Unintended Consequences

Patrick · Nerra Network
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Every day, one true story of good intentions gone sideways. From cobra bounties in colonial Delhi to recommendation algorithms, each episode follows a single case through the original idea, how it rolled out, the unintended fallout, and the lessons that still apply — told with empathy for the people who tried. AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production.

  1. 7h ago

    Ep 145: Thirty-two major dams on the Tigris and Euphrates reduced the flood pulses that fed Iraq's…

    Thirty-two major dams on the Tigris and Euphrates reduced the flood pulses that fed Iraq's Mesopotamian marshes. Segment 1 — The Cold Open In the early 2000s, Landsat images showed the vast reed beds and shallow lakes of southern Iraq reduced to cracked salt flats dotted with dead fish and abandoned buffalo. ... Sources: mdpi.com · wired.com · researchgate.net · earthobservatory.nasa.gov · svs.gsfc.nasa.gov · press.un.org · wedocs.unep.org AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production. If this episode was useful, a rating or a short review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify is how the next listener finds the show — and following it in your app means the next episode is there when you are. 📝 Full show notes, transcript & sources: read the episode page 🌐 Part of the Nerra Network — explore every show at nerranetwork.com.

  2. 1d ago

    Ep 144: Seventy percent of Strait of Georgia coho catch came from hatcheries by 2001 despite lower…

    Seventy percent of Strait of Georgia coho catch came from hatcheries by 2001 despite lower survival than wild fish. Segment 1 — The Cold Open In the early 2000s, biologists sampling coho salmon in the Strait of Georgia found that seven out of every ten fish carried a hatchery mark. The Salmonid Enhancement Program, launched in 1977 to increase overall abundance for fishers and coastal communities, had produced exactly that numerical success. ... Sources: onlinelibrary.wiley.com · publications.gc.ca · searanching.org · pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production. If this episode was useful, a rating or a short review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify is how the next listener finds the show — and following it in your app means the next episode is there when you are. 📝 Full show notes, transcript & sources: read the episode page 🌐 Part of the Nerra Network — explore every show at nerranetwork.com.

  3. 2d ago

    Ep 143: Over twenty million flex-fuel vehicles earned CAFE credits yet used almost no E85 because…

    Over twenty million flex-fuel vehicles earned CAFE credits yet used almost no E85 because stations stayed scarce. Segment 1 — The Cold Open In 2014, more than twenty million flex-fuel vehicles sat in American driveways, each one built with a special credit that let its manufacturer meet fuel-economy rules without burning a single gallon of E85. The Alternative Motor Fuels Act of 1988 had offered those credits to push ethanol into the market and cut oil imports. ... Sources: congress.gov · governorsbiofuelscoalition.org · epa.gov · afdc.energy.gov · ecfr.gov · eia.gov · nhtsa.gov AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production. If this episode was useful, a rating or a short review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify is how the next listener finds the show — and following it in your app means the next episode is there when you are. 📝 Full show notes, transcript & sources: read the episode page 🌐 Part of the Nerra Network — explore every show at nerranetwork.com.

  4. 3d ago

    Ep 142: In 1883 seventy-two mongooses released on one island to protect sugarcane also began…

    In 1883 seventy-two mongooses released on one island to protect sugarcane also began preying on ground-nesting Hawaiian birds. Segment 1 — The Cold Open Sugar planters on the Hāmākua Coast of Hawaiʻi Island watched rats strip their cane fields in the early 1880s until whole sections became unharvestable. They responded by ordering small Indian mongooses from Jamaica, hoping the animals would hunt the rodents the way they had in Caribbean plantations. ... AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production. If this episode was useful, a rating or a short review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify is how the next listener finds the show — and following it in your app means the next episode is there when you are. 📝 Full show notes, transcript & sources: read the episode page 🌐 Part of the Nerra Network — explore every show at nerranetwork.com.

  5. 4d ago

    Ep 141: James Watt's engine used one-third the coal of Newcomen engines but raised Britain's coal…

    James Watt's engine used one-third the coal of Newcomen engines but raised Britain's coal consumption many times over. Segment 1 — The Cold Open In 1769 James Watt patented a separate condenser that let a steam engine do the same work on roughly one-third the coal the older Newcomen design required. Mine owners who installed the new engines watched their fuel bills drop sharply. ... AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production. 🎬 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a_YYcQeIj8 If this episode was useful, a rating or a short review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify is how the next listener finds the show — and following it in your app means the next episode is there when you are. 📝 Full show notes, transcript & sources: read the episode page 🌐 Part of the Nerra Network — explore every show at nerranetwork.com.

  6. 5d ago

    Ep 140: For every 100 acres idled by the Conservation Reserve Program, farmers converted 20 acres…

    For every 100 acres idled by the Conservation Reserve Program, farmers converted 20 acres of other land to crops. Segment 1 — The Cold Open In the central United States during the late 1980s, a federal contract paid a farmer to stop planting on one field so the soil could rest and erosion would slow. On a neighboring parcel that same farmer still owned, new ground was cleared and planted instead. ... Correction to episode 139: This episode said the Argentine government licensed the Patagonian toothfish fishery off South Georgia and that Argentine-flagged boats worked it. South Georgia is a British Overseas Territory; its fishery is licensed by the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands under CCAMLR rules, not by Argentina. The episode also said the licences cut orca calf survival there. We could not find a source for that finding and the episode cited none, so treat the case as unsupported. AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production. If this episode was useful, a rating or a short review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify is how the next listener finds the show — and following it in your app means the next episode is there when you are. 📝 Full show notes, transcript & sources: read the episode page 🌐 Part of the Nerra Network — explore every show at nerranetwork.com.

  7. 6d ago

    Ep 139: South Georgia toothfish licences were issued by Britain, not Argentina — and the orca calf claim remains unsupported.

    South Georgia toothfish licenses meant to stop illegal fishing instead cut local orca calf survival. Segment 1 — The Cold Open In the cold waters off South Georgia, longline vessels began hauling empty hooks where Patagonian toothfish had once waited. The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands had issued a limited number of exclusive licenses in the 1990s precisely to keep foreign poachers out and give the stock room to recover. ... AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production. If this episode was useful, a rating or a short review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify is how the next listener finds the show — and following it in your app means the next episode is there when you are. 📝 Full show notes, transcript & sources: read the episode page 🌐 Part of the Nerra Network — explore every show at nerranetwork.com.

  8. Oct 10

    Ep 138: Compensation for 10,000 wolf-killed reindeer annually let Finnish herds grow and deplete…

    Compensation for 10,000 wolf-killed reindeer annually let Finnish herds grow and deplete winter lichens. Segment 1 — The Cold Open In the early 1990s Finnish officials began paying herders the full market value plus a 1.5 multiplier for every reindeer carcass they could locate after a wolf kill. The payments were meant to end the cycle of retaliation shootings that had driven wolves to the edge of extinction in the north. ... AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production. If this episode was useful, a rating or a short review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify is how the next listener finds the show — and following it in your app means the next episode is there when you are. 📝 Full show notes, transcript & sources: read the episode page 🌐 Part of the Nerra Network — explore every show at nerranetwork.com.

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About

Every day, one true story of good intentions gone sideways. From cobra bounties in colonial Delhi to recommendation algorithms, each episode follows a single case through the original idea, how it rolled out, the unintended fallout, and the lessons that still apply — told with empathy for the people who tried. AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production.

Information

  • Creator
    Patrick · Nerra Network
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    145
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026
  • Show Website
    Unintended Consequences