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Shocked: Daily Summaries Delivered
by UChicago Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth, Michael Greenstone, Amy Harder
Are you tired of the same climate and energy stories? A warmer world is here. We’re living with it. Now what? Will countries ever stop burning fossil fuels? Should we use less energy? Can we adapt to a warmer world? What will it cost? Sometimes, we need to start by reexamining things we thought we knew. Axios journalist Amy Harder and University of Chicago economist Michael Greenstone share new ways of thinking about the challenge from people on the frontlines as well as cutting-edge solutions — like changing the earth’s atmosphere, making batteries out of sodium and using artificial intelligence to predict the weather. Listen to learn about energy, climate, and the shocking ideas that will change your perspective.
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- Nov 24, 202552 min
Markets for Pollution
In theory, the free market should help solve climate change. In reality, it’s rarely that simple. This episode explores how emissions markets work, where they’re taking off to reduce pollution, and why economists still believe markets are essential—if politics will let them be.More on the pollution market in India: https://emissionsmarkets.org/evidence-from-india/More on the scale up efforts: https://emissionsmarkets.org/ Shocked is part of the University of Chicago Podcast Network and produced by Magnificent Noise for the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth, which combines a 360-degree approach to education with frontier research having an impact in front-line communities globally. The Institute’s efforts are driven by the need to balance climate risks with societal growth. To follow or support their work, see our show notes or visit climate.uchicago.eduAmy Harder is the host, along with co-host, Michael Greenstone, a professor at the University of Chicago and director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth. Our executive producers are Eric Nuzum, Michael Greenstone, and Sam Ori. Our production staff includes Christine Driscoll, Amy Pedulla, Sophie Bridges, Jamie York, and Samantha Henig. Our sound designer is Kristen Mueller. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Nov 17, 202540 min
Farmer's A.I.manac
Accurate weather forecasts save lives—but not everyone gets them. In this episode, Amy Harder looks at how AI is transforming weather prediction in places where the stakes are highest and the resources are few. Can better data close the climate survival gap?More on the underlying research: https://epic.uchicago.edu/research/long-range-forecasts-as-climate-adaptation-experimental-evidence-from-developing-country-agriculture/More on the India monsoon forecasts: https://humancenteredforecasts.climate.uchicago.edu/news/artificial-intelligence-is-helping-indian-farmers-adapt-to-climate-change-forecast-accurately-predicting-an-unusual-monsoon-season-reached-38-million/More on the scale-up efforts: https://humancenteredforecasts.climate.uchicago.edu/ Shocked is part of the University of Chicago Podcast Network and produced by Magnificent Noise for the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth, which combines a 360-degree approach to education with frontier research having an impact in front-line communities globally. The Institute’s efforts are driven by the need to balance climate risks with societal growth. To follow or support their work, see our show notes or visit climate.uchicago.eduAmy Harder is the host, along with co-host, Michael Greenstone, a professor at the University of Chicago and director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth. Our executive producers are Eric Nuzum, Michael Greenstone, and Sam Ori. Our production staff includes Christine Driscoll, Amy Pedulla, Sophie Bridges, Jamie York, and Samantha Henig. Our sound designer is Kristen Mueller. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Nov 10, 202538 min
Battle of the Batteries
To compete with China’s dominance in battery technology, the U.S. needs more than just ambition—it needs new chemistry. This episode traces the rise and fall of an American sodium battery startup and the quiet race to build a cheaper, safer, next-generation power source. Can innovation outpace geopolitics—or does the future already belong to lithium?More on Shirley Meng: https://climate.uchicago.edu/people/y-shirley-meng/More on the Energy Technologies Initiative: https://energytech.pme.uchicago.edu/ Shocked is part of the University of Chicago Podcast Network and produced by Magnificent Noise for the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth, which combines a 360-degree approach to education with frontier research having an impact in front-line communities globally. The Institute’s efforts are driven by the need to balance climate risks with societal growth. To follow or support their work, see our show notes or visit climate.uchicago.eduAmy Harder is the host, along with co-host, Michael Greenstone, a professor at the University of Chicago and director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth. Our executive producers are Eric Nuzum, Michael Greenstone, and Sam Ori. Our production staff includes Christine Driscoll, Amy Pedulla, Sophie Bridges, Jamie York, and Samantha Henig. Our sound designer is Kristen Mueller. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Nov 3, 202534 min
The Vulture Effect
In the 1990s, millions of vultures quietly vanished from India—and the consequences were deadly. This is the story of how a cheap painkiller set off a chain reaction involving rabid dogs, polluted water, and tens of thousands of human deaths. Economists now say it may be the most expensive extinction you’ve never heard of, and is just one example of how wildlife extinctions impact our human world.More on the study on vultures: https://climate.uchicago.edu/the-social-costs-of-keystone-species-collapse-evidence-from-the-decline-of-vultures-in-india/More on the study on bats: https://climate.uchicago.edu/the-economic-impacts-of-ecosystem-disruptions-costs-from-substituting-biological-pest-control/More from Eyal Frank: https://climate.uchicago.edu/people/eyal-frank/ Shocked is part of the University of Chicago Podcast Network and produced by Magnificent Noise for the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth, which combines a 360-degree approach to education with frontier research having an impact in front-line communities globally. The Institute’s efforts are driven by the need to balance climate risks with societal growth. To follow or support their work, see our show notes or visit climate.uchicago.eduAmy Harder is the host, along with co-host, Michael Greenstone, a professor at the University of Chicago and director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth. Our executive producers are Eric Nuzum, Michael Greenstone, and Sam Ori. Our production staff includes Christine Driscoll, Amy Pedulla, Sophie Bridges, Jamie York, and Samantha Henig. Our sound designer is Kristen Mueller. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Oct 30, 202534 min
