1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:04,120 Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Molly John Fast and this is Fast Politics, 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: where we discussed the top political headlines with some of 3 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:10,640 Speaker 1: today's best minds. We are off for the holidays, but 4 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: in advance we made you a fantastic show. Today, The 5 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: New York Times Nicholas Kristoff stops by to talk to 6 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:21,759 Speaker 1: us about giving effectively and his favorite charities. But first 7 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:26,759 Speaker 1: we talked to rohat Argo Walla, New York City's chief 8 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 1: climate officer, about what New York is doing to counteract 9 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:36,920 Speaker 1: the coming climate disaster. Welcome to Fast Politics. Read thanks, 10 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:38,919 Speaker 1: it's great to be here, Molly. Thanks for having me. 11 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:42,240 Speaker 1: I am very thrilled to have you tell us exactly 12 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:44,920 Speaker 1: your title, because you have a fancy title. So I 13 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:47,599 Speaker 1: am the chief Climate Officer for the City of New 14 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 1: York and the Commissioner of New York City's Department of 15 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:54,960 Speaker 1: Environmental Protection. Yeah. New York is an interesting city, and 16 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: in some ways we're not that unusual. Right. We're coastal 17 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: city that's an island, and I mean we are a 18 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: city that is going to be affected by climate change 19 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: in ways we can't even wrap our heads around. Yes. True, 20 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: on many levels, New York, like most of the world's 21 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 1: Great Cities is a coastal city. You know, most cities 22 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 1: historically grew up around waterways, which is why the challenges 23 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:21,399 Speaker 1: at sea level rise and extreme storms are going to 24 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:24,319 Speaker 1: affect so many people around the world. Because all of 25 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:26,040 Speaker 1: the city is both in the global North and the 26 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:28,959 Speaker 1: global South, are really very much on the front lines. 27 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: We actually can sadly imagine a lot of what's going 28 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: to happen. It'll be probably faster than we think, it 29 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: will be more extreme than we think, but we've already 30 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: seen a lot of it already, and the science is 31 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 1: really clear about what we face. So let's talk a 32 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: little bit about what we face. There are kind of 33 00:01:44,959 --> 00:01:47,200 Speaker 1: three horsemen and the apocalypse that you can think about. 34 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 1: There's coastal inundation, there's rainfall, and then there's the related issues, 35 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: although you could have a fourth of heat and drought. 36 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 1: So those are the four things. Pretty much every community 37 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 1: around the world, if they're at all coastal, they're they're 38 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 1: probably facing three, if not four. And as you say, 39 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: New York has five miles of coastline, and we are 40 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: vulnerable to all four of those risks. In fact, I mean, 41 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 1: what do you think is the most imminent well, I 42 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 1: mean imminent. We've already had. We had a Hurricane Sandy 43 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 1: ten years ago. Um, you know, forty New Yorkers lost 44 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 1: their lives to a storm that you know, is at 45 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: the very extreme end of what people would have expected. 46 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: Certainly that kind of storm is exacerbated and made more 47 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:31,639 Speaker 1: frequent by by climate change, and so the storm surge 48 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 1: that caused all the flooding and the depths during Sandy 49 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:37,240 Speaker 1: is an example of the kind of thing that we 50 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:40,680 Speaker 1: have to be prepared for more frequently and at an 51 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:42,799 Speaker 1: extreme level. And of course, when you're talking about a 52 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 1: storm surge, it's over sea level, So as sea level rises, 53 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: those storm surges rise. In addition, you know, both because 54 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 1: the sea level is higher and because these storms are 55 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: getting more powerful. So it's a compound effect. So that's 56 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:58,040 Speaker 1: one that we've already seen. I mean, this is a 57 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: problem that New York is going to, Miami is going 58 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:05,239 Speaker 1: to have, Boston, all the sort of coastal cities will 59 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:08,320 Speaker 1: have this. What are this sort of ways in which 60 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 1: you climate people are Can it protect us from all drowning? Well, 61 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 1: let's remember, Molly, we're all climate people, and we all 62 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: know how to be climate people. There's a lot going on, 63 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 1: and this is true many cities around around the world 64 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:23,919 Speaker 1: are doing a lot. Just to be specific to New York. 65 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 1: In the ten years since SAMI, there are huge projects. 