The Misunderstood History of CO2: The Science Behind Earth's Most Controversial Molecule with Peter Brannen

The Misunderstood History of CO2: The Science...

Up next

Wide Boundary News: Peak Oil (Not!), Peak Dispatchability, and WEF Risks

This week's Frankly is another edition of Nate's Wide Boundary News series, where he invites listeners to view the constant churn of headlines through a wider-boundary lens. Today's edition features reflections on a new peak in crude oil production, the growth of non-dispatchable ...  Show more

The Consumption Pyramid

This week's Frankly unpacks humans' current identification with the label "consumer." Consumption is something much deeper and more nuanced than shopping or spending. Nate highlights the ways that it shows up across our whole lives – from basic needs and stability to status and m ...  Show more

Recommended Episodes

Ted Nordhaus Deconstructs Degrowth
Decouple

I am joined by returning guest and co-founder of The Breakthrough Institute, Ted Nordhaus, to discuss degrowth as a proposed solution to climate change and other environmental issues.

Nordhaus has written forcefully against the idea of degrowth, which posits that growth ...

  Show more

The Climate Crystal Ball feat. Zeke Hausfather
Decouple

Humanity has emitted over 1 trillion tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere since the industrial revolution, raising atmospheric concentrations of CO2 from 280 to 417ppm. Every year, we add another 50 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent, meaning that in 20 years we will double our tot ...

  Show more

Is it Time for Climate Interventions? | Ep177: Kelly Wanser
Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change

As climate impacts mount, pressure is building on policymakers to find ways to alleviate the crisis. One controversial option being explored is geoengineering - direct human interventions to cool the planet. But can we safely and effectively implement these large-scale climate ...

  Show more

Lisa Vanhala, "Governing the End: The Making of Climate Change Loss and Damage" (U Chicago Press, 2025)
New Books in Political Science

A searing account of how the international community is trying—and failing—to address the worst effects of climate change and the differential burdens borne by rich and poor countries. Climate change is increasingly accepted as a global emergency creating irrevocable losses for t ...  Show more