Best Joel Makower Podcasts (2025)

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Building Climate-Resilient Farming with Robotics: Eric Adamson of Oishii and Tortuga 43:41

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6d ago43:41

43:41

Eric Adamson, Robotics Executive at Oishii and co-founder of Tortuga AgTech, joins Climate Rising to share how automation and AI are transforming fruit farming. Eric explains how his team designed a strawberry-harvesting robot capable of operating in outdoor tunnels and vertical farms, bringing operational efficiency, labor savings, and climate res…

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Microsoft ’s Climate Strategy and Its Carbon Removal Deal with Chestnut Carbon 44:34

13d ago44:34

44:34

Microsoft’s Brian Marrs, Senior Director of Energy and Carbon Removal, and Chestnut Carbon CFO Greg Adams share their perspectives as a major buyer and developer of carbon removal credits. Their 2025 deal is one of the largest carbon removal deals in the U.S. and seeks to deliver 7 million tons of nature-based carbon credits over 25 years. Brian ex…

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Reducing Household Emissions with Dishwashing Innovation: A Conversation with P&G ’ s Ashley Fill 48:02

27d ago48:02

48:02

Ashley Fill, Global Director of Sustainability at P&G Home Care joins Climate Rising to discuss how consumer behavior and innovative technologies can reduce household carbon and water footprints. Ashley shares how life cycle assessments reveal that 87% of the emissions in P&G’s Home Care portfolio come from product use, particularly dishwashing. Sh…

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AI for Climate Resilient Food Systems with ClimateAi’s Himanshu Gupta 46:16

1M ago46:16

46:16

ClimateAi co-founder and CEO Himanshu Gupta explains how hiscompany uses machine learning to forecast extreme weather and help businesses adapt to climate volatility. Himanshu shares his journey from rural India to co-founding ClimateAi while he was an MBA student. He describes how ClimateAi's "biophysics-driven AI" combines limited weather and cro…

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Designing for Resilience: with Alex Berkowitz of Coastal Protection Services 38:10

2M ago38:10

38:10

This episode is another in our series on Climate Resilience featuringAlex Berkowitz, Founder and CEO of Coastal Protection Solutions (CPS), astartup developing nearshore infrastructure that reduces wave energy and enhances climate resilience. Alex shares how her personal experience with Hurricane Sandy in her hometown of Rockaway Beach led to the c…

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Why creative people may make better sustainability professionals 46:11

1M ago46:11

46:11

What is the connection between creativity and sustainability? That's the topic of the conversation between Joel and Soli this episode. To be clear, this isn’t just about those who can play an instrument, tell a story or paint a picture. Indeed, we challenged the popular notions of people as “creatives”or “influentials,” since these labels segment p…

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Investing in Climate Resilience and Poverty Alleviation: Acumen Founder & CEO Jacqueline Novogratz 57:24

2M ago57:24

57:24

In this Climate Rising episode in our series on climate resilience, Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder and CEO of Acumen shares how impact investing is agriculture is helping smallholder farmers build climate resilience. Jacqueline shares insights from two decades of investing in poverty alleviation that includes climate resilience and adaptation social…

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Raz Godelnik – What future CSOs need to understand 43:31

2M ago43:31

43:31

Godelnik’s critique of current corporate efforts calls for moving beyond incrementalism and into systems-level transformation that prioritizes values over profits. “We’re living in an era where, for the most part, what we’re doing is tweaking the system rather than transforming the system,” he told us. “I call it sustainability as usual... grounded…

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Forecasting Climate Risk with Geospatial AI: Sarah Russell of X , the Moonshot Factory at Alphabet 35:09

3M ago35:09

35:09

This episode, part of the Climate Rising series on climate resilience, features Sarah Russell, General Manager of Project Bellwether at X, The Moonshot Factory at Alphabet (formerly Google X). Sarah shares how geospatial data and artificial intelligence can help communities and businesses anticipate and respond to climate risks. Sarah shares insigh…

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Live from London: Unilever’s CSO on moving from vision to execution 46:08