66 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:29,240 Speaker 1: Billions and billions of dollars have been spent. Well over 67 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: ten billion dollars has been invested to protect our coastline. 68 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 1: We do that in two ways. One, for example, is 69 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 1: going on on the Lower east Side. It's gotten a 70 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 1: lot of attention as well as similar projects and in 71 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 1: far Rockaway, which was very hard and hard hit, and 72 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: on the south shore of Staten Island to build sea 73 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:49,280 Speaker 1: walls literally to have those coastal defenses that if the 74 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 1: sea level rises or if the storm sur derups or 75 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 1: takes place, it won't actually cause that flooding inland. And 76 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: in some of those cases, the more dramatic ones, that 77 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 1: actually involves movable barriers, and that's that's one of the 78 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:05,120 Speaker 1: techniques we've we're deploying on the Lower east Side. There's 79 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 1: a lot of work though it's gone on actually as 80 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: much money, far more under the radar, which is about 81 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:16,360 Speaker 1: hardening our buildings and our infrastructure. Because there's one strategy 82 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: for resilience that says well let's prevent something bad from happening. 83 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:23,360 Speaker 1: There's another which says, let's just make sure we bounce 84 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: back from it. Let's make sure that nobody dies. Let's 85 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: make sure that the equipment, for example, in this case, 86 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 1: a lot of the work and Nisha which people love 87 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:34,479 Speaker 1: to complain about, but Nitscha has really done tremendous work 88 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:37,479 Speaker 1: on this. Explain what NIGHTSHA is to those of us 89 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 1: who are slightly slow. Not everybody is in municipal government. 90 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:44,880 Speaker 1: That's fair, right, exactly, That's what I meant for those 91 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:47,359 Speaker 1: of us who do not work in municipal government. What 92 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:50,920 Speaker 1: is NIA New York City Housing Authority, which is all 93 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:54,000 Speaker 1: of the public housing in New York City. Something on 94 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 1: the order of one out of every ten New Yorkers 95 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 1: lives in a NIGHTSHA facility. It's the largest landlord, a 96 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:01,560 Speaker 1: second only to the u US Army UM in the 97 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: United States. And several NIGHTSHA projects or housing developments were 98 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: seriously hurt during Hurricane Sandy. And one of the biggest 99 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:13,120 Speaker 1: issues was that when basements flooded, and it wasn't just 100 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,359 Speaker 1: nice abilities that had this problem. When basements flooded, a 101 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,320 Speaker 1: lot of equipment was destroyed, and so it wasn't just 102 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 1: that there was a problem for the people who lived 103 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:25,440 Speaker 1: there while the flooding was going on, but for days, weeks, 104 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 1: sometimes months later, the time it took to do those repairs, 105 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: there was an impact. So when a lot of work 106 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:34,160 Speaker 1: has gone into hardening that moving some of those critical 107 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 1: pieces of equipment up to upper floors, waterproofing the ones 108 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:41,920 Speaker 1: that have to remain at lower levels. At my agency 109 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:44,120 Speaker 1: at d e P where we were on the water supply, 110 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,159 Speaker 1: on the wastewater treatment for the city, we've done a 111 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:48,480 Speaker 1: great deal of that because all of our wastewater treatment 112 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:51,080 Speaker 1: plans that process our sewage and make sure we're not 113 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 1: dumping raw sewage into the harbor, are also of course 114 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:56,159 Speaker 1: right at sea level, so we have to protect them. 115 00:05:56,400 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 1: We can't always keep the flooding out. We have to 116 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 1: also make sure that they'll bounce back. Talk to me 117 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:05,760 Speaker 1: about what preventing flooding looks like more specifically, to prevent 118 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: flooding again, you can you can build a wall, right, 119 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:11,120 Speaker 1: you can build a barrier, and that's that's the kind 120 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 1: of thing we're doing at the Lower east Side. If 121 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: you if you go down to the Lower east Side 122 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: now you'll see that's the green zone. Can you explain 123 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: that to us a little bit how that works. There 124 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:21,920 Speaker 1: are a lot of different designs. Some of them are 125 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:25,479 Speaker 1: literally just putting a wall up, that's basically building a dam. 126 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:27,240 Speaker 1: A lot of the work on the lower east side 127 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:30,360 Speaker 1: is around having it be much more accessible, So we're 128 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:33,720 Speaker 1: literally raising a park on the shoreline by something on 129 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:36,360 Speaker 1: the order of ten or more feet so