The Most Important Question

The Most Important Question

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The Most Important Question episodes

  • #17: What’s the future of emergency medical systems in the age of climate change?
    In Episode 17, Quinn & Brian ask: What’s the future of emergency medical systems in the age of climate change?
    Joining us: Jason Friesen, the founder and executive director of Trek Medics, a 501 c3 registered NGO dedicated to creating or improving emergency medical systems in communities without reliable access to emergency care through innovative mobile phone technologies.
    We talk about the current and future state of emergency medical systems in the age of climate change. Because the big one's coming.
    Jason would like you to know that they make their services available to all communities, regardless of race, religion, or creed. He's saved six lives since Brian woke up.
    Want to send us feedback? Tweet us, email us, or leave us a voice message!
    Links:
    TrekMedics.org
    Trek Medics on Instagram
    Disaster Preparedness
    Team Rubicon
    Charity Navigator
    Zello
    5 steps to emergency response:
    Can you help?
    Did you find the patient?
    Do you need additional resources?
    Are you able to transport the patient?
    Did you get to your destination?
    Jason’s pick for Trump’s Book Club: The Little Prince, by Antoine Saint Exupery
    Quinn Emmett on Twitter
    Brian Colbert Kennedy on Twitter
    Intro/outro by Tim Blane
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    Ok that’s enough good lord
    1 hr 18 min
  • #16: Clouds ruin EVERYTHING
    In Episode 16, Quinn & Brian ask: what's the future of climate modeling? Also, what's a climate model?
    Enter Dr. Kate Marvel. She's a climate scientist and a writer. A theoretical physicist by training, she is now an associate research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University’s Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics. Because, sure.
    Dr. Marvel's research focuses on how human activities affect the climate and what we can expect in the future, using satellite observations, computer models, and basic physics to study the human impact on variables from rainfall patterns to cloud cover.
    Want to send us feedback? Tweet us, email us, or leave us a voice message!
    Links:
    Dr. Kate Marvel on Twitter
    Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity
    The Earth System Grid
    Marvel Climate
    We Need Courage, Not Hope - OnBeing
    Her pick for Trump’s Book Club: The Constitution of the United States of America
    Quinn Emmett on Twitter
    Brian Colbert Kennedy on Twitter
    Intro/outro by Tim Blane
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    Ok that’s enough good lord
    1 hr 9 min
  • #16: Clouds ruin EVERYTHING

    In Episode 16, Quinn & Brian ask: what's the future of climate modeling? Also, what's a climate model?

    Enter Dr. Kate Marvel. She's a climate scientist and a writer. A theoretical physicist by training, she is now an associate research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University’s Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics. Because, sure.

    Dr. Marvel's research focuses on how human activities affect the climate and what we can expect in the future, using satellite observations, computer models, and basic physics to study the human impact on variables from rainfall patterns to cloud cover.

    Want to send us feedback? Tweet us, email us, or leave us a voice message!

    Links:

    Dr. Kate Marvel on Twitter

    Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity

    The Earth System Grid

    Marvel Climate

    We Need Courage, Not Hope - OnBeing

    Her pick for Trump’s Book Club: The Constitution of the United States of America

    Quinn Emmett on Twitter

    Brian Colbert Kennedy on Twitter

    Intro/outro by Tim Blane

    Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!

    Like and share us on Facebook!

    Check us on Instagram!

    Follow us on Twitter!

    Pin us on Pinterest!

    Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr!