Bonus: A Climate Conversation Across the Aisle with Lisa Murkowski and Heidi Heitkamp
What does pragmatic climate policy look like today? In this special episode, our Michael Greenstone sits down with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and former Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota) for a frank conversation about regulation, the energy transition, and the politics of bipartisan climate action. The two senators don’t always agree—but they share a belief that durable change starts with listening. Shocked is part of the University of Chicago Podcast Network and produced by Magnificent Noise for the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth, which combines a 360-degree approach to education with frontier research having an impact in front-line communities globally. The Institute’s efforts are driven by the need to balance climate risks with societal growth. To follow or support their work, see our show notes or visit climate.uchicago.eduAmy Harder is the host, along with co-host, Michael Greenstone, a professor at the University of Chicago and director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth. Our executive producers are Eric Nuzum, Michael Greenstone, and Sam Ori. Our production staff includes Christine Driscoll, Amy Pedulla, Sophie Bridges, Jamie York, and Samantha Henig. Our sound designer is Kristen Mueller. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Oct 27, 202540 min
Moneyball for the Environment
For years, the EPA tried to inspect as many polluters as possible—but with limited staff, only a small fraction of sites could be checked each year. This episode looks at how a new, AI-driven approach is helping regulators target the worst offenders, and the data shows it actually works. What happens when environmental enforcement goes evidence-based?Read the op-ed that started it all: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/08/opinion/sunday/see-red-flags-hear-red-flags.htmlMore on the project: https://urbanlabs.uchicago.edu/projects/epa-inspection-targetingMore from Michael Greenstone: https://climate.uchicago.edu/people/michael-greenstone/ Shocked is part of the University of Chicago Podcast Network and produced by Magnificent Noise for the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth, which combines a 360-degree approach to education with frontier research having an impact in front-line communities globally. The Institute’s efforts are driven by the need to balance climate risks with societal growth. To follow or support their work, see our show notes or visit climate.uchicago.eduAmy Harder is the host, along with co-host, Michael Greenstone, a professor at the University of Chicago and director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth. Our executive producers are Eric Nuzum, Michael Greenstone, and Sam Ori. Our production staff includes Christine Driscoll, Amy Pedulla, Sophie Bridges, Jamie York, and Samantha Henig. Our sound designer is Kristen Mueller. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Oct 20, 202535 min
Geoengineering
When disaster strikes and funding fails, some experts and leaders are considering a Plan B: deliberately cooling the planet by reflecting sunlight back into space. This episode traces the science, the politics, and the ethics of geoengineering—from volcanic eruptions to oil companies investing in carbon capture. What happens when the future starts to sound like science fiction?More from David Keith: https://climate.uchicago.edu/people/david-keith/More on his Climate Systems Engineering initiative: https://climateengineering.uchicago.edu/ Shocked is part of the University of Chicago Podcast Network and produced by Magnificent Noise for the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth, which combines a 360-degree approach to education with frontier research having an impact in front-line communities globally. The Institute’s efforts are driven by the need to balance climate risks with societal growth. To follow or support their work, see our show notes or visit climate.uchicago.eduAmy Harder is the host, along with co-host, Michael Greenstone, a professor at the University of Chicago and director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth. Our executive producers are Eric Nuzum, Michael Greenstone, and Sam Ori. Our production staff includes Christine Driscoll, Amy Pedulla, Sophie Bridges, Jamie York, and Samantha Henig. Our sound designer is Kristen Mueller. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Oct 13, 202536 min
Water Rising
Sea level rise doesn’t look like a single global flood—it looks like repeated, localized disasters: flooded streets, collapsing home values, and hard choices about where to live. This episode explores how coastal communities, housing markets, and homeowners are reckoning with a slow-moving crisis that is already reshaping where and how we live. When water comes to your doorstep, who gets to stay—and who decides?More on the Climate Impact Lab's flood risk work: https://impactlab.org/impacts/predicting-flood-risk-for-american-familiesMore on Climate Impact Lab's sea level analysis on the UNDP's Human Climate Horizons: https://horizons.hdr.undp.org Shocked is part of the University of Chicago Podcast Network and produced by Magnificent Noise for the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth, which combines a 360-degree approach to education with frontier research having an impact in front-line communities globally. The Institute’s efforts are driven by the need to balance climate risks with societal growth. To follow or support their work, see our show notes or visit climate.uchicago.eduAmy Harder is the host, along with co-host, Michael Greenstone, a professor at the University of Chicago and director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth. Our executive producers are Eric Nuzum, Michael Greenstone, and Sam Ori. Our production staff includes Christine Driscoll, Amy Pedulla, Sophie Bridges, Jamie York, and Samantha Henig. Our sound designer is Kristen Mueller. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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About Shocked
Are you tired of the same climate and energy stories? A warmer world is here. We’re living with it. Now what? Will countries ever stop burning fossil fuels? Should we use less energy? Can we adapt to a warmer world? What will it cost? Sometimes, we need to start by reexamining things we thought we knew. Axios journalist Amy Harder and University of Chicago economist Michael Greenstone share new ways of thinking about the challenge from people on the frontlines as well as cutting-edge solutions — like changing the earth’s atmosphere, making batteries out of sodium and using artificial intelligence to predict the weather. Listen to learn about energy, climate, and the shocking ideas that will change your perspective.
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Shocked publishes weekly. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
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Shocked covers topics including Science, Earth Sciences. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
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