In Our Hands

In this episode, Ramanan speaks with Mark Stoll, a professor of environmental and religious history at Texas Tech University, where he also serves as director of Environmental Studies. Stoll has written two books about the American environmental movement's significant formative religious influences: Protestantism, Capitalism, and Nature in America (1997) and Inherit the Holy Mountain: Religion and the Rise of American Environmentalism (2015). His newest book, Profit: An Environmental History, is an environmental history of capitalism and has been described by such figures as Bill McKibben and Katherine Hayhoe as a “must-read” outlining “the central tale of the human story.” They discuss the influence of religion on environmentalism, underrecognized environmentalists, and how to rehabilitate capitalism.Full transcript and timestamps available on the episode page.

In this episode, Ramanan speaks with Michael Weisberg, Bess W. Heyman President's Distinguished Professor and Chair of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also co-directs the Galápagos Education and Research Alliance. They discuss scientific models, the Galápagos, resistance to science, and Weisberg’s contributions to the IPCC.

Full transcript and timestamps on the episode page. In Our Hands is a production of Amasia. Follow these links for more about our firm, the Amasia blog, our climate fiction podcast, and Ramanan’s blog.

In this episode, Ramanan speaks with Kim Wolske, a research associate professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. They discuss social norms around climate, barriers to low-carbon choices, and the Inflation Reduction Act. Wolske also shares valuable advice for early-stage founders focused on climate.

Timestamps and full transcript available on the episode page. In Our Hands is a production of Amasia. Follow these links for more about our firm, the Amasia blog, our climate fiction podcast, and Ramanan’s blog.

In this episode, Ramanan speaks with Gernot Wagner, a climate economist at Columbia Business School.

Wagner has written four books: Geoengineering: the Gamble, Stadt, Land, Klima, Climate Shock, and But Will the Planet Notice? His most recent book provides a balanced take on the possible benefits and risks of geoengineering in its various forms. Prior to joining Columbia as a senior lecturer, Gernot taught at NYU, Harvard, and Columbia.

They discuss geoengineering, lifestyle changes, and messaging about climate action. This episode is also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Full transcript and timestamps available on the episode page. In Our Hands is a production of Amasia. Follow these links for more about our firm, the Amasia blog, our climate fiction podcast, and Ramanan’s blog.

In this episode from our archives, Ramanan Raghavendran speaks with Roland Geyer, a Professor at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California at Santa Barbara. Since 2000, Dr. Geyer has worked with a wide range of governmental organizations, trade associations, and companies to develop the science and knowledge necessary to reduce the environmental impact from industrial production and consumption. In this conversation, they discuss the fallacy of eco-efficiency and how to avoid green-washing in corporate climate efforts. Time stamps and the full transcript are available on the episode page. This episode is also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In Our Hands is a production of Amasia. Follow these links for more about our firm, the Amasia blog, our climate fiction podcast, and Ramanan’s blog.

In this episode, Ramanan speaks with Genevieve Guenther, a Renaissance scholar and literary critic at The New School who turned to climate activism after having a child and becoming increasingly alarmed about the world she might leave to her son after she died. They discuss the forces that shape our climate discourse and how to communicate effectively about the climate crisis.

In Our Hands is a production of Amasia. Follow these links for more about our firm, the Amasia blog, our climate fiction podcast, and Ramanan’s blog.

In this episode from our archives, Ramanan speaks with Tim Lenton, Professor of Climate Change and Earth System Science at the University of Exeter and Director of the Global Systems Institute.

In this conversation, they discuss the Gaia hypothesis, tipping points, and human intervention in climate systems. Full transcript and timestamps available on the episode page. This episode is also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In Our Hands is a production of Amasia. Follow these links for more about our firm, the Amasia blog, our climate fiction podcast, and Ramanan’s blog.

Daniel Aldana Cohen is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at UC Berkeley. He holds a PhD in Sociology from New York University and a BA in History and Development Studies from McGill University. Cohen directs the Socio-Spatial Climate Collaborative and co-directs the climate + community project. Cohen works on the politics of climate change, investigating the intersections of climate change, housing, political economy, social movements, and inequalities of race and class in the United States and Brazil.

They discuss cities, democratic technology, and a greener “Good Life.” Time stamps and the full transcript on the episode page. This episode is also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In Our Hands is a production of Amasia. Follow these links for more about our firm, the Amasia blog, our climate fiction podcast, and Ramanan’s blog.

In this episode, Ramanan speaks with Robert Frank, the Henrietta Johnson Louis Professor Emeritus of Management and Professor Emeritus of Economics at Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos.

They discuss positional arms races, motivations for consumption, and behavioral contagion. This episode is also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In Our Hands is a production of Amasia.

In this episode, Ramanan speaks with Katy Milkman, the James G. Dinan Professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Milkman’s research explores ways that insights from economics and psychology can be harnessed to change consequential behaviors for good, such as savings, exercise, vaccination take-up and discrimination. She is also the author of the bestselling book How to Change: The Science of Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, which was named one of the eight best books for healthy living in 2021 by the New York Times. In 2018, she began hosting Charles Schwab’s popular podcast Choiceology with Katy Milkman, which explores key lessons from behavioral economics about decision-making.

They discuss planet-friendly behaviors, how the pandemic changed our behaviors, and how startups can spur behavior change. Time stamps and the full transcript are below. This episode is also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In Our Hands is a production of Amasia. Follow these links for more about our thesis, our portfolio, and our course for climate founders.