that it's 130 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 1: simply a higher bank on the east river. And then 131 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:42,080 Speaker 1: there are some places where we can't do that, and 132 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:45,160 Speaker 1: there are movable gates where when we know a storm comes, 133 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 1: because it's one of the nice things about hurricanes is 134 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:50,760 Speaker 1: you generally have some warning. Is you can close these 135 00:06:50,839 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 1: big gates and you create a barrier so that the 136 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:55,480 Speaker 1: water will stay on the other side. That's a technique, 137 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 1: of course, that the Dutch are famous for. They've been 138 00:06:57,720 --> 00:06:59,919 Speaker 1: doing it for hundreds of years. Cities around the world 139 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,720 Speaker 1: are embracing that. I mean, will that work when we 140 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 1: start getting very large waves? You have to follow the 141 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:10,680 Speaker 1: science and the best predictions about what is reasonable to 142 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 1: prepare for. I mean, yes, of course, the theory you 143 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:17,280 Speaker 1: could imagine some infinitesimal risk of a fifty foot inundation 144 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:19,960 Speaker 1: or something like that. You can't you literally cannot protect 145 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 1: against every risk. So right now we've used designs that 146 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:27,160 Speaker 1: look ahead to what we expect rationally to be the 147 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: case for say a fifty year seventy year time horizon. 148 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: But I think the planners who work on resilience, of course, 149 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:35,600 Speaker 1: we know the climate sciences is evolving. We we know 150 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 1: we don't we don't know when we're going to end 151 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:39,760 Speaker 1: carbon emissions around the world, so we don't know when 152 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 1: this process of global warming begins to slow down. So 153 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:44,960 Speaker 1: a lot of these designs are built so that they 154 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 1: can be added to and raised if need be, so 155 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:50,160 Speaker 1: that flexibility that has to be built in. One of 156 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:53,280 Speaker 1: the things you said to me when we talked was 157 00:07:53,320 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 1: that it's not a question of which one of these 158 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:58,800 Speaker 1: adaptations we're gonna have to take. We're gonna have to 159 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:01,040 Speaker 1: take all of them, gonna have to do all of 160 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:05,320 Speaker 1: these things, and that climate is actually climate change is 161 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: happening in a way that's much faster than a lot 162 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 1: of us thought. Can you talk about what you've seen 163 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:15,040 Speaker 1: in New York that where you've seen climate change in action, Well, 164 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:17,840 Speaker 1: I mean, the data is really clear on all of 165 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:20,480 Speaker 1: the risks that I mentioned, but I'm thinking about the 166 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 1: micro verse and the stuff you were telling me about. Well, 167 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:27,600 Speaker 1: in addition to those coastal inundations which got our attention 168 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 1: a decade ago, you know, just last year we really 169 00:08:30,320 --> 00:08:34,760 Speaker 1: started to see a change in summer rainfall patterns. You know, 170 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:38,680 Speaker 1: for seventy years of good weather data, that we have 171 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:42,600 Speaker 1: the most intense rainfall that New York had ever experienced, 172 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:45,360 Speaker 1: which is how much rainfalls in an hour, right, because 173 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:48,959 Speaker 1: that's what really calls causes flooding, Like long duration light 174 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:52,640 Speaker 1: rain doesn't cause a problem, it's it's those really intense firsts. 175 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:56,240 Speaker 1: Was around one point seven or five inches per hour, 176 00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:59,120 Speaker 1: was the most intense rain we've ever got for decades 177 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:04,640 Speaker 1: and decades. Last year, in August of Hurricane Henri came 178 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:07,600 Speaker 1: by and gave us one point nine inches of rain 179 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:10,560 Speaker 1: in one hour, and then only ten days later, Hurricane 180 00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:13,600 Speaker 1: Ida arrived and gave some neighborhoods in the city three 181 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,679 Speaker 1: point seven five inches of rain in one hour, literally 182 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:19,600 Speaker 1: doubling more than doubling the historic rate. And of course 183 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 1: the problem is all of our sewage are sewer system 184 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:25,439 Speaker 1: and our drainage plans are all based on that historical 185 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:27,800 Speaker 1: maximum one point seven five inches, So we've got to 186 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:30,160 Speaker 1: come up with an entirely new playbook. And then, as 187 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,640 Speaker 1: you were correctly citing, we've now begun to see a 188 00:09:33,679 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: pattern of microbursts where the kind of rainfall that you 189 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:41,040 Speaker 1: associate with like the Caribbean or Florida, where every afternoon 190 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:43,439 Speaker 1: on a summer afternoon, you know it's going to rain, 191 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:45,840 Speaker 1: it's gonna be very intense, it's going to be