Shows / The Most Important Question
The Most Important Question
The most important question in today's world of climate chaos, AI psychosis, and crumbling democracy is: what can I do? Your host, Quinn Emmett is completely unqualified to answer it, so he's calling the people that already are. If you've got the news, the analysis, the outrage, but still no plan — join us as we figure it out together with long-form conversations with amazing people working on the frontlines, and quick updates responding to today's most important headlines, and what you can do…
Episodes
The Most Important QuestionNewsletter #272: Is carbon removal real?
This week: Carbon removal: Hope is not a plan. A bajillion dollars might be! COVID and diabetes is the new Bennifer Walmart's regenerative farming pledge is…
The Most Important QuestionA Very Big Deal
TLDR: INI/Membership is here. Today we’re launching the first way for INI readers and listeners to come together, to go deeper, and to unlock a place where you…
The Most Important QuestionPeer Pressure Works
Over the past few years, more and more voters have cited “action on climate” as a reason for voting the way they do. From Data for Progress, in October: Over…
The Most Important QuestionNewsletter #271: What is the climate gap?
This week: The climate tech gap, explained Free COVID tests, over (for some) The future of freshwater Millions of nurses, lost Facebook, unregulated, still Get…
The Most Important QuestionNewsletter #270: Did you hear about ecstasy?
This week: The SEC's new climate rule, summarized J&J's COVID shot, redeemed? How to protect food workers in the climate age PTSD and ecstasy Russia's lack of…
The Most Important Question3 Billion Shots, Part Deux
A little while ago, I had a conversation with Dr. Madhukar Pai about vaccine equity. In it, I tried to understand why and how developed countries were spending…
The Most Important QuestionNewsletter #269: The ESG Bubble
This week: ESG's crumbling COVID on the rise, funding vanishes California's breadbasket at risk Gene therapy pricing Your biometric data for sale, part 73 Get…
The Most Important QuestionFresh Banana Leaves
There’s no word for “conservation” in many Indigenous languages. Some come close, but mean something more like “taking care of” or “looking after.” And that’s…
The Most Important QuestionNewsletter #268: This is the transition in real time
This week: Putin's oil, rejected The lives we write off What "sustainable" really means, or, nothing Lead pipes, still Microsoft's new cancer bot Get more: Get…
The Most Important QuestionAbhishek vs Terminator
There’s these metaphors that sum up a lot of what we’re trying to do here, what needs to be done on planet Earth, from climate change to COVID to AI ethics…
The Most Important QuestionNewsletter #267: What's in the IPCC plan
This week: The IPCC report, by the numbers Biden's new COVID plan Wheat (prices) on the rise Mental health apps need to meditate on some randomized control…
The Most Important QuestionThe Cure of a Lifetime
Jafar Tabebordbar was in his early 30’s, living and working as an accountant in Shiraz, Iran, when he became a father. It was 1986, nearly a decade after the…
The Most Important QuestionNewsletter #266: What gas means in all of this
This week: Gas: the forever bridge fuel Boosters, boosted Megadrought self-awareness Maternal deaths on the rise Your location data, for sale Get more: Get…
The Most Important QuestionPutin Takes Chernobyl
In 2019, Quinn interviewed his good friend Craig Mazin, writer, producer, and creator of the hit HBO miniseries, Chernobyl, to learn what happened there, and…
The Most Important QuestionNewsletter #265: What Sea Level Rise Means
This week: America will see an average of 12 inches of sea level rise by 2050 1 million COVID deaths $1 billion for cover crops Antimicrobial resistance got…
The Most Important QuestionNewsletter #264: Where masks are coming off
This week: Carbon markets are magic and demand to be taken seriously, Michael Mask mandates are ending Food prices up the rise Biden's cancer moonshot IRS…
The Most Important QuestionNewsletter #263: Michael Scott on vaccines
This week: Will the EPA's powers be gutted? Don't forget your vaccines for everything else PFAS can't get regulated soon enough Everywhere needs more nurses…
The Most Important Question3 Billion Shots
It's been 26 months since so many of us took our kids out of schools, downloaded an app called Zoom, and started videoconferencing our work from our kitchens…
The Most Important QuestionNewsletter #262: Rihanna has entered the chat
This week: Gas stoves can GTFO Omicron means we still need masks at schools The future of "organic" food Throwing cash at bigger baby brains Pregnancy apps are…
The Most Important QuestionNewsletter #261: How to market climate change
This week: How to market climate change to the people Here come the masks - are they enough? What's "enough"? Kids EBT food on the wane Expanding the blood…
The Most Important QuestionNewsletter #260: What "Mild" COVID Really Means
This week: Moving on from Machin; What "mild" COVID really means; How China's going plant-based; How exercise defeats anxiety; This is what happens when old…
The Most Important Question129. Indigenous DNA
In Episode 129, Quinn tries to better understand data privacy, data stewardship, and what it means for Indigenous cultures in the future of biotech, how we…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #258: What Omicron Means For You
This week: Biden's executive orders; What Omicron means for you; The future of coffee farmer migration; Telehealth lobbying on the rise; China's queer internet…
The Most Important QuestionSo We Can’t Just Blow Up Asteroids, Then?
