WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT?

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT?

Forward-looking musings on climate & culture from a scientist and policy nerd. ayanaelizabeth.substack.com

Episodes

  1. 1D AGO

    Playing the Long Game on Policy Change 🩵, with Jean Flemma

    My guest this episode is The Jean Flemma. Jean spent over two decades working on Capitol Hill as staff to members of Congress, making magic behind the scenes over and over again. She is an absolute wizard of ocean and climate policy and the politics of achieving policy change. Jean and I co-founded Urban Ocean Lab, a nonprofit think tank for the future of coastal cities. So you’ll hear a bit about that in this episode. Heaps of good change can happen at the city government level — adapting to climate impacts, helping communities become more resilient, and simply taking care of the people who live there. 🎙️PODCAST UPDATE — That's a wrap on Season 1, and... there will be a season 2! Coming in hot in April. 🔥 In the meantime, check out the Season 1 back catalog if you missed some episodes. 🥰 And before season 2 is fully-baked, we’d love to hear from you: What have you liked or disliked or found valuable or annoying in these first dozen episodes? What topics or guests would you be stoked for? Email us: info@aejprojects.com. CREDITS: Many thanks to Powell’s Books for hosting us for this event, and thank you as always to my chief of staff Jenisha Shrestha. Shoutout Nora Saks, who produced and edited every single episode of season one with me. It was an absolute delight to collaborate with her. Thank you, Nora. For behind-the-scenes pics from each episode, plus other musings from Ayana on climate and culture, subscribe to the What If We Get It Right? newsletter. Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

    36 min

  2. MAR 13

    On making the world softer and safer ❤️‍🩹, with Rhiana Gunn-Wright

    In the last few months, the term “Green New Deal” has been popping up a lot again. And it’s the Trump administration bringing it up — as a boogeyman, as a foil for everything his crew fears about accelerating the clean energy transition. So I thought it would be a good time to discuss: What actually is the Green New Deal? How far have we gotten on implementing the concepts it includes? And why do those ideas still matter? My guest for this episode is Rhiana Gunn-Wright, one of the original architects of the Green New Deal. Recently, she was Director of Climate Policy at the Roosevelt Institute. Now, she is consulting and writing a book about the intersections among white supremacy, addiction, and climate change. Suffice it to say, I’ve been eagerly following her work since we met at policy workshop she organized, back in 2019. Note that this conversation was recorded back in October while I was on my book tour, and the political context has, well,… changed a little bit since then. But there's much more to this conversation than the Green New Deal. And her ideas about what shapes climate policy should take — from industry to employment to health care to democracy — are absolutely as relevant as ever. This episode was produced and edited by Nora Saks and me, with recording assistance in Chicago from Troy Cruz. And big thank you to Semicolon Books for hosting us. p.s. Call your representatives! Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

    50 min

  3. 12/24/2024

    A Feel-Good Holiday Episode ❤️ Live from the New York Public Library with my poet cousin Steve Connell

    Near the end of my book tour, I found myself gazing up at those large concrete guard lions outside the New York Public Library, astounded to be entering for an event about my book. The occasion was all the more sweet because it was a family affair: I was in conversation with my cousin Steve Connell, whose incredible poem “This Living Earth” appears in my book (and which you get to hear him read in this episode!). We talked about how our family shaped us, the role of art and humor in the serious work of climate, and early inspirations. And the ultimate sweetness was that my 1st grade science teacher was in the audience, right in front. You’ll hear our warm reunion in the audio — thank you, thank you, Ms. Kristiansen. ❤️ CREDITS: This episode was produced and edited by Nora Saks, and me, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Big thanks to my cousin Steve Connell, and to the New York Public Library for hosting us and for recording this audio. And a huge thank you, credit where it’s due, to all the wonderful teachers out there. You never know the ripples that you create in the world... Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