    Ok that’s enough good lord

    1 hr 10 min
  • #15: Can carbon capture be a building block in climate action, Part II?
    In Episode 15, Quinn and Brian dig deeper and ask: Can carbon capture be a building block in climate action, part II?
    On the mic: Akshat Rathi, a reporter for Quartz in London. He wrote a series last year called The Race to Zero Emissions about carbon capture, and we dig into that, and the next 10 years of CCS, today.
    Akshat’s resume: he’s previously worked at The Economist and The Conversation. His writing has appeared in Nature, The Guardian and The Hindu. He has a PhD in chemistry from Oxford University and a BTech in chemical engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, and if that isn’t enough to convince you, well I’m sorry.
    Want to send us feedback? Tweet us, email us, or leave us a voice message!
    Links:
    Akshat Rathi on Twitter
    “The Race to Zero Emissions” series
    Carbon Engineering
    Canada’s first carbon capture power plant
    Illinois carbon capture plant
    The Clean Air Task Force
    Carbon Capture Coalition
    The Social Cost of Carbon
    Trump’s Book Club: Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse
    Quinn Emmett on Twitter
    Brian Colbert Kennedy on Twitter
    Intro/outro by Tim Blane
    Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!
    Like and share us on Facebook!
    Check us on Instagram!
    Follow us on Twitter!
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    Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr!
    Ok that’s enough good lord
    1 hr 9 min
  • #15: Can carbon capture be a building block in climate action, Part II?

    In Episode 15, Quinn and Brian dig deeper and ask: Can carbon capture be a building block in climate action, part II?

    On the mic: Akshat Rathi, a reporter for Quartz in London. He wrote a series last year called The Race to Zero Emissions about carbon capture, and we dig into that, and the next 10 years of CCS, today.

    Akshat’s resume: he’s previously worked at The Economist and The Conversation. His writing has appeared in Nature, The Guardian and The Hindu. He has a PhD in chemistry from Oxford University and a BTech in chemical engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, and if that isn’t enough to convince you, well I’m sorry.

    Want to send us feedback? Tweet us, email us, or leave us a voice message!

    Links:

    Akshat Rathi on Twitter

    “The Race to Zero Emissions” series

    Carbon Engineering

    Canada’s first carbon capture power plant

    Illinois carbon capture plant

    The Clean Air Task Force

    Carbon Capture Coalition

    The Social Cost of Carbon

    Trump’s Book Club: Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse

    Quinn Emmett on Twitter

    Brian Colbert Kennedy on Twitter

    Intro/outro by Tim Blane

    Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!

    Like and share us on Facebook!

    Check us on Instagram!

    Follow us on Twitter!

    Pin us on Pinterest!

    Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr!

    Ok that’s enough good lord

    1 hr 10 min
  • #14: How do we improve America’s agriculture system?
    In Episode 14, Quinn (Brian abandoned him) asks himself: How do we improve America’s agriculture system?
    On the mic, Emily Cassidy, the Sustainability Science Manager at the illustrious and beautiful California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, and a leading member of their new climate action initiative, Planet Vision.
    Emily's the co-author of a highly cited paper called “Solutions for a Cultivated Planet”, investigating how to sustainably feed 9 billion people.
    Today we put Emily’s long background in natural resources science to use and discuss the steps America, and Americans, need to take to improve our food system, and make it healthier. For the air, for the land, for the water, and for each of us, inside our bodies.
    Also: Jane Goodall, and cow farts vs. cow burps.
    Want to send us feedback? Tweet us, email us, or leave us a voice message!
    Links:
    Emily Cassidy on Twitter
    PlanetVision on Twitter
    California Academy of Sciences
    PlanetVision
    JANE documentary
    Netherlands greenhouses
    Added Sugars on the new nutrition label
    Michael Pollan on how to eat: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
    BBC: Most nutritious foods
    Trump’s Book Club: A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson
    Quinn Emmett on Twitter
    Brian Colbert Kennedy on Twitter
    Intro/outro by Tim Blane
    Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!
    Like and share us on Facebook!
    Check us on Instagram!
    Follow us on Twitter!
    Pin us on Pinterest!
    Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr!
    Ok that’s enough good lord
    1 hr 10 min
  • #14: How do we improve America’s agriculture system?

    In Episode 14, Quinn (Brian abandoned him) asks himself: How do we improve America’s agriculture system?

    On the mic, Emily Cassidy, the Sustainability Science Manager at the illustrious and beautiful California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, and a leading member of their new climate action initiative, Planet Vision.

    Emily's the co-author of a highly cited paper called “Solutions for a Cultivated Planet”, investigating how to sustainably feed 9 billion people. 

    Today we put Emily’s long background in natural resources science to use and discuss the steps America, and Americans, need to take to improve our food system, and make it healthier. For the air, for the land, for the water, and for each of us, inside our bodies.

