popular and necessary conversation to make sure you and I, and all of us are up to speed all over again.-----------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:Night by Elie WieselFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:profiles.stanford.edu/mary-prunickiBuy Purple Air monitor (or just look at the live map)How to Buy a *Real* N95 MaskEPA Air Quality & Climate Change ResearchCalifornia Air Resources BoardAmerican Lung Association on Outdoor Air QualityStanford Center for Air Quality ResearchFrom Bloomberg: Wildfire's Toxic Legacy Leaves Children Gasping for Air Years LaterFollow 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: 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