very 192 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:48,040 Speaker 1: short lived, and you don't quite know where it's going 193 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:50,320 Speaker 1: to be because it might be rain over here, in 194 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:53,400 Speaker 1: five blocks away, it's there's not much rain at all. Right, 195 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:56,440 Speaker 1: We've started seeing that pattern in New York and just 196 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:58,880 Speaker 1: last year we had a couple of these. Just this 197 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:01,199 Speaker 1: past summer, rather number of twenty two, we've had a 198 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: couple of these examples, one of them in the Bronx 199 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:08,840 Speaker 1: that caused a sinkhole because it actually the flooding damaged 200 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:12,040 Speaker 1: one of our sewers and the street collapsed. Another one 201 00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:15,040 Speaker 1: in September that I like to site because in one 202 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:19,560 Speaker 1: hour LaGuardia Airport got more than two inches of rain, 203 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 1: again blowing that historical record out of the water. But 204 00:10:22,679 --> 00:10:25,640 Speaker 1: for Hurricane Ida, so LaGuardia got more than two inches 205 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 1: of rain in one hour. Central Park got point one 206 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:32,040 Speaker 1: five inches of rain in that same same storm, so 207 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:34,839 Speaker 1: radically different across the city parts of New York that 208 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:37,920 Speaker 1: day it didn't even rain it at all. Right, so interesting. 209 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:41,480 Speaker 1: So I mean, what are the other sort of things 210 00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:47,280 Speaker 1: that are interesting climate sort of adaptations that New York 211 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:50,200 Speaker 1: is working on right now and that other American cities 212 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:52,319 Speaker 1: are working on. Well, I think, you know, in addition 213 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:55,160 Speaker 1: to all the things that are related to water in fact, 214 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:58,400 Speaker 1: that people don't appreciate because we we lost forty people 215 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:01,080 Speaker 1: during Hurricane Sandy, we lost a leven New Yorkers um 216 00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:04,079 Speaker 1: during Hurricane Ida. Flooding and water gets a lot of 217 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:06,680 Speaker 1: the attention in fact, and it's true in New York, 218 00:11:06,720 --> 00:11:09,280 Speaker 1: it's true in in most places around the world. Most 219 00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:13,720 Speaker 1: climate related deaths are caused by heat. And the significant 220 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:17,920 Speaker 1: increase in the heat of our summers, longer durations and 221 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,640 Speaker 1: hotter higher temperatures which we've seen, is leading to an 222 00:11:21,679 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 1: increase in depths, and those deaths are concentrated among people 223 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,000 Speaker 1: who are older and among people who are low income, 224 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:31,120 Speaker 1: because it's older people who are just more susceptible to 225 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:34,920 Speaker 1: the things that go wrong when you have extended periods 226 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:37,439 Speaker 1: when you're hot. And of course lower income people are 227 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:40,600 Speaker 1: less likely to have air conditioning, and so during during 228 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 1: the pandemic, in fact, New York had a program to 229 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:48,200 Speaker 1: give air conditioners out to several thousand low income individuals 230 00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:50,960 Speaker 1: who were at risk. And we are developing plans for 231 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:54,960 Speaker 1: how we think about cooling as something that we have 232 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:58,400 Speaker 1: to take as seriously in all of our buildings as 233 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:01,800 Speaker 1: we do heating. Yeah, that's really interesting. What can people 234 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:04,560 Speaker 1: who are listening to this right now in abject horror? 235 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:07,880 Speaker 1: I mean, what can they do? The first thing is 236 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:10,880 Speaker 1: that if you're worried about climate as if you know 237 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 1: when you're in a hole, the first thing to do 238 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:15,080 Speaker 1: is stop digging. Right. So as important as it is 239 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:18,800 Speaker 1: to plan for for adaptation and resilience, we also have 240 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:21,959 Speaker 1: to get control of our carbon emissions. Um. New York 241 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:24,520 Speaker 1: has been a leader on this. We've got a law 242 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:26,720 Speaker 1: that's going to impact many New York City buildings that 243 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:29,000 Speaker 1: are going to have to reduce their carbon emissions. Some 244 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:30,640 Speaker 1: buildings are going to have to make some real big 245 00:12:30,679 --> 00:12:34,440 Speaker 1: investments to become more energy efficient and more carbon efficient. 246 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:37,440 Speaker 1: We've got to make big changes in our our transportation system. 