    Also: Jane Goodall, and cow farts vs. cow burps.

    Want to send us feedback? Tweet us, email us, or leave us a voice message!

    Links: 

    Emily Cassidy on Twitter

    PlanetVision on Twitter

    California Academy of Sciences

    PlanetVision

    JANE documentary

    Netherlands greenhouses

    Added Sugars on the new nutrition label

    Michael Pollan on how to eat: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

    BBC: Most nutritious foods

    Trump’s Book Club: A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson

    Quinn Emmett on Twitter

    Brian Colbert Kennedy on Twitter

    Intro/outro by Tim Blane

    Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!

    Like and share us on Facebook!

    Check us on Instagram!

    Follow us on Twitter!

    Pin us on Pinterest!

    Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr!

    Ok that’s enough good lord

    1 hr 11 min
  • #13: A blueprint for suing the pants off fossil fuel companies
    In Episode 13, Quinn and Brian plot a blueprint for suing the pants off fossil fuel companies. Of course we don't know where to start, so we asked for help.
    Meet the mastermind: Mayor Serge Dedina of tiny Imperial Beach, California, one of the first cities to sue fossil fuel companies for climate change damages.
    We discuss what led to their suit, but more importantly, actions other cities should be taking to plan for the future, including their own legal action. Also: surfing, Nazis, and grandmas.
    Want to send us feedback? Tweet us, email us, or leave us a voice message!
    Links:
    Mayor Serge Dedina on Twitter
    Wild Coast
    Serge’s book choice: Homo Deus, by Yuval Noah Harari
    Blue Carbon Australia
    Quinn Emmett on Twitter
    Brian Colbert Kennedy on Twitter
    Intro/outro by Tim Blane
    Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!
    Like and share us on Facebook!
    Check us on Instagram!
    Follow us on Twitter!
    Pin us on Pinterest!
    Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr!
    Ok that’s enough good lord
    1 hr 11 min
  • #13: A blueprint for suing the pants off fossil fuel companies

    In Episode 13, Quinn and Brian plot a blueprint for suing the pants off fossil fuel companies. Of course we don't know where to start, so we asked for help.

    Meet the mastermind: Mayor Serge Dedina of tiny Imperial Beach, California, one of the first cities to sue fossil fuel companies for climate change damages.

    We discuss what led to their suit, but more importantly, actions other cities should be taking to plan for the future, including their own legal action. Also: surfing, Nazis, and grandmas.

    Want to send us feedback? Tweet us, email us, or leave us a voice message!

    Links:

    Mayor Serge Dedina on Twitter

    Wild Coast

    Serge’s book choice: Homo Deus, by Yuval Noah Harari

    Blue Carbon Australia

    Quinn Emmett on Twitter

    Brian Colbert Kennedy on Twitter

    Intro/outro by Tim Blane

    Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!

    Like and share us on Facebook!

    Check us on Instagram!

    Follow us on Twitter!

    Pin us on Pinterest!

    Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr!

    Ok that’s enough good lord

    1 hr 12 min
  • #12: Can algorithms predict the next major pandemic?
    In Episode 12, Quinn and Brian ask: Can algorithms predict the next major pandemic? Pretty please?
    Joining us: Dr. Sam Scarpino, Assistant Professor of Marine & Environmental Sciences and Physics and a core faculty member in the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University.
    We discuss whether, and if so, how advanced algorithms and data science can help predict and prevent the next major pandemic.
    Also, the importance of a liberal arts education, bad wifi in 2018, and my wife’s iPhone.
    Want to send us feedback? Tweet us, email us, or leave us a voice message!
    Links:
    Dr. Sam Scarpino on Twitter
    Sam’s book selection: On Immunity: An Inoculation
    Dharma.ai
    Quinn Emmett on Twitter
    Brian Colbert Kennedy on Twitter
    Intro/outro by Tim Blane
    Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!
    Like and share us on Facebook!
    Check us on Instagram!
    Follow us on Twitter!
    Pin us on Pinterest!
    Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr!
    Ok that’s enough good lord
    1 hr 22 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.

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