The Most Important Question

By Important, Not ImportantSociety & Culture Science Technology

The Most Important Question episodes

April 08, 2024The Social Infrastructure of Water
What have we learned from millennia of water insecurity, of climate changes and disasters, of building along freshwater ways and the ocean, that we can apply today?

That's today's big question, and my guest is Dr. Amber Wutich.

Dr. Wutich is an ASU President's Professor, Director of the Center for Global Health, and 2023 MacArthur Fellow.

She's an expert on water insecurity, and directs the Global Ethnohydrology Study, a cross cultural study of water knowledge and management in over 20 countries.

Dr. Wutich’s two decades of community based field work explore how people respond individually and collectively to extremely water scarce conditions. She leads the NSF Action for Water Equity, a participatory convergence study that develops collaborative water solutions with water insecure U.S. communities. Her teaching has been recognized with many awards, including the Carnegie Case Arizona Professor of the Year.

As maybe the most important thing that neither you or I can live without, water is both becoming more scarce in Central America, Northern India, Syria and other places, and more prevalent through sea level rise, flooding and storms where we're not ready for it.

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INI Book Club:

Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club

Links:
Connect with Amber on LinkedIn, Twitter, and BlueSky
Donate or volunteer with Water For People
Donate to Dig Deep
Learn more about Amber's work with NSF-funded Household Water Insecurity Experiences Research Coordination Network
Learn more about the National Science Foundation
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Edited by Anthony Luciani
Produced by Willow Beck
Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

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1 hr 21 min
March 25, 2024Essay: The Aftermath
This week:
Bernie decided March 15th is Long COVID Awareness Day, so I thought it was an appropriate moment to try to pull together the threads of why Long COVID pisses me off so much, examples of other self-defeating issues we never learned from, and a blueprint for how to do better, better.
Here's What You Can Do:
🌎️ Donate to Partners in Health to ensure that everyone, everywhere has access to quality healthcare.
Volunteer for a clinical trial to help us better understand the impacts of COVID and Long COVID.
Get educated about how you can start a career in public health.
Be heard about early detection in your community and get your local officials to start a wastewater intelligence program with Biobot.
🌎️ Invest in a matching fund with Gavi to get people vaccinated worldwide.
Get more:
Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.com
Support our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade
Got feedback? Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp
Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett
Edited by Anthony Luciani
Produced by Willow Beck
Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com
Take a nap you deserve it

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28 min
March 18, 2024The Best Depression Treatment For You
You know you're stressed. You know you're anxious. Do you have depression? And do you need to know the latest in the biology of how the brain works and depression works or doesn't work and whether the gut is involved in getting meaningful help?

That's today's big question. I promise it's kind of one question, even if there are a ton of different answers, and they're going to be different for everybody.

This conversation is a follow-up to our last couple of conversations about the brain, the gut, and depression. My returning guest is Srijan Sen.

Srijan is still the Francis and Kenneth Eisenberg Professor of Depression and Neurosciences at the University of Michigan and the Director of the Francis and Kenneth Eisenberg and Family Depression Center.

His leading research focuses on the interactions between genes and the environment and their effect on stress, anxiety, and depression.
Content Warning
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Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to [email protected]

New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

-----------

INI Book Club:

Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club

Links:
Follow along with the work of The Sen Lab
Follow Srijan on Twitter
Suicide Crisis Lifeline (Call 988)
The Trevor Project Hotline for LBGTQ+ youth
Listen to Srijan's first episode
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Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.com
Support our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp
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Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett
Edited by Anthony Luciani
Produced by Willow Beck
Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

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1 hr 11 min
March 13, 2024Essay: How To Give
This week:
There are few problems so simple that a single donation can fix them.

Usually, to turn a problem into a realistic opportunity takes many donations. Over time, spread over a large number of donors.

But all the work before that is kind of exhausting: you’ve gotta make sure your donation goes to the right place, the right organization, the right people — usually the ones closest to the problem — with the most pragmatic intentions.
Here's What You Can Do:
Donate to Give Directly and put cash straight into the pockets of the people who need it the most.
Volunteer with Overdose Lifeline to support their harm reduction and awareness efforts.
Get educated about starting a resilience hub in your community with resources from the USDN.
Be heard about making healthy school meals free for students everywhere.
Invest in a sustainable future and find a clean bank to move your money into using bank.green.
Get more:
Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.com
Support our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade
Got feedback? Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp
Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett
Edited by Anthony Luciani
Produced by Willow Beck
Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com
Take a nap you deserve it

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Mentioned in this episode:

Become An Important Member
30 min
March 04, 2024Can Capitalism (Justly) Solve the Climate Crisis?
The climate clock is ticking faster and faster.

How can we use capitalism to undo the bad stuff that capitalism did and maybe even make things better?

That's today's big (loaded) question, and my returning guest is Akshat Rathi.

Akshat is a London-based senior reporter, newsletter writer, and podcaster for Bloomberg News.

Akshat has a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Oxford, and a BTech in Chemical Engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai. Akshat was previously a senior reporter at Quartz and a science editor at The Conversation.

He is here today to talk about his first book, Climate Capitalism.

This wonderful book tells the stories of people building solutions at scale to tackle one of humanity's greatest challenges. Some solutions we've already built, like solar and batteries, and some we're still working on because they take a lot of work, and money, and politics.

In a world where journalism is going bye-bye, and the climate clock is ticking, but we've made so much progress, and we can make so much more, Akshat's reporting in this book couldn't be more timely, as we seek to answer the question, where are we on this timeline?