247 00:12:37,559 --> 00:12:39,920 Speaker 1: So that person you're thinking about, I hope they're thinking 248 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:42,160 Speaker 1: about buy an electric vehicle. I hope they're thinking about 249 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:44,600 Speaker 1: leaving that electrical vehicle at home when they can and 250 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:47,960 Speaker 1: biking or taking transit or walking whatever possible. Here in 251 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:50,280 Speaker 1: New York, we're we're going to bring congestion pricing to 252 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:52,760 Speaker 1: the city, which will which will help both fund more 253 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:56,560 Speaker 1: investments in transit and reduce the propensity to drive. So 254 00:12:56,640 --> 00:12:59,920 Speaker 1: that that's the first step. Can you explain can chess 255 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:03,320 Speaker 1: gen pricing and why it's good for the environment. Well, so, 256 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:06,760 Speaker 1: congestion pricing, which is something that I was advocating for 257 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:09,960 Speaker 1: when Mayor Bloomberg was mayor, and we've been working towards 258 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:12,040 Speaker 1: the New York for a long time. There's a system 259 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:14,640 Speaker 1: they have it in in London and Singapore and Milan 260 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:17,880 Speaker 1: and in Stockholm, several many other big cities around the 261 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:20,880 Speaker 1: city have it. It's basically a toll to drive into 262 00:13:20,920 --> 00:13:24,040 Speaker 1: the most congested, most transit rich part of the city, 263 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 1: and so here in New York, basically to drive anywhere 264 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:30,280 Speaker 1: in Manhattan below sixt Street will involve paying a toll, 265 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:34,440 Speaker 1: and the idea is that most everybody traveling from anywhere 266 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:37,079 Speaker 1: in the Tri state area going to Manhattan below six 267 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:40,560 Speaker 1: Street has a transit option, and they should take it 268 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:42,679 Speaker 1: unless there is a very good reason. And if there 269 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:44,560 Speaker 1: is a very good reason, it's not that big an 270 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:47,000 Speaker 1: imposition to pay at all. I mean, I think that's 271 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:49,480 Speaker 1: that's a really good point. Will you just tell us 272 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:51,320 Speaker 1: we're almost out of time, but just tell us what 273 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:55,160 Speaker 1: one of the sort of most interesting things that um 274 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:58,920 Speaker 1: the city is doing to deal with climate the most 275 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:04,280 Speaker 1: interesting thing or whatever you want to talk about. I'll 276 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:06,840 Speaker 1: say that certainly, when it comes to dealing with with 277 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:10,319 Speaker 1: both coastal inundation and stormwater, we have to think very 278 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:14,400 Speaker 1: differently about our landscape. Traditionally New Yorkers have relied on 279 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:18,640 Speaker 1: gray infrastructure sewers underground to get rid of our water. 280 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:21,480 Speaker 1: Over the last several years, we've started really to think 281 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:24,680 Speaker 1: to be thinking as much or more about the green infrastructure. 282 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:28,480 Speaker 1: And one great example of that, which I think maybe 283 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:30,400 Speaker 1: the most exciting thing that New York City is doing 284 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:34,160 Speaker 1: related to climate adaptation is our Blue Belt network, which 285 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:37,280 Speaker 1: started on Staten Island in the es And and basically 286 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:40,960 Speaker 1: it has the realization that lakes ponds and streams, many 287 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:43,840 Speaker 1: of which we have filled in or covered over over 288 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:47,880 Speaker 1: two hundred years of development, are great receivers for stormwater 289 00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:50,560 Speaker 1: and so d ep. We now have more than thirty 290 00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:53,520 Speaker 1: of these, and Staten Island and Queens were working to 291 00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:56,200 Speaker 1: develop a citywide plan for them so that we have 292 00:14:56,280 --> 00:14:59,880 Speaker 1: them all over these we we take either open space 293 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:03,960 Speaker 1: or existing lakes and streams, we connect them to storm sewers. 294 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:06,120 Speaker 1: There's a little bit a bit of filtration so that 295 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 1: the water that runs off the street is not just 296 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:11,920 Speaker 1: bringing garbage into these places. And then during a storm 297 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:14,560 Speaker 1: they fill up, and when there's no storm, they drain 298 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:18,880 Speaker 1: naturally and over time, and that's been tremendous. A lot 299 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:21,280 Speaker 1: of Staten Island is now much better off in terms 300 00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:23,800 Speaker 1: of stormwater flooding than it was a decade ago because 301 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,560 Speaker 1: of these things, and they're beautiful people of them. They 302 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:29,560 Speaker 1: improve property values in the neighborhood. So that's a that's 303 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:32,320 Speaker 1: a great innovation. Oh, that's so interesting. Thank you so 304 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:35,480 Speaker 1: much for joining us. So important, and I really hope 305 00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:37,760 Speaker 1: you'll come back all right. Thanks for having me, Molly 306 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:47,320 Speaker 1: do well. Nicholas Kristof is a New York Times columnist 307 00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:51,560 Speaker 1: welcome Too Fast Politics, Nick Kristof A great to be 308 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:54,880 Speaker 1: with you. We're thrilled to have you. Very exciting. So 309 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:58,680 Speaker 1: it is the holiday season and you do something very 310 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:00,560 Speaker 1: important during the hot as will you talk to us 311 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:04,120 Speaker 1: about what it is? Yeah, and uh, it raised a 312 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:08,680 Speaker 1: lot of eyebrows when I started, But it's to recommend 