Introducing “How We Survive”

To get off fossil fuels, you need a lot of batteries. To get a lot of batteries, you need to mine a lot of lithium. Welcome to Thacker Pass, Nevada, where a proposed lithium mine has sparked protests from farmers, ranchers and the native Paiute–Shoshone tribe.

Some ...

Mining is a complicated business. It’s destructive, it’s dangerous. But in order to get the lithium we need to power the energy transition, mining could be a necessary evil.

In this episode, we go from protests in South America to a gold mine in Nevada, where we tak ...

It’s spring break for a lot of you. So, today we’re taking you on a little road trip (sort of) to the Southwest. Water is running really low there. As part of the latest season of “How We Survive,” Marketplace’s climate solutions podcast, host Amy Scott traveled across the region ...  Show more

Today we’re bringing you an episode from the latest season of “How We Survive,” Marketplace’s climate solutions podcast. In the episode, host Amy Scott and the “How We Survive” crew explore how communities in the Southwest are using technology to reimagine how the region manages ...  Show more

The International Energy Agency last month held its first ever summit</ ...

Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some favorite episodes from 2022. We want to say a big thank-you for being part of the “Make Me Smart” family this year — every voicemail, question and donation made a huge difference. None of us is as smart as all of ...  Show more