3M ago46:08

46:08

How does a corporate sustainability professional meet the moment? That’s one of the questions we posed to Unilever’s chief sustainability and corporate affairs officer Rebecca Marmot in a live-on-stage podcast recording session during this year’s London Climate Action Week. Marmot, who joined Unilever 18 years ago after stints at L’Oreal and in the…

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Closing the Loop by Recycling Apparel: Reju CEO Patrik Frisk 43:43

3M ago43:43

43:43

Patrik Frisk, CEO of ReJu, joins Climate Rising to discuss his company’s mission to recycle textile waste and build circular supply chains for apparel made of polyester fabric. Patrik brings his prior experience leading Under Armour and other global brands across the textile and footwear industry for over 35 years. Patrik describes how ReJu turns d…

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Inside Colgate’s quest for a circular supply chain 47:40

3M ago47:40

47:40

How much circularity can one company squeeze out of a toothpaste tube? That’s the mouthwatering challenge taken on by Colgate Palmolive, the iconic 220-year-old company whose chief sustainability officer, Ann Tracy, has been leading the charge to make Colgate toothpaste tubes not just recyclable, but potentially turned back into new tubes. It’s not…

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Extending Apparel Lifespan: ThredUp CEO James Reinhart 38:02

3M ago38:02

38:02

James Reinhart, CEO of ThredUp, one of the largest online resale platforms for secondhand clothing. James co-founded the company while he was a Masters’ student at Harvard and has spent the last 15 years scaling a national logistics and digital infrastructure platform for resale. In this episode James describes why the company decided to handle phy…

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Mastercard CSO: ‘Making more sustainable choices is a megatrend’ 37:10

4M ago37:10

37:10

Financial services is high on the list of the most fascinating and challenging sectors for sustainability. Ellen Jackowski, Chief Sustainability Officer at Mastercard, is one of the sector's leaders. In just a few years at the financial services giant, she's helped pioneer approaches to using payment systems to inspire, inform and enable change at …

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Designing for Circularity at Scale: A Conversation with Karen Pflug of Ingka Group 46:27

4M ago46:27

46:27

In the latest episode of Climate Rising from Harvard Business School, Karen Pflug, Chief Sustainability Officer of Ingka Group (IKEA), shares how IKEA is embedding circularity throughout its business model. She discusses how IKEA is redesigning iconic products like the Billy bookcase to make them easier to disassemble and repair, how secondhand ret…

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Paul Hawken: We have basically isolated and objectified carbon 40:22

4M ago40:22

40:22

Hawken's latest book, “Carbon: The Book of Life,” explores carbon's role in living systems, not just an evil gas contributing to climate change. He criticizes the climate movement for objectifying carbon and advocates for a shift in narrative from fear to possibility. Hawken highlights the limitations of technological solutions like direct air capt…

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Advancing the Circular Economy: A Conversation with Lauren Rodriguez of Closed Loop Partners 41:45

5M ago41:45

41:45

Lauren Rodriguez, who leads partnerships at Circular Services, a Closed Loop Partners company, joins host Mike Toffel to discuss building the infrastructure and investment models needed to scale the circular economy. Lauren explains how Closed Loop Partners supports the transition from a linear to a circular economy through capital management, inno…

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Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr.: Let's Turn Cancer Alley into Opportunity Alley 43:08

5M ago43:08

43:08

“I'm excited for this moment,” Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., president and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, an advocacy group that works for racial, economic and climate justice, told us right off the bat. “It's a tough moment, but I'm excited for it,” he said, citing the group’s 20-year history of harnessing culture and storytelling to “shape our political …

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Google CSO Kate Brandt: This is a ‘once-in-a-career’ moment 39:52

5M ago39:52

39:52

The tech giant’s chief sustainability officer reflects on how she’ll make the most of this critical time in the two decades since she’s been working to advance sustainability, in the debut episode of our biweekly podcast Two Steps Forward. Soon to celebrate 10 years at Google — preceded by sustainability leadership roles at the White House and Defe…

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Scaling Reuse with Vytal: A Circular Economy Conversation with CEO Fabian Barthel 44:49