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Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to [email protected]

New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

-----------

INI Book Club:
The Long View by Richard Fisher
Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club
Links:
Order Climate Capitalism in the US/Canada (out March 12)
Order Climate Capitalism in the UK (out now)
Order Climate Capitalism in India (out now)
Order Climate Capitalism in the rest of the world
Listen to Akshat on his podcast Zero, and subscribe to his newsletter
Read about the Biden Administration's regulations on the social costs of climate change here and here
Follow us:
Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.com
Support our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp
Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett
Edited by Anthony Luciani
Produced by Willow Beck
Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors
1 hr 2 min
February 26, 2024Essay: How to See The Forest
This week:
Are we in the hardest part of the climate transition?
Here's What You Can Do:
🌎️ Donate to 350.org, a global movement working towards a fossil fuel-free world.
Volunteer with your local Mothers Out Front chapter to fight for a world that protects kids.
Get educated about building a clean energy company using the videos, exercises, and curriculum in Third Derivative’s Startup Resource Database.
🌎️ Be heard about climate justice and find an initiative that needs your support or signature in your country using GAIA’s action alert tool.
Invest in the future by setting up a climate-friendly 401(k) with Sphere.
Get more:
Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.com
Support our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade
Got feedback? Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Take a nap you deserve it

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28 min
February 19, 2024Saving Democracy From The Bottom Up
What are reverse coattails, and how might they slow climate change, prevent the next pandemic, and keep Nazis off of school boards?

That's today's big question, and my returning guest is Amanda Litman.

Amanda is one of my favorite people. She is the co-founder and co-executive director of Run for Something, which recruits and supports young, diverse progressives running for down-ballot office, state, and local, and all those fun levels.

Since launching in 2017, a thousand years ago, Run for Something has elected more than 1000 leaders across nearly all 50 states, mostly women and people of color.

Politico named Run for Something and Amanda, one of the 50 ideas driving politics in 2018. Bloomberg called her one of the People to Watch in 2019. Fortune named her to their annual 40 under 40 list in 2020. And in 2022, Amanda was one of the Time Next 100, a list of 100 rising stars from around the world.

And look, it's yet another election year in America because it's another year in America, so there is never a better time to invite Amanda back onto the show.

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Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to [email protected]

New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

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INI Book Club:
North Woods by Daniel Mason
Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club
Links:
Run for Office!
Volunteer for a progressive, young candidate
Donate to help get progressive, young candidates elected
Learn more about running for office, support the educational efforts of Run for Something and make a c3 donation at Run For Something Civics
Follow us:
Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.com
Support our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett
Edited by Anthony Luciani
Produced by Willow Beck
Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors
41 min
February 14, 2024Essay: The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round
This week:
How are we supposed to navigate this energy transition, AI, and pandemics, if we cannot agree on the most basic, fundamental shit?

We argue about tradeoffs or gently suggest expanding the scope of our moral concern to include other people’s air, water, food, shelter, and health, instead of simply saying some things — like the lives of children — are simply, emphatically, non-negotiable.
Here's What You Can Do:
Donate to Tobacco-Free Kids to protect kids from e-cigarettes.
Volunteer with Everytown to prevent gun violence in schools.
🌎️ Get educated about the many co-benefits of electric school buses.
Be heard about keeping kids healthy by urging your representative to co-sponsor the Universal School Meal Program Act.
🌍️ Invest in companies with ESG metrics that align with your morals using fennel.
🌎️ = Global Action Step
Get more:
Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.com
Support our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade
Got feedback? Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Take a nap you deserve it

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27 min
February 09, 2024Essay: If This, Then What Else?
This week:
Today’s essay is a bit of a departure — I just wanted to make super clear where I stand vis a vis the next eleven months.

A MAGA party don't stop unless we stop it.
Here's What You Can Do:
Donate to Voters of Tomorrow to defend democracy for the next generation.
Volunteer with Run For Something to help young, diverse progressives get elected.
🌍️ Get educated about how your country is keeping up with its commitments to the Paris Agreement using the Climate Action Tracker, and then hold your public officials accountable.
Be heard about returning political power to the people and contact your representative to support the Democracy For All Amendment.
🌏️ Invest in sustainable companies with Util, using insights based on data, not greenwashing.
🌎️ = Global Action Step
Get more:
Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.com
Support our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade
Got feedback? Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Take a nap you deserve it

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27 min
February 07, 20242024: The Gaps and How to Close Them
This week:
Today’s essay is my version of a 2024 preview. Unlike other previews, though, it’s less, “This is what is going to happen” and more “These are the table stakes as far as I can tell.”

I think that approach is much more helpful, but you can be the judge.
Here's What You Can Do:
Donate to the 19th, an independent newsroom that focuses on gender, politics, and policy. Journalism is being hit hard, and small outlets that do incredible work like the 19th are more essential than ever.
Volunteer with the Environmental Voter Project. If there was ever a year to do this, it’s this one.
Get educated about multisolving with resources from The Multisolving Institute. As you’ll read in the essay below, the issues are myriad, but we can choose solutions that address many problems at once.
Be heard about green transportation by urging your representative to reject cuts to Amtrak.
Invest in companies that are meeting the metrics that underpin the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Get more:
Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.com
Support our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade
Got feedback? Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Take a nap you deserve it

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39 min

About The Most Important Question

From the publisher's feed

The most important question in today's world of climate chaos, AI psychosis, and crumbling democracy is: what can I do? Your host, Quinn Emmett is completely unqualified to answer it, so he's calling the people that already are.