Essentially,
there are two kinds of podcasts. There is a podcast that covers a topic
that's been covered thousands of times, but the show's goal is to do it
better than anyone else. A prime example includes movie review podcasts Verbal Diorama and What Went Wrong.
Both shows are essentially "how this movie was made" podcasts. What
separates them from the thousands of other podcasts with the exact same
premise is that they do so much better than anyone else.
Then, there are indie shows that defy classification and often marry genres together into some kind of Island Of Dr. Moreau proto-genre. A perfect example is Another F*cking Horror Podcast, which seamlessly blends true crime, horror, and humor into a delightful show of bizarre tales and snarky intentions.
The What If We Get It Right podcast takes the standard climate change genre and infuses it with a focus on solutions, a dedication to the aspirational, and a refusal to take itself too seriously.
"The podcast is a futurist, climate solutions interview show, but she always keeps things fun and gives us hope," notes podcast consultant Andreea Coscai of Tink Media.
The creator/host of the podcast is Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, who is a marine biologist, policy expert,
writer, and teacher working to help create the best possible climate
future. She co-founded and leads the Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank focused on the
future of coastal cities, and is the Roux Distinguished Scholar at
Bowdoin College.
Dr. Johnson co-edited the bestselling climate anthology All We Can Save, and co-created and co-hosted the Spotify/Gimlet podcast called
If you're interested in climate solutions — and you should, unless you enjoy sweating and continual storm clean-up — check out Dr. Johnson's Substack, which offers forward-looking musings on climate from a scientist and policy nerd.
The podcast began in September 2024 while Dr. Johnson was on her book tour. Back then, she explained: "I’m on a seven-week book tour across the USA, and I’m taking you with me: 20 cities, 40 events, each one different. I’ll be in conversation with all sorts of fantastic folks, talking climate, policy, politics, and culture. I’ll be sharing the best bits of that here. And perhaps I'll get to meet some of you in person along the tour. Details are here: getitright.earth/tour.
This first episode featured excerpts from the book launch Climate Variety Show, which she co-hosted with Jason Sudeikis at the Brooklyn Museum on September 17, 2024.
Some of my favorite episodes since include the April 29, 2025, show called "The Future of Coastal Cities."
Dr. Johnson says, "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 getting it right in coastal cities looks like, in New York City, New Orleans, and beyond."
Dr. Johnson continues: "One in seven people in the U.S. live in coastal cities — that’s more than 47 million Americans. Additionally, the U.S. coastal economy supports 54.6 million jobs and contributes $10 trillion to the country's total GDP. And this is certainly not a so-called coastal elite issue — poverty and unemployment rates are higher in coastal cities than the national average. Plus, coastal areas face the threats of sea level rise and storms made more potent and more damaging by climate change."
On the May 28th episode, Dr. Johnson reconnected with her former co-host from How to Save a Planet, Alex Blumberg. On the show, Blumberg kept his suggestions straightforward and focused on local solutions, such as joining condo or HOA boards to advocate for clean energy and energy efficiency measures. Blumberg explained that Buildings and construction account for 38 percent of CO2 emissions globally—cement manufacturing alone accounts for eight percent.
In response, NYC’s building energy grading law requires buildings to benchmark their energy and water consumption. NYC’s Local Law 97 (enacted in 2019) aims to drive deep emissions cuts from buildings, which are responsible for more than two-thirds of NYC’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Dr. Johnson is as proficient as a podcast host as she is as a writer. She's articulate, witty, knowledgeable, and most of all, amusing in a way only scientists can be.
If you are worried about climate change and are interested in solutions, then check out What If We Get It Right. If you're not interested, then decrease your deductible on homeowner’s insurance, buy an inflatable raft, have a GO bag, and learn to love humidity.
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