5M ago44:49

44:49

Fabian Barthel, Co-Founder of Vytal, a circular economy packaging-as-a-service startup, joins host Mike Toffel to explore the innovation, behavioral science, and regulations shaping the market for reusable containers for take-out food and beverages. Fabian shares how Vytal is tackling packaging waste by building a reusable container system for rest…

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Carbon Credit Ratings and Market Integrity: A Conversation on the Calyx Global Case 41:21

6M ago41:21

41:21

In this bonus episode of Climate Rising, we share an episode from Harvard Business School’s Cold Call podcast, featuring HBS professor Mike Toffel and Duncan van Bergen, Co-Founder of Calyx Global. The discussion focuses on Mike’s recent HBS case study, Calyx Global: Rating Carbon Credits, which explores how the company is helping improve transpare…

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Investing in Carbon Markets: A Conversation with Luke Leslie of Key Carbon 41:26

6M ago41:26

41:26

Luke Leslie, Co-Founder and CEO of Key Carbon, joins Climate Rising as part of our series on voluntary carbon markets. Luke has spent over 20 years in carbon markets and finance, working in investment banking, private equity, and structured finance. Luke explains how Key Carbon is financing high-integrity carbon projects and how new overlaps betwee…

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Navigating Carbon Markets: A Conversation with Alexia Kelly of High Tide Foundation 56:17

7M ago56:17

56:17

Alexia Kelly, Managing Director of the Carbon Policy and Markets Initiative (CPMI) at theHigh Tide Foundation, joins host Mike Toffel for the fifth episode in our series on voluntarycarbon markets. Alexia has worked for nearly two decades atthe intersection of carbonmarkets, policy, and finance, with roles spanning government, private industry, and…

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Enhancing Integrity Standards in Carbon Markets: A Conversation with Amy Merrill of ICVCM 40:29

7M ago40:29

40:29

Amy Merrill, CEO of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) joins host Mike Toffel in this fourth episode of the Climate Rising series on voluntary carbon markets. Amy has extensive experience in carbon markets, including leading negotiations on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and advising on global carbon finance. Amy explai…

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Strengthening Carbon Claims via the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI): A Conversation with Mark Kenber 52:30

7M ago52:30

52:30

This episode, the third in our series on Voluntary Carbon Markets, features Mark Kenber, Executive Director of the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI). Mark has worked in carbon markets and climate finance for nearly three decades, with experience at organizations like WWF, The Climate Group, and Fundación Natura in Ecuador. Mark d…

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The Potential and Challenges of the Voluntary Carbon Market 54:59

7M ago54:59

54:59

Our second episode on the voluntary carbon market is a bonus episode of a panel discussion recorded at Harvard Climate Action Week in 2024. Harvard Kennedy School Professor Joe Aldy moderates this discussion with Nat Keohane from the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, Donna Lee from Calyx Global, UC San Diego Professor David Victor, and Carol…

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Building Integrity in Carbon Markets: A Conversation with Jennifer Jenkins of Rubicon Carbon 45:18

8M ago45:18

45:18

Dr. Jennifer Jenkins, Chief Science Officer at Rubicon Carbon, joins our host Mike to talk about the critical role of voluntary carbon markets in achieving net-zero goals. Dr. Jenkins shares insights on how Rubicon Carbon is advancing the integrity and scalability of carbon credit through tools like the Rubicon Carbon Integrity Framework (RCIF). Th…

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Accelerating Battery Innovation with AI: A Conversation with Argonne’s Logan Ward 45:47

9M ago45:47

45:47

Logan Ward, Deputy Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, joins host Mike Toffel to discuss how AI is transforming the discovery process for new materials in grid-scale batteries. Logan explains Argonne’s research on improving energy storage solutions, why AI plays a critical role, and the partnerships between national labs and the industry. He …

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Using AI and Satellite Data to Transform Agriculture: A Conversation with Alyssa Whitcraft 51:14

9M ago51:14

51:14

Dr. Alyssa Whitcraft is a professor at University of Maryland and a leading expert in agricultural remote sensing and climate adaptation. Dr. Whitcraft discusses her journey from co-founding NASA Harvest, a global program addressing food security with satellite data, to leading NASA Acres, which focuses on U.S. agriculture. She explains how AI and …