313 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:13,560 Speaker 1: ways in which people can give effectively to you know, 314 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:17,120 Speaker 1: some fantastic organizations abroad and at home. And you know, 315 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:18,800 Speaker 1: I think originally there was some doubt about, you know, 316 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:21,640 Speaker 1: should journalists really be telling people where to give? And 317 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:25,800 Speaker 1: it's been just a wonderful experience to make these recommendations 318 00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:28,360 Speaker 1: and people have really responded. So I've just issued my 319 00:16:28,520 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: two recommendations. So how long have you been doing this? 320 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:34,200 Speaker 1: I think it's been twelve years now. You know, it's 321 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:37,000 Speaker 1: one of the most satisfying things I do because normally 322 00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:40,800 Speaker 1: I'm fulminating about healthcare, about President Trump or whatever, and 323 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:45,000 Speaker 1: nothing really changes. And here's a chance where as journalists, 324 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:47,480 Speaker 1: you know, we can recommend an organization that we've seen 325 00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:50,120 Speaker 1: on the ground that really is making a difference, and 326 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:54,320 Speaker 1: people respond and as a result, you know, people get uh, 327 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:57,120 Speaker 1: you know, they get investments, they can feed their kids 328 00:16:57,120 --> 00:16:59,440 Speaker 1: better and they can send their kids to school. Uh, 329 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:02,200 Speaker 1: it makes a real difference in lives. So tell us 330 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:07,280 Speaker 1: one of the heartwarming holiday stories of a charity you 331 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:11,480 Speaker 1: recommended that got a boost from your column this year. 332 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:13,560 Speaker 1: You mean, well, you could this year, but you could 333 00:17:13,600 --> 00:17:17,280 Speaker 1: also tell us historically, because these new charities are you're 334 00:17:17,359 --> 00:17:20,280 Speaker 1: just introducing them, so it's curious of their stories from 335 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:22,359 Speaker 1: the history of it. Yeah, I mean in the past. 336 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:24,879 Speaker 1: One of the things that I've really come to believe 337 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:28,480 Speaker 1: in my reporting is the power of girls education and 338 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:32,600 Speaker 1: the way the girl's education improves life not only for 339 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:35,800 Speaker 1: those young women, but for entire societies. And so there's 340 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:38,640 Speaker 1: a group that I recommended some years ago called camp FED, 341 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:42,040 Speaker 1: which stands for Campaign for Female Education, and it is 342 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:45,280 Speaker 1: just so incredibly cheap to send a girl to school, 343 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:48,440 Speaker 1: you know, elementary schools less than a hundred dollars a year. 344 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:53,080 Speaker 1: And so tens of thousand readers really responded. They supported 345 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:56,080 Speaker 1: camp FED in a huge way. And the upshot is 346 00:17:56,119 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: that tens of thousands of girls got to go to 347 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:02,960 Speaker 1: school who otherwise would not have. That makes you feel 348 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:05,359 Speaker 1: pretty good over the holiday season. So tell me about 349 00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:07,800 Speaker 1: some of these charities that you have on the list 350 00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:11,560 Speaker 1: this year. So this year I was, you know, really 351 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:15,880 Speaker 1: affected in part by the crisis in Ukraine. I I'm 352 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:19,600 Speaker 1: just back from the reporting trip to Ukraine, and one 353 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:22,320 Speaker 1: of the things that is striking is that while there 354 00:18:22,359 --> 00:18:26,120 Speaker 1: are many thousands of Ukrainians dying, there are also many 355 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:29,760 Speaker 1: thousands of people in poor countries who were dying from malnutrition, 356 00:18:30,119 --> 00:18:33,840 Speaker 1: typically kids, because the war there has raised the cost 357 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:38,359 Speaker 1: of fertilizer and of food. And so I'm supporting a 358 00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:43,399 Speaker 1: group called the One Acre Fund, which helps farmers in 359 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:48,840 Speaker 1: Africa increase their harvests. And it typically constantly twenty five 360 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:53,719 Speaker 1: dollars per family, and it increases their harvest by that 361 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:56,119 Speaker 1: means that families can feed their kids, it means they 362 00:18:56,119 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 1: can send their kids to school. It can be transformative, 363 00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:03,399 Speaker 1: and so one Acre Fund is the is my number 364 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:06,159 Speaker 1: one pick this year. I want you to explain to 365 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:09,560 Speaker 1: us what exactly does this do that helps them. It's 366 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:14,440 Speaker 1: giving them good fertilizer, for example, and good seeds, and 367 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:18,560 Speaker 1: in some cases encouraging them to try new techniques or 368 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:22,320 Speaker 1: new crops that might be effective, advising them on ways 369 00:19:22,359 --> 00:19:27,040 Speaker 1: to irrigate that will use less water, use it more productively. 370 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:29,000 Speaker 1: It kind of means something to me because I grew 371 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 1: up on a farm in rural Oregon and we always 372 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 1: had extension agents who advised us how to improve farming 373 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:39,359 Speaker 1: techniques and improve crops. And in rural Africa it is 374 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:42,640 Speaker 1: so hard, and you know, they don't get that advice. 