Surviving the Climate

Nate and Robbie give a recap of the Global Heat Forum in Bangkok, Thailand and Marcelo shares how he survived an unseasonably warm Chicago Marathon. The hosts also ponder what people did a century ago when it was incredibly hot. 

Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok @survivingtheclimate.

Links from today’s episode: 

• Global Heat Forum
• Wtf just happened lol : r/ChicagoMarathon
• What did people do 100 years ago when it got over 100F? : r/heat_prep   

Timestamps: 

(00:00) Intro to the show 

(01:11) Global Heat Forum

(13:10) Dr. Jennifer Vanos interview

(16:16) Dr. Jason Lee interview  

(19:30) Dealing with a warm Chicago Marathon 

(33:23) Heat 100 years ago 

(42:22) Outro

This week’s episode features a conversation Robbie had with Dr. Abderrezak Bouchama, the Chairman at the Department of Experimental Medicine at the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center. Dr. Bouchama talks about his experiences in Saudi Arabia treating heat illness during the Hajj, a sacred pilgrimage in Islam.  

Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok @survivingtheclimate.

Timestamps: 

(00:00) Intro to the show

(03:52) Dr. Bouchama’s first experience working at a Hajj field hospital 

(08:11) Hajj background 

(12:56) On the ground experiences and heat exposure during the Hajj 

(15:28) Demographics of the Hajj pilgrims that are exposed to heat

(18:42) Heat resilience measures 

(22:24) Clothes that pilgrims wear and what the government provides to keep pilgrims cool 

(25:20) Temperatures during the Hajj

(27:14) Common conditions that cause hospitalizations

(31:44) Interview recap 

(34:48) Outro

Robbie and Nate talk about the Super El Niño and how to prepare, reflect on their first year of working on the podcast, and share r/heat_prep insights.  

Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok @survivingtheclimate.

Links from today’s episode: 

• MTA plans to beat the heat at sweltering subway stations with heat capture technology - Gothamist 
• FLOODLINES - Pioneer Works 
• The Super El Niño Is About to Unleash Weather Chaos. Get Ready Now. - The New York Times 
• What is El Niño, what causes it and can we reduce the risks?  - The Guardian

Timestamps 

(00:00) Intro to the show 

(00:38) Catching up and face masks 

(04:13) Hot subway platforms 

(11:28) Hurricane Polo hitting New Mexico 

(15:18) Pioneer Works FLOOLINES event 

(22:46) Nor’easter recording

(28:45) Super El Niño  

(34:50) Outro 

Nate and Robbie talk about Climate Week NYC, a new song about heat that Robbie advised on and climate comedy and movies. The episode also features a discussion about emergency kits and the difference between bugging in and bugging out preparedness. 

Follow us on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok @survivingtheclimate.

Links from today’s episode: 

• EARTHGANG | Cool Me Down (In The Studio) 

Timestamps: 

(00:00) Intro to the show

(00:30) Climate Week  

(08:06) EARTHGANG song and other climate songs 

(20:26) TED event and climate comedy 

(28:45) Emergency kits 

(41:38) Outro 

Robbie and Nate talk about running in the heat, fan vests in Japan, cooling strategies from Spain and a group that brings together people affected by climate disasters. This episode also features our recurring “hot cross puns” segment. 

Follow us on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok @survivingtheclimate.

Links from today’s episode: 

• I wear a fan jacket in Tokyo. Would people actually wear these where you live? : r/heat_prep
• it’s going to be 102 tmrw and i have classes 🫩 i need advice : r/heat_prep
• How a Series of Climate Disasters Connected a Group of Strangers - The New York Times   
• Fan with mister: https://www.instagram.com/p/DdRzQpxsQks/ 

Timestamps: 

(00:00) Intro to the show

(00:59) Running in the heat 

(08:13) r/heat_prep posts

(21:08) Extreme Weather Survivors

(27:12) Cooling strategies from Spain 

(35:30) Hot cross puns 

(37:55) Outro 

Nate and Robbie discuss the tragic floods around the Nepal-Tibet border and reflect on what preparation means in the face of more frequent and extreme hazards.

Nate also shares some anecdotes from his son’s return to school, where students have been raising concerns about hot classrooms. 

Follow us on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok @survivingtheclimate.

Links from today’s episode: 

• A Principal Saved 900 Students Before His School Was Washed Away in Nepal - The New York Times 

Timestamps: 

(00:00) Intro to the show

(00:37) Nepal floods 

(20:17) Hot classrooms 

(39:47) Outro 

Robbie and Nate sit down with Dr. Samantha Montano, an associate professor of emergency management at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, author of Disasterology: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis, and writer of the monthly newsletter Disasterology. They dig into how evacuation orders come together, the challenges officials and residents face during evacuations, and practical steps you can take to prepare before disaster strikes. 

Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Bluesky @survivingtheclimate.

Links from today’s episode: 

• Disasterology: Dispatches from The Frontlines of The Climate Crisis
• Disasterology Newsletter  
• On the Media | American Emergency: the Movement to Kill FEMA | WNYC Studios 

Timestamps: 

(00:00) Intro to the show

(00:34) Interview 

(35:07) Interview recap 

(36:24) Outro 

Nate and Robbie interview David Lubell, a senior climate mobility and cities fellow at ICLEI USA. The three discuss how cities like Cincinnati and Orlando are preparing for climate migrants, what climate migration looks like today, and more.

Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Bluesky @survivingtheclimate.

Links from today’s episode: 

• Helping Cities Prepare for a Future of Increased Climate Mobility | ICLEI USA
• On the Move | Book by Abrahm Lustgarten
• The Great Displacement | Book by Jake Bittle    

Timestamps: 

(00:00) Intro to the show

(01:02) Interview 

(31:34) Interview recap 

(41:18) Outro

Robbie and Nate interview Terri Gerstein, Director of the NYU Wagner Labor Initiative at NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, to talk about how employers can protect workers, how workers can advocate for themselves, and what's next for heat protections. 

Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Bluesky @survivingtheclimate.

Timestamps: 

(00:00) Intro to the show

(00:46) Interview 

(18:50) Interview recap 

(23:10) Outro

This week, Nate kicks things off with a review of his infrared thermometer and its many use cases. Robbie shares more heat puns and Marcelo introduces a new segment, "This or That," where the hosts have to pick between heat-related scenarios and cooling techniques. To close things out, Nate and Robbie dig into the growing wave of heat exhaustion questions popping up on r/heat_prep.

Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Bluesky @survivingtheclimate.

Link’s from today’s episode: 

• How to keep cool in a heatwave: 25 tips from the people who know best, from a Rio lifeguard to an Egyptian archaeologist | Extreme heat | The Guardian 

Timestamps: 

(00:00) Intro to the show

(00:50) Infrared thermometer 

(07:22) Hot cross puns

(11:02) This or that 

(19:41) Cooling tips from around the world 

(27:24) r/heat_prep 

(32:24) Outro