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Using AI to Fight Wildfires: How Dryad Networks is Scaling Climate Technology 43:35

10M ago43:35

43:35

Carsten Brinkschulte is the CEO of Dryad, a company that leverages AI to detect wildfires early and prevent catastrophic damage. Carsten shares his journey from a telecom entrepreneur to climate tech innovator, explaining how Dryad’s solar-powered sensors and mesh networks detect wildfires at their inception and transmit real-time alerts to their c…

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Using AI to Optimize Energy Demand 52:24

10M ago52:24

52:24

In this episode, host Mike Toffel speaks with Pasi Miettinen, CEO of Sagewell, a company that uses AI to help utilities and their customers manage energy demand efficiently. Pasi explains how Sagewell’s technology helps reduce peak electricity usage, which in turn lowers energy costs and lessens climate impact. He also discusses how smart data anal…

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A Preview of COP29: What Business Leaders Should Know with Outrage & Optimism Co-hosts 46:53

11M ago46:53

46:53

In this episode, host Mike Toffel sits down with Paul Dickinson and Tom Rivett-Carnac, co-hosts of the climate podcast Outrage & Optimism, to preview COP29, the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. With their extensive experience in climate negotiations and industry collaboration, Paul and Tom share insights on how COP29 fits …

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How Public Policy Can Drive Climate Innovation and Business Opportunities: A Conversation with USEPA’s David Cash 51:29

11M ago51:29

51:29

David Cash, the Regional Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for New England, shares his journey from environmental science to state and federal leadership roles. He highlights how the clean energy transition in the United States is being driven by public policy, community engagement, and new funding through the Bipartisan …

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BCG Global Chair Rich Lesser: How Businesses Can be “Bold and Pragmatic” on Climate Change 43:50

11M ago43:50

43:50

Rich Lesser, Global Chair of Boston Consulting Group (BCG), shares how BCG is helping clients walk the walk with net-zero commitments, transition to sustainable practices, and how it is partnering with global organizations to amplify their impact. He also delves into the challenges businesses face in adapting to climate risks and the role of AI in …

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Joel Makower @ Greenbiz 47:24

11M ago47:24

47:24

This is the fourth episode in our series on business and climate change in the media and entertainment industry, where we’re diving into the business of news and storytelling around climate change. Our prior episodes featured CNN, Netflix, and Sustainable Entertainment Alliance. In this episode, we are hosting Joel Makower, the co-founder and Chair…

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Sam Read, Sustainable Entertainment Alliance 39:13

12M ago39:13

39:13

This episode is the third in our series on how the media and entertainment industries are integrating climate change into their storytelling and TV show and film production processes. This episode features Sam Read, Executive Director of the Sustainable Entertainment Alliance, a consortium of major studios and streamers including Disney, Netflix, a…

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Telling Climate Stories at Scale: Netflix's Strategy for Sustainability and Impact 42:13

1y ago42:13

42:13

In this episode of Climate Rising, we explore how Netflix, a global entertainment powerhouse, is leveraging its platform to tell compelling stories about climate change. Stewart, Netflix's first Sustainability Officer, joins host Mike Toffel to discuss the company’s strategic approach to sustainability, and the importance of embedding climate theme…

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CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir: Media's Role in Shaping Climate Action 45:19

1y ago45:19

45:19

This episode is the first of our latest series on climate in media and entertainment, where we explore and understand the role of storytelling in shaping climate actions. Today we have Bill Weir, Chief Climate Correspondent at CNN who shares his expertise on how CNN integrates climate narratives into their news coverage, the power of storytelling, …

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Drawdown Fund: Scaling the Impact of Climate Technology 50:01

1y ago50:01

50:01

Erik Snyder, Founder and CEO of Drawdown Fund discusses financing climate tech startups through growth equity. He describes how he started the Drawdown Fund with Paul Hawken, editor of the New York Times best-selling book on climate solutions called Drawdown, and the strategic choices that set their fund operations apart from others. He also descri…

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Decarbonizing Fashionable Materials 14:31

