Since the end of November, diplomats, scientists, activists and lobbyists from nearly every country on Earth have come together for COP 28, the United Nations climate negotiating talks. One of the goals of this gathering is for countries to agree on the best path forward to address human-driven climate change. Stakes are high as average global temperatures continue to approach a key threshold of 1.5 degree Celsius (or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times — the level climate scientists say we must stay under to stave off severe climate disruptions that could contribute to flooding, drought, hunger, and conflict.

As it comes to a close, Nathan Rott with NPR's climate desk helps us navigate the take-aways from the pivotal conference.

Related Episodes:
Gambling, literally, on climate change (Apple Podcasts/Spotify)

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A countdown to climate action

A little show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, The Indicator helps you make sense of what's happening today. It's a quick hit of insight into work, business, the economy, and everything else. Listen weekday afternoons.

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Back in 2019, The Indicator started checking in on with a Venezuelan economist Gabriela Saade. The economy was in freefall. The country was suffering from hyperinflation and a huge jump in poverty.  Today, the U.S. faces a spike in migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, many from Venezuela. So we check back in with Gabriela. Venezuela is due to go to the polls in July. We ask Gabriela and two other Venezuelans: what are economic conditions like at the moment? How has life changed since the pandemic? Some of the answers surprised us.

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Why Venezuela is no longer in freefall

What happens when small town politics collide with the climate crisis? And how do hazard maps—maps that show which homes in your neighborhood are at risk of getting destroyed or damaged by a natural disaster—come into play? On today's episode, how some people—from Indiana to Oregon to Alaska—are facing some very real concerns about insurance and the ability to sell their houses.

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Hazard maps: The curse of knowledge

In Western Colorado, towns and farms are banding together to pay a hundred million dollars for water they don't intend to use. Today on the show, how scarcity, climate change and a first-dibs system of water management is forcing towns, farms and rural residents to get spendy. 

Related episodes:
A watershed moment in the West? (Apple / Spotify) 
The Amazon, the Colorado River and a price on nature 
Water in the West: Bankrupt? 

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How Colorado towns are trying to get some water certainty

It's Jobs Friday and the jobs report is in! There's more jobs! ... but not as many as expected. And there's a teensy bit  more unemployment and slower wage growth. But there's an upside ... Plus, healthcare is growing like gangbusters and how immigrants affect American-born workers.

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Not too hot, not too cold: a 'Goldilocks' jobs report

College campuses nationwide are erupting with protests against Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza. A consistent theme among these actions: a call for university endowment "divestment." 

Today, we unpack what that means and how divestment would work. Plus, we hear from an expert who explains why divestment might not have the effect that many believe.

Related episodes:
Why Israel uses diaspora bonds (Apple / Spotify)  
How much of your tax dollars are going to Israel and Ukraine (Apple / Spotify)

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A countdown to climate action

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