PODCAST · society
WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT?
by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
A show about climate solutions, about what we need to do to address the climate crisis, and how to make those things happen — from changing laws, to electrifying buildings, to improving fashion and media. Each week an expert guest joins host Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson to break it down, delightfully, and help us all envision what getting right on climate looks like, so we can reel that vision into reality. ayanaelizabeth.substack.com
Episodes
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Clean energy transition in the Land of Enchantment 🏜️ with Deb Haaland
Before diving into today’s episode, a tiny celebration 🎉: The What If We Get It Right? podcast reached 500,000+ downloads! THANK YOU for listening. More great interviews coming your way. To support the show (1) follow and review 🌟, (2) tell your people to tune in, and, if you can, (3) become a...
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Pensions, solidarity, and making polluters pay 💸⚖️ with Brad Lander
Interviewing politicians can be dull. Just heaps of trite talking points and evasive answers. But when you get the chance to sit down with someone who has not only a strong moral compass but a backbone to match, and who has been not only determined but also creative in using their positions to…
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Rewind: What climate leadership looks like in Maine 🌲, with Hannah Pingree
Governors are especially critical given the catastrophic presidential scenario. So today we’re re-sharing a conversation recorded in spring with Maine’s democratic gubernatorial candidate Hannah Pingree. (“Gubernatorial” is too good a word not to use!) Hannah is is a longtime public servant and...
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A critical local election in the sunniest state 🌅 with Clara Pratte
This week and next we’ve got two episodes for you, all four are conversations with climate candidates — running for local office, for governor, and for congress. In other words, a sampling of people we’d love to be calling the shots in the halls of power, and a glimpse of the good changes they...
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Climate villains, TikTokers, grandkids, and the messages that break through 📢 with Jamie Henn
As we know, facts are not enough to win on climate — we need the right messages and the right messengers. So for this episode, we’re taking a step back to talk about climate communication with one of the very best in the biz, Jamie Henn. We cover everything from naming the villains, TikTok…
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The Fight for Public Lands 🏕️, with Patagonia + Protect Our Winters
This episode is a double feature, recorded live during NYC Climate Week in a Patagonia store. It’s about fighting to protect our public lands, leveraging outdoor athletes as effective advocates, and (once again) getting environmentalists to vote. Plus, the scoop on Patagonia’s get-out-the-vote...
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Mamdani’s team is making moves 🌇, with NYC’s Chief Climate Officer Louise Yeung
In honor of NYC Climate Week, we’re diving into the climate initiatives happening right here in this city. There is so much going on. Our guest is Louise Yeung, New York City’s Chief Climate Officer. We interviewed Louise to give you a real sense of what we actually get when we elect someone who…
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Rewind: Connecting the dots on climate and democracy 🔄 with Stacey Abrams
First, happy 2nd birthday to What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures (the book version). Thank you for welcoming it into the world so warmly (NYT bestseller! 10,000+ of you coming to book tour events!) that it continues on in podcast form. 💛✨ If you haven't yet checked it out, find...
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Clean energy super PAC says “don’t mess with solar” ☀️💰, with Tom Matzzie
The clean energy industry is getting aggressive, Super PAC style. And, honestly, it’s pretty exciting. Our guest this episode is Tom Matzzie, founder and CEO of Clean Choice Energy, an energy supplier whose mission is to make clean energy accessible to all. Highly relevant: he’s also a veteran...
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How the climate movement can build political power 🌎💪🏽 with Nathaniel Stinnett
The environmental movement has a voter turnout problem: 11.2 million environmental voters did not vote in the 2024 election. Over 11 MILLION! That’s over half of the people who say climate/environment is their #1 voting issue. On the one hand: Are you kidding me?! WTF 😖 — especially when…
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Climate hushing, EVs 🔌 and creating “The Carbon Wave,” with Leah Stokes
Welcome to Season 5 of What If We Get It Right? 💫 While it may seem counterintuitive given the electoral subject matter, Bill McKibben and I are having a blast gabbing with all these wonderful folks who work on climate and politics. Our first guest is Dr. Leah Stokes, professor of environmental...
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Trailer: Ayana and Bill McKibben are teaming up as podcast co-hosts! ✨
Season 5 of the What If We Get It Right? podcast is dedicated to environmental issues in the midterm elections — what’s at stake and how the planet can win. We are going to get INTO IT. Perhaps grappling with this requires a dynamic duo? Well, it can’t hurt. I’m thrilled to be co-hosting this...