    36 min

  4. 12/11/2024

    Don't Get It Twisted 🤨, a Conversation with my Fact Checker

    I was originally going to title this episode “Facts Matter,” but instead chose the 90s hiphop version of that sentiment, as I’m prone to do. Today, we are peeling back the curtain on how I achieved the maximum possible accuracy and precision in my book What If We Get It Right?: I hired a fact checker named James Gaines. James is a freelance science writer, journalist, and fact checker with a special focus on solutions journalism, which we love. He grew up in a cabin in the woods in Texas, and as the child of two librarians, loves a good footnote. He comes by it honestly: his pedigree is people who sweat the details. Tune in as we reveal which facts were the hardest to check, my aversion to the term “my truth,” and how we got to the bottom of things, together. And head to the newsletter for pics and to read the poem I read to close out this episode, Marge Piercy's "To Be Of Use." It’s one of my all-time favorites, and it's the last poem that appears in What If We Get It Right? You may notice me slow down to emphasize my favorite line: “The work of the world is common as mud.” Yes. Mostly unglamorous, often solitary, sometime tedious, and that’s just fine as long as it’s a contribution to the transformation we need. CREDITS: This episode was produced and edited by Nora Saks and me, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, recorded live at Elliot Bay Book Company in Seattle, with recording assistance from John O’Brien. Check out James’ website, jmgaines.com, to find out more about all the cool work that he’s doing. And as always, huge thanks to my chief of staff (and tour producer) Jenisha Shrestha. Thanks for listening 💛 Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

    30 min

  5. 11/22/2024

    Until the Sun Blows Up ☀️ with adrienne maree brown

    I am home from my book tour (50 days!) and it feels soooo good. 😮‍💨 Towards the end of the tour, in Detroit, Michigan, I got the chance to sit down with adrienne maree brown. We’d been following each other’s work for years, and it was such a treat to gab and snack and joke in person. adrienne is a best-selling author, activist, facilitator, a songwriter, a poet, and doula. She also has a new book out, called Loving Corrections, which I have been delighting in. This is absolutely a moment to be lovingly correcting lots of things... The conversation and moderated by Orlando P. Bailey of Outlier Media, for a packed house. Sorry, Orlando, that we were utterly ungovernable! But this was just the kind of joyful, irreverent, soulful conversation I very much needed, and I hope that it will be what you need, in this moment. Fortitude and fragility. Our biracial families. Which of us has Beyoncé vibes and which Rhianna? What project we are scheming up together… We covered all the critical topics. Throw your head back and laugh with us. Credits: This conversation was hosted by Urban Consulate, supported by the Kresge Foundation. This episode was produced and edited by Nora Saks and me, with recording help in Detroit from Afrochine. It is also being released on the podcast adrienne co-hosts with her sister, autumn brown, called How to Survive the End of the World. Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

    54 min

  6. 11/16/2024

    The Questions We Ask Matter 🧐, with Dr. Katharine Wilkinson

    Hi everyone. We recorded this episode before Election Day, when we had no idea what new version of the world this would reach you in. Wherever and however this finds you, I hope you’ll enjoy this sweet and lighthearted conversation with Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, the Georgia-native, social scientist, bestselling writer, strategist, teacher, and dear friend with whom I co-edited the All We Can Save anthology — which is kind of like the older sister to my new book What If We Get It Right? Katharine and I also co-founded The All We Can Save Project, which she now so elegantly and impactfully leads to “nurture deep, sustained, and courageous climate engagement.” We’re also sharing this episode of the What If We Get It Right? podcast on a show A Matter of Degrees, which Katharine co-hosts with another climate expert, Dr. Leah Stokes. If you haven’t listened yet, you totally should. Since this conversation was in Katharine’s hometown, I let her interview me, and she asked such great questions, as she does. The focus was on how my new book came to be, the questions it offers, and some of the answers that inspire me. A little behind the scenes scoop for ya.  CREDITS: Thanks so much to Katharine, The All We Can Save Project, and the Carter Center. This episode was produced and edited by Nora Saks, and me, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, with production help in Atlanta from Frequency Media, and support from Jenisha Shrestha, my chief of staff and tour producer. And thank you for listening! Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

