Molly Wood investigates the key to ‘How We Survive’ the climate crisis
It’s an emergency, and we’re sounding alarms to the tune of heatwaves, earthquakes, flooding, fires, tornadoes, sand tornadoes, and more. These are natural disasters host and tech reporter Molly Wood discusses and experienced (some firsthand during her climate crisis road trip) in the podcast, “How We Survive.” Things are heating up for the world and its decision-makers to facilitate a better future and protect Mother Earth.
The urgent, multi-billion dollar question is what we can do, and how to create a plan to improve our world, a madly ticking clock in how we proceed with the climate crisis. In this series, Molly will investigate the technology, economics, and resources we can use to navigate the dire situation our planet is in while switching to clean energy.
Switching to clean energy
It’s not quite the apocalypse, but global disasters are happening and only going to get worse. According to Molly and experts, we have 10 years for damage control, where preventative measures need to be taken and survival is on the line.
From cars to our homes, electricity to the power grid, our world relies on carbon-emitting fossil fuels. A solution Molly investigates is fully switching to renewable energy, but the race to acquire the necessary resources is complicated and costly.
Lithium is “White Gold”
We’re in a modern gold rush, not so different from the 1800s. But this time around, it’s a race for solutions and survival when mining lithium, a silvery-white metal used in most batteries and found underground. Season 1, “White Gold,” investigates lithium as a viable answer to our tricky situation. The widespread transition to and use of lithium-based energy could effectively put our planet on track toward a better and more sustainable future.
Yet, the world doesn’t have enough lithium on-hand. In this season, Molly will investigate the billion-dollar efforts forged in this rush to mine lithium, and the drama this dredges up with environmentalists, businesses, and indigenous people.
In the first episode, Molly takes listeners to Thacker Pass, Nevada, where business is messy and locals aren’t thrilled. Thacker Pass is the site of a proposed $1.3 billion lithium mining project. This is planned for the next four decades, and sounds great in theory. But it has generated backlash from farmers, ranchers, and the native Paiute–Shoshone tribe. We hear from a local protest camp’s efforts to stop the mine and additionally learn that tribal members do not want to sacrifice their home at the Ford McDermitt Reservation. They have asked neighboring tribes around them to join their fight against the mine. This digging would also uproot habitats for dozens of plants and animals.
“How We Survive” launched October 6. Tune in weekly for new episodes to learn more about climate crisis solutions and “How We Survive.”