Yes, we all know that the 1998 Michael Bay flick Armageddon is a masterpiece of cinema, but two years ago we asked ourselves this question: How much does it…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #257: McDonald’s Is Lying To You
This week: McDonald’s isn’t trying; Biden’s test plan had to be better; Plant-based meat math is obvious; We need more biotech data scientists; We need less…
The Most Important Question128. The Best Olive Oil You’ve Never Had
In Episode 128, Quinn unpacks the most delicious olive oil in the world, how it came to be, and what it means to start a food business in the age of climate…
The Most Important Question127. How To Innovate
In Episode 127, Quinn wants to know just how the hell “innovation” actually works. His guest is Christopher Mims, a journalist for the Wall Street Journal…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #256: Alexa. Knows. Everything.
This Week: Is there a green bubble?; Can you get a booster?; Where to find clean water; Why health workers are quitting; Amazon’s privacy nightmare Find links…
The Most Important Question126. Climate Tech $ Above The Fold
In Episode 126, Quinn meets his newsletter heroes: Kim Zou & Sophie Purdom, co-founders of the independent media outlet Climate Tech VC. Kim works with Energy…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #255: It’s My Birthday, Let’s Ban Coal
This Week: China takes on methane; Moderna's downturn; Inflated food costs; Measles on the rebound; Google's new drug company Find links from this newsletter…
The Most Important Question125. Elevating Climate Venture Capital
In Episode 125, Quinn asks: How can venture capital offer solutions to two of the biggest problems of our time? His guests are Vida Asiegbu and Anthony Oni…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #254: Delete Your (Face)Book
This week: Checking in on COP; How is this still happening?; An Impossible evaluation; Digitizing Medicade; Facebook is deleting your face; Did Big Oil lie in…
The Most Important Question124. Birth Control 2.0
In Episode 124, Quinn interviews Dr. Elizabeth Ruzzo, a brilliant human geneticist who left the world of academia to launch adyn, her effort to help women find…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #253: Here’s The Deal
This Week: Biden's agreement, revealed; Why vaccinating kids matters for everyone; Plant-based meat emissions questioned; Public health's original sin; Fixing…
The Most Important Question123. Snapchat Runs for Office
In Episode #123, Quinn gets a masterclass on Snapchat AND running for office with RFS co-founder, returning guest, and our favorite human alive, Amanda Litman!…
The Most Important QuestionNewsletter #252: What Comes After Manchin
This Week, Summarized: Moving on from Manchin; Kids shots; Forever chemicals regulated (finally); Google vs. Iran Get Action Steps and more at…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #251: Moderna Made How Much?