    38 min

  7. 11/04/2024

    What the Ocean Loses 🌊 if Trump Wins

    Election Day is TOMORROW, y’all. 🫠 So I thought the best conversation to share with you right now would be one about some of the really important progress the Biden-Harris administration has made on ocean and climate policy. This progress is very much at risk if Trump and his fossil-fuel funded, climate-denying cronies end up back in the White House.  This conversation took place in Washington, DC with two White House staffers, climate policy experts and dear friends of mine: Maggie Thomas, special assistant to President Biden for climate in the Office of Domestic Climate Policy, and Dr. Miriam Goldstein, director of ocean policy in the Council of Environmental Quality. One of the things I think doesn’t get talked about enough is who the next president will appoint to key positions like this. Personnel is policy, as the saying goes. It’s been such a thrill to cheer on Maggie and Miriam and watch from the outside, and to now share with you a bit of what’s been happening on the inside — from the Blue New Deal (aka how can we make sure that the ocean is included in federal climate policy) to the American Climate Corps to key lessons they’ve learned in the White House. It’s a wonky one. You’re welcome! Links to the Blue New Deal and Ocean Justice Strategy are in Urban Ocean Lab’s resource hub. And you can find all the work of the White House Climate Policy Office and Council of Environmental Quality at whitehouse.gov/cpo and whitehouse.gov/ceq. CREDITS: Thank you Maggie and Miriam. Thank you Politics and Prose bookstore for hosting us and Ellen Rolfes for recording the audio. Thank you people of DC for appreciating our nerdiest jokes — only there will Federal Register quips get a laugh! This episode was produced and edited by Nora Saks and me. Thanks also to Jenisha Shrestha, my chief of staff and tour producer. Thank you so much for listening! As a parting gift, to help get you through election week, my Anti-Apocalypse Mixtape. 🎶 Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

    41 min

  8. 10/31/2024

    Whiskey 🥃, Home, and Showing Up — with Colette Pichon Battle and Jade Begay

    This episode is about the importance of home and community. It’s about the role of culture, of traditions, of protecting democracy, and how all of that is woven together in the context of the climate threats that we’re facing. This is a conversation with two incredible and grounded women: Colette Pichon Battle, attorney and co-founder of climate justice organization Taproot Earth, and Jade Begay, a Dine and Tesuque Pueblo climate policy expert and Indigenous rights strategist currently serving as the Native American engagement director for the Harris-Walz campaign. I interviewed Colette and Jade individually for my book, but I was eager to have a conversation with them together, as two heart-centered, sharply strategic leaders who are deeply rooted in the places where their families have lived for many generations – the bayous of Louisiana and the mesas of what is now called New Mexico. A big question on my mind: What does home mean in the context of the climate crisis? CREDITS: Thank you to Pioneer Works for hosting not only this event but the whole Science & Society event series, which was a key spark for my book. And thank you Site Santa Fe for hosting Jade and me there. This episode was produced and edited by Nora Saks and me, with production help in Brooklyn from Bob Bellarue, and in Santa Fe from Julia Sclafani. Thank you, as always, to Jenisha Shrestha, my chief of staff and tour producer. And thank YOU for listening! Please share this episode and spread the word, and we’ll be back very soon. Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

    35 min

  9. 10/23/2024

    Love politics 💛 with Bill McKibben and Abigail Dillen

    Recorded at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, for the Climate One radio show and podcast, this episode features journalist and environmental legend Bill McKibben, founder of Third Act, and tenacious environmental attorney, Abigail Dillen, president of Earthjustice. Both are interviewed in What If We Get It Right?, but we covered new ground here, together: fossils for fossil fuels, changes in the Supreme Court, the Environmental Justice For All Act, some lessons instilled by my parents, love politics, and so much more. CREDITS: This episode was produced and edited by Nora Saks, and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Big thanks to Climate One and the Commonwealth Club, and, as always, thanks to my chief of staff and tour producer, Jenisha Shrestha. Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 2m

