Ten Across Conversations

Western cities like Phoenix, Tucson, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas have always been criticized for their existence because of their location in the arid west. Such commentary is becoming increasingly common with proliferating information about the current western megadrought. But are those questions and critiques valid?

In part three of this series, Ten Across founder Duke Reiter speaks with policy researcher and lawyer Grady Gammage Jr. about misconceptions around western cities’ relationship with water and where we go from here.

For more information about the Ten Across initiative visit www.10across.com.

Ten Across looks at major challenges holistically—including the artificial barriers or boundaries which may inhibit addressing an issue with all of the means at our disposal. We’re taking a deeper dive into the Colorado River crisis in a series of episodes—an exemplary case study into one of the monumental challenges of our time. Join us as we speak with experts who can provide insights into the history, issues, and policies of this great water and energy system and how we can better leverage it to for a more sustainable and resilient future.

In part two of this series, Ten Across founder Duke Reiter speaks with Arizona State University water law professor Rhett Larson about the legal nature of the drying Colorado River, his thoughts on desalination, and why everyone in America should care about the river’s plight.

For more information about the Ten Across initiative visit www.10across.com.

The worsening situation of the Colorado River is illustrative of many of the larger environmental and climate change challenges we face as a society today. Ten Across looks at major challenges holistically—including the artificial barriers or boundaries which may inhibit addressing an issue with all of the means at our disposal. We’re taking a deeper dive into the Colorado River crisis in a series of episodes—an exemplary case study into one of the monumental challenges of our time. Join us as we speak with experts who can provide insights into the history, issues, and policies of this great water and energy system and how we can better leverage it to for a more sustainable and resilient future.

In this episode, Ten Across founder Duke Reiter speaks with Colorado water lawyer, rancher, and one of the signatories to the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan James Eklund about the unexpected pace of change in the river system, how it is affecting users of its water resources, and what we can learn to inform the difficult allocation work ahead.

For more information about the Ten Across initiative visit www.10across.com.

Heat waves and the dramatic effects of climate change have brought how we design, heat, and cool our buildings into sharp focus. The built environment is the key to survivability in an era of extremes, but if we are not careful—it can also contribute to making things worse. How can we keep cool without putting undue stress on the grid and adding to greenhouse gas emissions?

Listen in as Ten Across founder Duke Reiter speaks with building scientist Alexandra Rempel and architect Christiana Moss about how we can better design buildings to be more climate resilient.

For more information about the Ten Across initiative visit www.10across.com.

The Ten Across geography intersects with some of the largest cities and the most pressing issues facing the country: drought, sea-level rise, wildfire, extreme temperatures, immigration, and increasingly, the questioning of democracy itself. City mayors have always been on front lines of these monumental challenges—requiring a sense of realism about the present and optimism about the future.

Listen in as Ten Across founder Duke Reiter speaks with former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial and former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson about leadership, politics, and how cities can be the true bastions of American democracy.

The Gumbo Coalition by Marc Morial: https://www.harpercollinsleadership.com/gumbo-coalition/

The Optimistic American podcast hosted by Paul Johnson: https://optamerican.com/

For more information about the Ten Across initiative visit www.10across.com.

In this Ten Across virtual panel discussion, we speak to a panel of distinguished editors and journalists from several nonprofit news outlets across the Ten Across region about the future of nonprofit and local journalism, examples of its impact in reporting critical issues facing the region, and its importance to our sometimes fragile democracy.

Moderator:
Susan Goldberg, Vice Dean + Professor of Practice, ASU’s College of Global Futures and Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication; former Editor and Chief of National Geographic

Panelists:
Dr. Hannah Brown, Co-Founder & Editorial Director, The Marjorie

Robert Moore, Founder and CEO, El Paso Matters

Dianna M. Náñez, Executive Editor, Arizona Luminaria

Sara Solovitch, Editor, Searchlight New Mexico

The most pressing issues of our time are playing out along the I-10 corridor: drought, sea level rise, immigration, energy transition, climate change, and many would argue the future of democracy itself. While there is more information available on these topics than ever before, trust in the media that provides it is at an all time low.