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On reciprocity, photosynthesis, and berries 🍓 with Robin Wall Kimmerer
Earlier this month at College of the Atlantic, I was over the moon to speak alongside the one and only Robin Wall Kimmerer, botanist, teacher, Earth lover and legendary author of Braiding Sweetgrass. Our conversation went deeper than I expected — but that’s on me for not having higher…
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What climate leadership looks like in Maine 🌲, with Hannah Pingree
This conversation had an odd effect on me. I found it... relaxing? To hear a politician speaking competently, calmly, clearly, practically and with nuance about climate policy was so soothing, reassuring. More of this please! How can we make things happen when your federal leaders are climate...
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Climate Wayfinding 🧭 with Dr. Katharine Wilkinson
Today’s conversation is a special one. I’m joined by someone who’s been a collaborator and a dear friend in this work: Katharine K. Wilkinson. And tomorrow, May 5th, is publication day for Katharine's new book that’s the culmination of the last 5 years of her work — or perhaps of her lifetime.…
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An Ocean Love Story 🐠
In the spirit of the What If We Get It Right? paperback launch, sharing an excerpt of the audiobook. The heart of this audiobook is 20 interviews with people who have shaped my understanding of the answer to the titular question. It’s kind of like a whole season of a podcast packaged up with…
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Rewind: That time we made a Climate Variety Show. 🤪
Back in September 2024, on the day my book What If We Get It Right? was published, I did one of the most absurd and delightful things I’ve ever done. I co-hosted an over-the-top goofy Climate Variety Show with actor Jason Sudeikis at the Brooklyn Museum. Sold out crowd. Strong high school talent...
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For the love of nature, culture, and the future 💖 with Dr. Heidi Roop
Hello Earthlings, we are back with a new episode of the What If We Get It Right? podcast. This is the first episode of Season 4, which will be a short season — maybe 6 episodes? Not sure! We’ll see how it goes. Today’s conversation, with Dr. Heidi Roop, was recorded at The Great Northern…
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Winning the narrative battle 🎥, with dream hampton
Hello Earthlings! Welcome back to What If We Get It Right? While you and I know that we already have most of the climate solutions we need — it’s more a matter of how quickly and justly we are going to implement them — most people do not know this. And you kinda can’t blame them because most of…
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Earth is our only shareholder 🌏, with Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert
What if businesses got creative to unleash funding, political influence, and cultural clout to address our environmental challenges? What if corporations were driven not by maximizing quarterly earnings and shareholder profits, but by being good citizens of planet Earth? There are some companies...
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The Current Politics of Food and Farming 👨🌾 with Dave Herring
About a third of our climate problem is caused by agriculture and land use. So, what are we gonna do about it? One key solution is shifting to regenerative agriculture, aka growing food in ways that are actually good for soil and ecosystems and water and air. Our guest this episode is Dave…
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How to deal with the heat 🌎🥵 with Jainey Bavishi and Jeff Goodell
Today’s episode is all about HEAT, that climate change bummer from which so many other impacts ripple out. The Earth is hotter now than at any other point in all of human history. From our homes and our jobs, to our policies and culture, how do we adapt? My guests for grappling with all this are...
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How do you convince a room full of influential people to care about climate change… in 6 minutes? 🎤
Last week, I received the TIME Earth Award at the TIME100 Next gala. I worked really hard on my acceptance speech because it was an opportunity to recruit those 100 culture-shaping rising stars to get more involved in climate solutions. We need them! I’m sharing this speech with you in the hopes...
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Climate hushing, fart jokes, and love. 😝 John Marshall on how to market climate action.
For those of us trying to advance climate solutions (go team!), there’s always the question of how to be more impactful, how to bring more people along with us into this work. And often the answer is not fancier technology or more brilliant policy, it’s more compelling communication for…
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Presenting — Sabotage: The Splat 🥫🖼️
Almost exactly three years ago (Oct 14, 2022) a couple of climate activists hurled tomato soup at Vincent Van Gogh’s painting “Sunflowers.” It got a whole bunch of press. Do you remember this? Did you ever look into who did it and why? Well, this week on the What If We Get It Right? podcast…
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What now for climate law? ⚖️ Abigail Dillen has answers.