1y ago14:31

14:31

Today’s episode focuses on some innovative alternative low-carbon natural materials being used in fashion. Bolt Threads CEO Dan Widmaier describes Mylo, a substitute for leather that’s derived from mushrooms, via the TED Climate podcast that we’re bringing here a bonus episode of Climate Rising. It’s a perfect extension of our two most recent Clima…

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A Biotech Solution to Palm Oil Deforestation 50:11

1y ago50:11

50:11

Today’s episode is the fifth in our series on decarbonizing the roots of value chains, where we’re looking deep into supply chains that serve many industries. Previously we talked about green concrete, green steel, regenerative agriculture, and lab-grown cotton. Today we’re discussing palm oil – a widely used product that’s also associated with cli…

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How Lab - Grown Cotton can Decarbonize Textiles 42:30

1+ y ago42:30

42:30

Today’s episode is the fourth in our series on decarbonizing the roots of value chains, where we’re looking deep into supply chains that serve many industries. Previously we talked about the technical products of green concrete and green steel, and agriculture through the lens of regenerative agriculture. Today we continue our focus on decarbonizin…

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Regenerative Agriculture and “The Profiteers” with Cambridge Professor Chris Marquis 38:01

1+ y ago38:01

38:01

Today’s episode is the third in our series on decarbonizing the roots of value chains, where we’re looking deep into supply chains that serve many industries. Previously we talked about green concrete and steel, and today we’re turning to agriculture. Chris Marquis, a professor at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School sheds light on reg…

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H2 Green Steel: Decarbonizing Steel Production with Green Hydrogen 32:52

1+ y ago32:52

32:52

This episode is a part of our series on decarbonizing the roots of value chains, where we’re looking deep into supply chains that serve many industries. Our prior episode explored green concrete, and today’s focuses on steel. Steel production primarily relies on coal and coke, and accounts for nearly 7% of global CO2 emissions. But new technologies…

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Green Concrete: Decarbonizing Construction with Recycled Glass 29:00

1+ y ago29:00

29:00

The first of a series on decarbonizing the roots of value chains, where we’re looking deep into supply chains that serve many industries, this episode focuses on concrete. Concrete is one of the world’s most popular materials, and it accounts for nearly 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, most of which comes from cement– the glue that binds…

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Helping Companies Become More Climate Resilient 37:03

1+ y ago37:03

37:03

In this episode in our adaptation series, Peter Hall, Managing Director at Resonance Impact Advisory, draws upon his experience in global engineering and professional services firms to share how consulting and advisory companies can help their clients assess their risks and take actions to become more resilient to climate change. He walks through s…

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How Insurance Companies are Addressing Climate Risks 36:18

1+ y ago36:18

36:18

This episode in our adaptation series focuses climate change’s implications on the insurance industry. Claudine Blamey, Group Director of Sustainability at Aviva, describes how climate change evokes both transition risks and physical risks for insurance companies, and affects how insurance companies are assessing and pricing risk in their underwrit…

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Building Climate - Resilient Cities and Infrastructure 44:43

1+ y ago44:43

44:43

This episode in our climate adaptation series features HBS Professor John Macomber. John discusses how companies and governments need to incorporate climate resilience as they develop and finance real estate and infrastructure to address the risks of flooding, wildfire, extreme heat, drought, and sea level rise. John describes “five R” options to a…

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The Lightsmith Group’s Adaptation Investment Strategy 1:02:12

1+ y ago1:02:12

1:02:12

This episode continues our series on adaptation, and features Jay Koh who co-founded the Lightsmith Group, the first growth private equity firm focused on climate adaptation. Jay discusses the firm’s investment strategy, the sectors his firm invests in and their investment criteria process. He also shares thoughts on the role of public policy and o…

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Visualizing our Changing Climate with Probable Futures 56:22

1+ y ago56:22

56:22

In this first episode of our series on adaptation, host Mike Toffel sits down with Spencer Glendon and Alison Smart of Probable Futures. They discuss how Probable Futures tools are educating decision makers to better understand how their organizations will experience climate change, and how adaptation and resilience requires a paradigm shift in pla…