This week: climate finance exposed; Moderna’s COVID profits are… a lot; beef’s emissions problem examined; startups for aging, and who gets to write the AI…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #250: Bye Malaria
This week: How to reduce methane; America’s out of diapers; COVID questions; A new day against malaria; Food systems examined; How you’re tracked Find links…
The Most Important QuestionThe First Black Female Space Pilot
We’re bringing back one of our all-time most popular conversations, and not just because it kicks ass. When this interview was recorded back in 2018, Dr. Sian…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #249: It's Climate Day in America (I Hope)
This week: It’s Climate Day; How to defeat the next pandemic; Telehealth in red states; Is lab-grown meat a myth; Facebook’s very bad month continues Find…
The Most Important Question#248: How We Deal With Facebook
This week: Manchin wields a dirty pen; Our new COVID rules; Fighting for expanded telehealth; 200 million climate migrants; Even more trolls Find links from…
The Most Important QuestionHow We Deal With Drought: From NOVA Now
I’m very excited to share an awesome show with you today, from the fine folks at PBS! God, I love PBS. The show is called “NOVA Now” and I’m a longtime huge…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #247: Close Your Rings
This week: Solar’s wilding out; $65 billion for the next pandemic; Better, cheaper, more inclusive clinical trials; Protecting farmworkers; Biden’s AI board…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #246: Is This The Metaverse?
This week: Climate tech billions; COVID goals; A new hope for neurodegenerative diseases; An IPCC for food; Facial recognition knows no bounds. Find links from…
The Most Important QuestionMixtape Vol 2: "When was the first time you had the power of change?"
If we're going to make this world a better place, things have to change. That's why we talk with the changemakers who have the power – and the courage – to get…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #245: Will The Levees Hold?
This week: Wind NIMBY’s; More nurses, stat; Diabetes on the rise; Evictions; Cybersecurity commitments. Find links from this newsletter and more at…
The Most Important QuestionMixtape Vol 1: “Why are you vital to the survival of the species?”
Each week we kick off our conversations with the smartest people in the universe with one humble question: “Why are you vital to the survival of the species?”…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #244: These Are The Easy Wins
This week: Operate from a place of self-awareness; God, we are so bad at math; A half-century later; Drive pediatric cancer research; What’s the future of meat…
The Most Important Question122. We Are The Algorithm
In Episode 122, Quinn has big questions about AI ethics and, like many other situations, is left wondering: was Dr. Ian Malcolm right all along? Our guest is…
The Most Important Question121. QueerBrownVegan
In Episode #121, Quinn’s got a fantastic new guest to help answer his favorite question: “What can I do?” Isaias Hernandez – or, as he’s known pretty much…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #242: Facebook's Oil Ads Are Killing Us
This week: 50% isn’t good enough; Facebook fossil fuel ads; How to get shots to Africa; Oysters!?; Why has AI failed to help during COVID? Find links from this…
The Most Important Question120. Welcome to the Discontinuity
In Episode 120, Quinn discusses retraining our mind to understand and operate in the discontinuity we are in. Let’s get META. HIs guest is Alex Steffen, a…
The Most Important Question119. How to Protect Yourself from Wildfire Smoke
In Episode 119, Quinn asks: what’s in wildfire smoke, what does it do to your body, and how can you stay safe? Our guest is Dr. Mary Prunicki, the director of…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #241: A Different Kind of Thirst Trap, Back to the Mask, Where’s Smokey the Bear when you need him?
This week: FDA got next?; Flooded subways; Delta's a game-changer; Epic (AI) fail; Fire predictions; Food stamp groceries delivered. Find links from this…
The Most Important QuestionIntroducing "A Matter of Degrees"
I don't have to tell you folks – climate change is the story of our time. There’s been a sharp rise (like last week) in people are anxious, angry, and want…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #240: The Pizza King of Vaccines, Beef: It’s (Still) for Dinner, Investors on Notice
This week: The climate crisis kicked down the door of the west and global north this week; The Pizza King of Vaccines; Mental health care now available…
The Most Important Question118. F*cking Mosquitoes
In Episode 118, Quinn discusses: the big mosquito problem. Our guest is Dr. Omar Akbari, one of the world’s pre-eminent biotechnology and mosquito researchers…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #239: Go to Farmers’ Markets, Climate Reparations, Held Hostage by Hackers
This week: deep breath; COVID all around the world; there are two Americas and it’s obvious why; the global hungry jump to 768 million; call your doctor!…
The Most Important Question117. Keep ‘em Accountable
In Episode 117, Quinn discusses: how accountability works – and doesn’t – in the climate movement, how you can get involved, and how the best in the world are…
The Most Important QuestionIssue #238: Seattle in the Oven, Vaccine Money Grab, Building Biased Robots
This week: To understand Africa, look to India -- or not; Reverse course; Don’t believe everything you read -- especially Best Buy food labels; New headline…