This week I’m chatting with environmental lawyer Abigail Dillen, president of Earthjustice, a nonprofit law firm whose tagline is “because the Earth needs a good lawyer.” Indeed, it does. The stakes, in her words: “We could come out of this time with neither presidential authority nor…
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Climate Change vs. Coffee, Wine, and Chocolate ☕️🍷🍫 with Sam Kass
Food is a major driver of our environmental problems. It uses ~38% of Earth’s land, drives ~70% of our water use, and emits ~22-34% of our greenhouse gas pollution globally. I know it’s not popular to say it, but a lot of that impact is driven by beef and dairy. On the one hand, agriculture is...
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My conversation with Jane Goodall 🐒🌿🕊️, on hope, courage, and action.
"Every single day you live you make a difference in the world, and you get to choose the difference that you make." — Jane Goodall Last week, when I heard that Jane Goodall had died, it knocked the wind out of me. It hit me as more than a loss; it felt like the end of an era. A naturalist, a deep...
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What now for clean energy? ⛅️ with Jigar Shah
Today’s guest is Jigar Shah, a clean energy entrepreneur who served as director of the Loan Program Office in the US Department of Energy during the Biden administration. Previously, he was co-founder of Generate Capital, founder of Sun Edison, and founding CEO of the Carbon War Room. Now, he’s...
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We're going to the electric store, ⚡️ with Ari Matusiak
Earthlings, hello! 👋🏽 This week’s guest is Ari Matusiak, CEO of Rewiring America, a nonprofit focused on accelerating the clean energy transition. With the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy tax credits expiring on December 31st, I wanted to sit down with Ari to talk about our energy bills,...
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How to Prepare for (Climate) Disasters 🚨, with Dr. Samantha Montano
This August marked 20 years since Hurricane Katrina, and the devastation that storm had across the Gulf South is still reverberating throughout the country. Today I’m talking with Dr. Samantha Montano, a professor of emergency management at Massachusetts Maritime Academy and co-founder of…
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Photons ☀️, Fogies 👴🏼, and Energy Liberation, with Bill McKibben
Welcome to Season 3 of the What If We Get It Right? podcast! 🥳 If you’re new here: This show is about what we need to do to address the climate crisis, and how to make those things happen. Here, we take climate change seriously but absolutely do not take ourselves seriously. We take a brutally...
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WIWGIR Season 3 Trailer 🎙️
Hey there Earthlings. 🌎 Season 3 is launching next week! Thus, here’s a trailer with tidbits from previous seasons to get you stoked. We’ve got a dozen ace guests booked, and 4 episodes already recorded. We’re diving all the way in — on clean energy, FEMA, farming, messaging, and so much more....
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Away From the Brink
I'm aiming to live a more analog life in August (🛶🥾🏕️), so, until September, leaving you with this summer listening: an excerpt from my audiobook, the chapter titled “Away From the Brink.” To remind you, that book (which inspired this podcast) is What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate...
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Climate Crisis: We're Solving It?! 🧐
Hey there Earthlings. I’m living a more analog life this summer (highly recommend). 🛶🏕️📚 So for this week’s episode, I want to introduce you to another podcast I think you just might love.It’s called Science Vs., hosted by Wendy Zuckerman. In each episode they tackle a different topic to sort...
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Debriefing the unconscionably brutal budget bill 🤬, with Twigg & Jenkins
Hey there Earthlings. 🩵 If you’ve been paying any attention to U.S. politics, these past 2 weeks have been a doozy. So, let’s get into the Big Brutal Billionaire Bailout Bill of it all. Welcome to this very special collab episode of What If We Get It Right? x Twigg & Jenkins. Carri Twigg (hey...
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Are you f*$%ing kidding me with this budget bill
If you have a Republican senator: call, email, comment on all their social posts. Tell them to vote NO on the abominable budget bill. Get your friends to do it too. ☎️ Seriously, call Congress: (202) 224-3121. (Especially if you live in Maine or Alaska.) Details in this week's newsletter and all...
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Investing in our climate future 💸, with Ben Wolkon
Today’s guest is Ben Wolkon. Ben is founding partner at MUUS Climate Partners, a venture capital firm that invests exclusively in climate solutions, and operates on the belief that “climate is the biggest business opportunity of the 21st century.” To be honest, when I think of venture capital, I...