Since 2005, over 2000 newspapers have closed in the United States. In addition to disruption caused by the advent of the Internet and social media, private equity firms have bought up hundreds of local newspapers. Fortunately, there has been a growing resurgence of independent journalism. According to Pew Research, “nonprofit reporters alone (whether full time or less than full time) now constitute 20% of the statehouse corps, up from 6% in 2014.”

The overall loss is consequential for communities and puts the health of American democracy at risk. Not only do stories of government accountability go unreported, but an essential public forum for sharing culture and bringing people together evaporates. Such a rapid shift brings profound questions: How do the most consequential subjects get covered at a local level? How does data and fact-based reporting reach community members? What happens when only mainstream national outlets cover local stories?

In the Ten Across region, a group of enterprising journalists and entrepreneurs are stepping up to answer these questions with new models of nonprofit journalism. Independent news outlets in this region are making a great impact and setting a new standard for effectively and honestly reporting critical issues important to the future of our country as a whole.

Originally aired Wednesday, June 8 , 2022

The tumult of the global energy market has sent energy prices soaring worldwide, brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At a time when the window for making meaningful strides in addressing climate change is closing, demand for fossil fuels is at an all-time high. How do we reconcile our immediate needs for fossil fuel with the imperatives of decarbonizing our energy systems and infrastructure? And how is this playing out in the Ten Across region?

Listen in as Ten Across founder Duke Reiter talks with two of the most respected thought leaders on energy and security, Michael Webber and Sharon Burke, about the short and long-term effects of the Russian invasion, what drives American energy production, the future of renewables, and why there is still hope for our global climate.

For more information about the Ten Across initiative visit www.10across.com.

The historic megadrought in the western United States, compounded by human-caused climate change, has curtailed the flow of the Colorado River to critical levels with no relief in sight. However, keen observers predicted this situation over a century ago, so how did we end up here?

Listen in as Ten Across founder Duke Reiter talks to water experts Anne Castle and John Fleck about the history and future of the Colorado River including the 40 million people and 5 million acres of farmland that rely on its diminishing water supply.

For more information about the Ten Across initiative visit www.10across.com.

Read the report “Green Light for Adaptive Policies on the Colorado River” by John Fleck & Anne Castle here: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/1/2/htm

Science Be Dammed: How Ignoring Inconvenient Science Drained the Colorado River by John Fleck & Eric Kuhn: https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/science-be-dammed

As the world faces the compounding impacts of rapid climate change, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made the path to reducing carbon emissions even more fraught with calls to increase production of fossil fuels. Navigating both these crises require extraordinary problem solving at scale. Are the world’s democracies equipped to address such problems quickly enough?

Listen in as Ten Across founder Duke Reiter talks with David Orr, professor of environmental studies and politics at Oberlin College in a thought-provoking discussion about democracy, climate solutions, war, education, and optimism.

For more information about the Ten Across initiative visit www.10across.com.

Guest bio:

David Orr is Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics Emeritus and senior advisor to the president of Oberlin College. He is a founding editor of the journal Solutions, and founder of the Oberlin Project, a collaborative effort of the city of Oberlin, Oberlin College, and private and institutional partners to improve the resilience, prosperity, and sustainability of Oberlin. He is the author of eight books and has authored over 200 articles, reviews, book chapters, and professional publications.

The environmental justice movement has been around for decades, but has recently come to the forefront of mainstream discussion with the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. The Biden Administration has emphasized social equity and the need to address historically unfair placement of large-scale infrastructure projects in and around communities of color. What does a renewed focus on this topic mean in today’s context and how can communities have a voice in their own future?

Listen in as Ten Across founder Duke Reiter talks with “The Father of Environmental Justice,” Dr. Robert Bullard about the roots of the modern movement and how we can address past wrongs at a large scale.

For more information about the Ten Across initiative visit www.10across.com.

Guest bio:

Dr. Robert Bullard is Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University. Known as the “Father of Environmental Justice,” he has written several books addressing a wide variety of issues from environmental racism, to housing and transportation, to climate justice. He received his Ph.D. degree from Iowa State University and has previously taught at Clark Atlanta University, University of California-Riverside, and University of California-Berkeley.