375 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:47,639 Speaker 1: So the quality of the farming elements makes better food, 376 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:53,119 Speaker 1: makes more food, helps children. Better farming results more food 377 00:19:53,119 --> 00:19:56,440 Speaker 1: for kids. What other charities are you working with? And 378 00:19:56,520 --> 00:19:58,439 Speaker 1: let me just add on on that front that you 379 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:01,280 Speaker 1: know a lot of farmers in Africa that when they 380 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:03,919 Speaker 1: go to the market and buy fertilizer, the fertilizer is 381 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:08,680 Speaker 1: fake and so they've spent their money and it's just inert, 382 00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:10,800 Speaker 1: you know, stuff that doesn't do any good. Or they 383 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:14,520 Speaker 1: buy seeds and the seeds are counterfeit and don't really 384 00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:16,880 Speaker 1: grow things. And so for these farmers to be able 385 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:21,040 Speaker 1: to get reliable seeds and reliable fertilizer again is transformative. 386 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:24,159 Speaker 1: That was my number one pick. Another one that I 387 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:26,720 Speaker 1: that I chose that I really liked it. It's called 388 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:30,280 Speaker 1: Vision to Learn, and the idea behind it is that 389 00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:34,480 Speaker 1: about a quarter of kids need glasses and if you're 390 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:36,560 Speaker 1: an affluent kid or a middle class kid, then of 391 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:38,359 Speaker 1: course you get classes and if you break them, then 392 00:20:38,359 --> 00:20:41,600 Speaker 1: you get a replacement pair. But if you're a low 393 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:45,920 Speaker 1: income kid, then you probably don't get glasses. So you're distracted, 394 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:49,160 Speaker 1: you can't see the board, you squabble with the kid 395 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:52,200 Speaker 1: in the seat next to you, right, and you can't 396 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:54,359 Speaker 1: do as well in school. Yeah, and you you're just 397 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:58,960 Speaker 1: labeled a troublemaker. Um. The kids in juvenile detention centers 398 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:03,320 Speaker 1: or disproportional kids who need glasses partly because that's when 399 00:21:03,359 --> 00:21:07,360 Speaker 1: their vision problems are first diagnosed. It's really cheap to 400 00:21:07,560 --> 00:21:10,600 Speaker 1: get a kid glasses, and you know, if it's done 401 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:13,919 Speaker 1: in first, second, third grade, that is just transformative for 402 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:17,360 Speaker 1: their whole career. They're more likely to graduate from high school, 403 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:20,560 Speaker 1: to go to college, to get a good job. And 404 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:23,000 Speaker 1: question isn't whether we can afford that is if we 405 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:26,560 Speaker 1: can afford not to provide those classes. And this group 406 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:30,520 Speaker 1: Vision to Learn does that really well in fifteen states. 407 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:32,760 Speaker 1: It needs support to be able to expand to the 408 00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:35,760 Speaker 1: rest of the states. Okay, fantastic, Tell me what else 409 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:39,200 Speaker 1: you're working on. I'm a big believer that education is 410 00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:42,600 Speaker 1: the best letter to success for Everybody. And there's you know, 411 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:44,480 Speaker 1: there are a lot of the debates about education, but 412 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:48,840 Speaker 1: there's one organization that has really emphasized evidence and it's 413 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:51,720 Speaker 1: been subject to more than fifty careful studies. It's called 414 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:55,040 Speaker 1: Success for All, founded by some experts at Johns Hopkins. 415 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:58,439 Speaker 1: They're my third recommended group, Success for All Foundation. And 416 00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:00,560 Speaker 1: then I also wanted in the holiday season, you know, 417 00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:02,280 Speaker 1: there are a lot of folks who they may not 418 00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:05,600 Speaker 1: have money to donate, but they have time, and so 419 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:08,199 Speaker 1: I wanted to recommend groups of people can volunteer for. 420 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:13,199 Speaker 1: So my recommendations there were Big Brothers Big Sisters, which 421 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:17,479 Speaker 1: you know is mentoring organization does fantastic work, has thirty 422 00:22:17,520 --> 00:22:20,960 Speaker 1: thousand kids on a wait list for a Big Brother 423 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:23,720 Speaker 1: and Big Sister, So I'm hoping people will volunteer. And 424 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:27,000 Speaker 1: the final one, also for volunteers, is called Welcome dot 425 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:33,800 Speaker 1: Us and it's to help people sponsor a refugee from Ukraine, Venezuela, Afghanistan. 426 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:37,600 Speaker 1: That's particularly meaningful to me because my dad was a 427 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:41,439 Speaker 1: refugee from Eastern Europe in nWo and a group of 428 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:45,040 Speaker 1: people sponsored him, and you know that was transformative for 429 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:47,880 Speaker 1: the Christoffs and I think it would be fantastic if 430 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:51,159 Speaker 1: more people provided that kind of sponsorship for refugees who 431 00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:55,000 Speaker 1: needed today. Can you give me a little sense of 432 00:22:55,240 --> 00:23:00,000 Speaker 1: like how this year's charities are different from previous years. 