  10. 10/14/2024

    Connecting the dots with Stacey Abrams

    I’ve always been impressed with Stacey Abrams from afar, so when I got an invitation to be directly in conversation with her, I was thrilled. In addition to her political leadership, Abrams is also a small business owner, a New York Times best-selling author, and —something far fewer people know — a champion for clean energy and climate justice. In 2023, Abrams joined the team at Rewiring America as senior counsel. That’s a great nonprofit dedicated to electrifying our homes, businesses, and communities. If you want to ditch fossil fuels and upgrade to electric (and save money doing it!) their website has all the top tips. I knew the conversation (during Climate Week NYC) would be interesting, but I had not anticipated that it would also be utterly delightful. Enjoy! CREDITS: This episode was produced and edited by Nora Saks, and me, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. And, as always, thanks to my chief of staff and tour producer, Jenisha Shrestha. Big thanks to Stacey Abrams and her team, and to the event’s sponsors: Grist, Rewiring America, Mother Jones, and the Tishman Environment and Design Center at the New School.  Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

    30 min

  11. 10/06/2024

    Vote Climate ✅

    The environmental movement has a voter turnout problem: 8 million environmental voters did not vote in the 2020 election. Eight MILLION! In a presidential election decided by thousands of votes. This 2024 election is similarly, stressfully close. On September 20th, at Bowdoin College (where I teach), I sat down with Whit Jones, founder and executive director of Lead Locally, and Nathaniel Stinnett, founder and executive director of Environmental Voter Project for a conversation on climate and voting. We got into it, got nerdy and specific, about: fixing this MASSIVE voter turnout problem, how climate voters can influence policy, election wins we should celebrate, and why local elections matter very, very much. It would be reckless to be on a book tour in September/October 2024 and not use every event to encourage people to #VoteClimate. So I’m taking Environmental Voter Project and Lead Locally on tour with me, at each stop registering volunteers to help with their worthy efforts. 30 days to go… join us!: getitright.earth/voteclimate This episode was produced and edited by Nora Saks and me, Ayana, with support from Jenisha Shrestha. Special thanks to Bowdoin college for hosting and producing the event. Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

    41 min

  12. 09/27/2024

    Climate Variety Show 🚀 AKA my book launch with Jason Sudeikis

    Welcome to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT?: the podcast! Here, we'll continue exploring answers to the big (huge!) question “What if we get it right?”, beyond what’s in the (New York Times bestselling!!! 😮) book. Our vibe is to take climate seriously, but don't take yourself seriously. Irreverent, nerdy, soulful, goofy. I’m on a 7-week book tour 🫠 across the USA, and I’m taking you with me: 20 cities, 40 events, each one different. I’ll be in conversation with all sorts of fantastic folks, talking climate and policy and politics and culture. I’ll be sharing the best bits of that here. And perhaps I'll get to meet some of you in person along the tour. Details are here: getitright.earth/tour. This first episode features excerpts from the book launch Climate Variety Show, which I co-hosted with Jason Sudeikis at the Brooklyn Museum on September 17th. It featured: Roy Wood Jr., Wyatt Cenac, Dr. Kate Marvel, Perrin Ireland, Oshima Brothers, Nicole Cardoza, Hila the Earth, Jacqueline Woodson, Amber Tamblyn, Mamoudou N'Diaye, and nine of the people I interviewed in the book. It was such a hoot – enjoy! Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe

    32 min
  • 12 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
16 Ratings

About

Forward-looking musings on climate & culture from a scientist and policy nerd. ayanaelizabeth.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
  • Show Website
    WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT?

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