Vox Quick Hits

In a very special Earth Month episode, Zack, Jenn, and Alex use Nigeria as a case study to uncover the deep reasons why it’s so hard for the world to quit fossil fuels. Nigeria is a country deeply threatened by climate change, but it’s also one with a major oil industry that hopes to lift millions out of poverty — a feat that has never been done without some degree of reliance on dirty energy. The team explains how these barriers affect the prospects for mitigating climate change in both Nigeria and globally, and talk about what solutions might help overcome these barriers.

References:

Check out all of Vox’s Earth Month podcasts.

This is Nigeria’s national climate action plan.

Reuters reports on how Nigeria’s minister of environment said the country must be ready for oil’s decline.

Science magazine explains how fighting poverty makes it harder to fight climate change.

Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò wrote about the African case for carbon capture for Africa Is A Country.

Zack read from this smart paper on home energy needs in Nigeria.

Learn about the problem with “degrowth.”

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Listen to the Atlantic’s Robinson Meyer explain the arguments and then decide for yourself.

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Vox environmental reporter Benji Jones talks with journalist and author Michelle Nijhuis about her book Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction. They talk about the history of the conservation movement and its many characters, the standout successes and ugly truths, and why, even with millions of species under threat, there's still reason to hope.

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Highlighting Earth Week with an essay by London-based writer Grace Linden about the $219 air filter she bought her parents after the historic fires in California and the pandemic.

Read Grace's essay here.

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Norway has lapped the world in adopting electric vehicles. Christina Bu explains how they did it.

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In the spirit of Earth Week, Vox book critic, Constance Grady shares some favorite books that inspired her to start her own garden: reads about what makes gardens look good and what emotional needs they can provide for us.

Constance recommends:

If you are looking for a book recommendation, you can email Constance Dot Grady at Vox dot com. Be sure to use the subject line “Ask A Book Critic.” 

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Vox's Dylan Scott joins Matt and Dara to talk about South Korea's response to Covid-19.

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In 2019, David Wallace-Wells wrote a book called The Uninhabitable Earth. Just two years later, he’s feeling hopeful — thanks to the world’s biggest polluters.

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The environmental cost of growing marijuana is quite a bit higher than you might think, especially when growing indoors. America’s legal marijuana production industry consumes enough electricity to power nearly 100,000 homes every year. According to one estimate, if Colorado would shift all of its marijuana production to outdoors, it would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 1.3 percent annually. Dharna Noor (@dharnanoor), a staff writer at Earther, discusses the surprising environmental impact of marijuana production.

Tell Me More is hosted by Emily Stewart and produced by Sofi LaLonde.

Learn More: Read Dharna’s story about indoor marijuana farms here

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And other items from the lunch menu of 2050.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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