Content Library Podcasts Videos Episode 63

Why Climate Change is Worse Than You Think

July 17, 2019 Episode 63 1h 19m

Topics Overview

Overview

Climate change is not moving as slowly as we’d like to think. In fact, half of all the damage done through burning fossil fuels has been just over the last 30 years. Unfortunately, every year is now more damaging than the last. The good news is that we are not at a point of no return. While we will never have the same climate we had before industrialization, we can make a positive impact on the future of climate change by taking action now. My guest on this week’s episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy is here to tell us how. David Wallace-Wells is the deputy editor of New York magazine and the author of the international bestseller The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming, published in February 2019, which the New York Times called both "brilliant" and "the most terrifying book I have ever read." While the real truth about climate change can be scary, it’s a more important conversation than ever. Throughout our talk, David shares the history of climate change and the three major issues at hand: speed, scope, and severity. Tune in to find out how.

Topics Covered

What inspired David to begin writing about climate change

(1:30)
Are we at a point of no return when it comes to climate change?

(7:57)
Predicted economic, environmental, geological, societal, and political impacts if we do nothing to slow global warming

(9:53)
The threat of heat death, climate plagues, and unbreathable air

(16:49)
California wildfires

(28:22:00)
How oceans are affected by climate change

(32:23:00)
The food system, agricultural practices, and climate change

(39:14:00)
New industry technology and innovation to stabilize the climate

(48:51:00)
Why David is relatively hopeful about changes he’s seen in the last year

(53:32:00)
The challenge of getting global governments to work together around climate change

(1:03:38)
The top changes David would implement to slow climate change if he were in charge

(1:07:05)