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9 ways to feel about our changing planet 🌎, with Dr. Kate Marvel
Today is publication day for our favorite climate scientist. Dr. Kate Marvel wrote a book called Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet. Kate is a researcher at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (one of the world’s leading research centers), where she specializes in...
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Climate influencers, organizers, education 👩🏻🏫, and Texas, with Alexia Leclercq
Alexia Leclercq is a face of the youth climate movement — something that, as we discussed, is a tricky thing to be. She is a grassroots environmental justice organizer and scholar in Austin, Texas. Alexia is also co-founder of the Colorado River Conservancy and of Start:Empowerment, an education...
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EPA, IRA, WTF 🤬, with Gina McCarthy
For this live event at the WBUR Festival, Gina McCarthy and I discussed the EPA, the IRA, what’s at stake for us all... and, why we must never, ever pave paradise. Gina led the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under President Obama, was president of NRDC, and then, under President Biden,...
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A sweet How to Save a Planet reunion 🎙️, plus electrifying buildings 🌇, with Alex Blumberg
Today’s episode is a very sweet reunion with my former podcast co-host Alex Blumberg. Alex and I co-created How to Save a Planet, which ran for 2 years as Spotify’s flagship climate show. This episode opens with the hilariously unlikely origin story of our fab collab. (Note: When you hit play,...
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The true crime story of forever chemicals ⚠️, with Mariah Blake
A tale of over-ups, poison, sludge, and the last bipartisan environmental issue. They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals by Mariah Blake is a true crime story on the scale of what the tobacco and fossil fuel industries have done to knowingly imperil our health and...
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Investigative journalism 📝 and climate migration, with Sarah Stillman
Today's guest, Sarah Stillman, is a Pulitzer and MacArthur genius award-winning journalist. She founded and leads the Investigative Reporting Lab at Yale, and she's been a staff writer at The New Yorker for about a decade. Sarah’s writing typically focuses on our immigration and justice systems,...
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Fashion, fabrics, and fusion ⚡️, with Gabriela Hearst
Hey there Earthlings. 💛 We’re talking sustainability and fashion, again. It’s a major industry impacting the environment and shaping the cultural context within which we make climate decisions... and I may be overcompensating for having not given fashion a chapter in the What If We Get It Right?...
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The Future of Coastal Cities 🏙️, with Jainey Bavishi
This week, I’m chatting with Jainey Bavishi, an expert in climate adaptation and resilience. We cover everything from social aid and pleasure clubs, to recovering from climate disasters, civic infrastructure, why we should absolutely not privatize weather forecasts, and – of course! – what…
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The Wild World of Environmental Law ⚖️, with Michael Burger
What the heck is going on in environmental law right now? Michael Burger, executive director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University’s has some answers for us. In this episode, we talk federal climate funding, the billions of dollars that are at stake (frozen, impounded,...
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Sustainable fashion and the art of care 🧶, with Cameron Russell
This episode, we're talking sustainable fashion and the simple joys of care and repair with supermodel, author, activist, and friend Cameron Russell. Also: why stats on the climate impacts of fashion are super sketchy. If you haven’t heard of Cameron, chances are you’ve seen her. As a model…
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How What We Watch Changes Our World 📺, with Carri Twigg
Greetings, Earthlings! 🌏 Welcome to Season 2 of the What If We Get It Right? podcast. If you’re new here (hi!) let me quickly read you in: I wrote a book called What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures (which became a NY Times Bestseller! 😮). The heart of that book is 20 interviews...
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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…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A show about climate solutions, about what we need to do to address the climate crisis, and how to make those things happen — from changing laws, to electrifying buildings, to improving fashion and media. Each week an expert guest joins host Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson to break it down, delightfully, and help us all envision what getting right on climate looks like, so we can reel that vision into reality.
ayanaelizabeth.substack.com
HOSTED BY
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
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How many episodes does WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? have?
WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? currently has 58 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? about?
A show about climate solutions, about what we need to do to address the climate crisis, and how to make those things happen — from changing laws, to electrifying buildings, to improving fashion and media. Each week an expert guest joins host Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson to break it down,...
How often does WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? release new episodes?
WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? has 58 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT??
You can listen to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT??
WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? is created and hosted by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.
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