433 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:03,919 Speaker 1: I try to connect with issues that are really you know, 434 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:08,200 Speaker 1: important at the moment, and so given the food crisis 435 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:11,040 Speaker 1: that is affecting so many poor countries, I thought it 436 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:14,440 Speaker 1: important to provide something that had to do with food, 437 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:17,240 Speaker 1: and that was why I chose one Acre Fund that 438 00:23:17,359 --> 00:23:21,600 Speaker 1: I thought that will alleviate the malnutrition around the world. 439 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:24,040 Speaker 1: I think, you know, a child dies of malintrician every 440 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:28,320 Speaker 1: fourteen seconds somewhere around the world, and that's in part 441 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:31,400 Speaker 1: because of the war in Ukraine. Likewise, given the war 442 00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:35,960 Speaker 1: in Ukraine, I wanted to find a way to support refugees, 443 00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:40,000 Speaker 1: and this volunteer organization, Welcome dot US would do that. 444 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:43,800 Speaker 1: But I also think it's really important to for people 445 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:48,280 Speaker 1: in the holiday season to donate intelligently based on evidence 446 00:23:48,359 --> 00:23:50,600 Speaker 1: and not just on kind of a hunt show this 447 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:52,960 Speaker 1: feels good, this feels like a good organization, but really 448 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:56,560 Speaker 1: go with organizations that have proof of their effectiveness. And 449 00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:58,199 Speaker 1: I you know, I'd like to think that all my 450 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:01,800 Speaker 1: organizations really do that. Just explain just for a minute 451 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:04,960 Speaker 1: or two why this was controversial. It's so funny because 452 00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:08,959 Speaker 1: it's like, now we're so many years into this world, 453 00:24:09,119 --> 00:24:13,760 Speaker 1: the controversality of this seems insane, but it was right 454 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:16,879 Speaker 1: at the time. Yeah, it really was. And you know, 455 00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:22,000 Speaker 1: I think the idea was that as journalists we shouldn't 456 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:26,840 Speaker 1: be raising money for specific organizations or telling people what 457 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:30,200 Speaker 1: to do. That we should be just passionate and covering 458 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:33,600 Speaker 1: the story, but not advising people on giving. And that 459 00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:36,480 Speaker 1: always seemed to me missing a real service we could 460 00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:39,960 Speaker 1: provide for readers that you know, readers they read something 461 00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:41,919 Speaker 1: or they want something on TV, and they want to 462 00:24:41,960 --> 00:24:44,080 Speaker 1: know what can I do? How can I help? And 463 00:24:44,119 --> 00:24:46,880 Speaker 1: we did not meet that need. We did not respond 464 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:49,040 Speaker 1: to that that it should people to help. And I'm 465 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:51,560 Speaker 1: really glad that it has become you know, I think 466 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:54,920 Speaker 1: now routine for news organizations to actually help scratch that 467 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:58,080 Speaker 1: itch and tell people how they can help. That's very interesting. 468 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:00,600 Speaker 1: Can you just explain a little more are about why 469 00:25:00,680 --> 00:25:04,960 Speaker 1: giving is good for the giv our and to give? Yeah, 470 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:08,359 Speaker 1: we used to talk about, oh is more blessed to 471 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:10,159 Speaker 1: give than to receive? And all that, but now we 472 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:13,640 Speaker 1: actually have evidence from from brain science about it. They've 473 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:16,119 Speaker 1: hook people up to brain scans and they have a 474 00:25:16,119 --> 00:25:18,160 Speaker 1: little screen in front of them, and as they give 475 00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:22,080 Speaker 1: money to various causes and as they get money coming in, 476 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:25,199 Speaker 1: and it turns out that people actually vary and that 477 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:29,159 Speaker 1: there are some people who maybe are a little more selfish, 478 00:25:29,359 --> 00:25:32,679 Speaker 1: who their pleasure centers light up more when they received 479 00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:35,879 Speaker 1: than when they give. But for most people, most of 480 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:40,160 Speaker 1: the time, when they give money to a good cause, 481 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:43,760 Speaker 1: and the pleasure centers of their brains actually light up 482 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:47,560 Speaker 1: and respond even more when they're giving to a specific 483 00:25:47,640 --> 00:25:51,959 Speaker 1: cause than when they are getting. And you know, I 484 00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:54,360 Speaker 1: think that kind of fits in with what a lot 485 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:56,480 Speaker 1: of us feel intuitively, that we feel a sense of 486 00:25:56,760 --> 00:26:01,080 Speaker 1: satisfaction and purpose when we make those donations and you know, 487 00:26:01,119 --> 00:26:03,440 Speaker 1: make a better world. Thank you so much, Nick, Kristoph 488 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:07,199 Speaker 1: oh my pleasure, and I encourage anybody who wants to 489 00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:10,080 Speaker 1: follow up to check out Kristophe Impact dot org again 490 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:14,159 Speaker 1: support these amazing organizations. That's it for this episode of 491 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:18,000 Speaker 1: Fast Politics. Tune in every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to 492 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:20,879 Speaker 1: your the best minds and politics makes sense of all 493 00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:24,520 Speaker 1: this chaos. If you enjoyed what you've heard, Please send 494 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:27,240 Speaker 1: it to a friend and keep the conversation going. And 495 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:28,840 Speaker 1: again thanks for listening.