“I actually don’t that often think about the details of how bad the scientific projections are and exactly what’s happening to ecosystems. I focus almost entirely on solutions.”
— Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (@ayanaeliza) is a marine biologist, policy expert, writer, and Brooklyn native. She is co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank for coastal cities, and co-creator of the Spotify/Gimlet podcast How to Save a Planet, on climate solutions. She co-edited the bestselling climate anthology All We Can Save and co-founded The All We Can Save Project.
Recently, she co-authored the Blue New Deal, a roadmap for including the ocean in climate policy. Previously, she was executive director of the Waitt Institute, developed policy at the EPA and NOAA, and taught as an adjunct professor at New York University. Dr. Johnson earned a BA in environmental science and public policy from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
She publishes widely, including in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Scientific American. She is on the 2021 TIME100 Next List and was named one of Elle‘s 27 Women Leading the Charge to Protect Our Environment. Outside magazine called her “the climate leader we need.”
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#570: Marine Biologist Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson on How to Catalyze Change with Awe and Wonder, How to Save the Planet, Finding Your Unique Venn Diagram of Strength, and Seeking the Minimum Effective Dose
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SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…
Want to hear another episode with someone who’s working hard to save the planet? Listen to my conversation with Conservation International CEO M. Sanjayan in which we discuss monkey birthday cakes, storytelling as a way to rule the world, respect, common misconceptions about conservation, resources for becoming more informed about conservation issues, training to think more long-term, and much more.
#285: Overcoming Doubt, Battling the Busy Trap, and Enhancing Life — M. Sanjayan
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
- Connect with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson:
- Connect with Urban Ocean Lab:
- Connect with The All We Can Save Project:
- How to Save a Planet | Gimlet
- All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Katharine K. Wilkinson, et al. | Amazon
- We Need a Blue New Deal for Our Oceans | Elizabeth Warren
- Opinion: The Concrete Jungle Has 578 Miles of Shoreline at Risk by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson | The New York Times
- Racism Derails Our Attempts to Fight the Climate Crisis by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson | The Washington Post
- Stories by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson | Scientific American
- Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Is on the TIME100 Next 2021 List | Time
- 27 Women Leading the Charge in the Fight Against Climate Change: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Shailene Woodley, Greta Thunberg, and More | Elle
- Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Is the Climate Leader We Need | Outside Online
- The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss | Amazon
- Jaws | Prime Video
- Fishes of the World by Joseph S. Nelson, Terry C. Grande, and Mark V. H. Wilson | Amazon
- The Diversity of Fishes: Biology, Evolution, and Ecology by Gene Helfman, Bruce Collette, and Douglas Facey | Amazon
- Coral Reef Fishes: Indo-Pacific and Caribbean by Ewald Lieske and Robert Myers | Amazon
- Key West, FL
- Sea Urchin Facts: Echinoidea | AZ Animals
- Electric Eel Facts: Electrophorus Electricus | AZ Animals
- Reef Sharks | WWF
- Bedford-Stuyvesant NYC Neighborhood Guide | Compass
- Kingston, Jamaica
- Ireland–United Kingdom Relations | Wikipedia
- “Fadó, Fadó”: Nine Reasons Why the Irish Are the Best Storytellersnine Reasons Why the Irish Are the Best Storytellers | Her.ie
- Is Snorkeling or Scuba Diving Better? 5 Honest Comparisons | Coral Nomad
- In ‘Climate Apartheid’, Rich Will Save Themselves While Poor Suffer: UN Report | Reuters
- Encourage Wealthy and Well-Connected to Use Their Influence to Tackle Climate Change | University of Cambridge
- Tropical Corals Are Migrating Away from Warming Waters | Eos
- Fort Greene NYC Neighborhood Guide | Compass
- Pratt Institute
- Your Official Guide to Central Park | Central Park Conservancy
- Trophic Cascades Across Diverse Plant Ecosystems | Nature Education
- Mike Phillips — How to Save a Species | The Tim Ferriss Show #383
- The World’s Largest Psychedelic Research Center | The Tim Ferriss Show #385
- Dr. Mark Plotkin on Ethnobotany, Real vs. Fake Shamans, Hallucinogens, and the Dalai Lamas of South America | The Tim Ferriss Show #469
- Regenerative Agriculture 101 | Green America
- What is Sustainable Mass Transit? | Green City Times
- 14 Benefits of Composting | Treehugger
- The Potential of More Efficient Buildings | Issues in Science and Technology
- Sustainable Manufacturing | US EPA
- Coastal Blue Carbon | NOAA
- Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Offshore Wind Energy | Department of Energy
- GreenWave
- Kelp Farming, for the Climate | How to Save a Planet
- Trying to Talk to Family about Climate Change? Here’s How | How to Save a Planet
- Welcome to 5-Bullet Friday | Tim Ferriss
- Black Lives Matter and the Climate | How to Save a Planet
- Environmentalist Drag Queen Pattie Gonia Says The Outdoors Is for Everyone | How to Save a Planet
- We Can’t Solve the Climate Crisis Without Gender Equality. We’ll Prove It To You. | How to Save a Planet
- How Amazon Workers Got Serious About Climate (and How You Can, too) | How to Save a Planet
- Big Oil Coined ‘Carbon Footprints’ to Blame Us for Their Greed. Keep Them on the Hook. | The Guardian
- Republicans Say ‘Death Tax’ While Democrats Say ‘Estate Tax’ | Business Insider
- Fidelity Launches Five ESG Mutual Funds and ETFs Focused on Environment, Climate Change, Gender Diversity & Sustainability | Business Wire
- How Investment Funds Can Drive the Green Transition | IMF Blog
- Is Your Carbon Footprint BS? | How to Save a Planet
- Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) Portfolios | Betterment
- What Caused the US’ Anti-Science Trend? | Harvard Gazette
- How to Make Homemade Pickles | Allrecipes
- Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming by Paul Hawken and Tom Steyer | Amazon
- The Drawdown Review | Project Drawdown
- Climeworks
- Charm Industrial
- Nuclear Fusion Heat Record a ‘Huge Step’ in Quest for New Energy Source | The Guardian
- Geothermal Energy Is Poised for a Breakout | Vox
- America, Let’s Move Beyond Coal and Gas | Beyond Coal
- What Is Fast Fashion and Why Is It a Problem? | Ethical Consumer
- How Plastics Are Making Us Infertile — And Could Even Lead to Human Extinction | Salon
- Children of Men | Prime Video
- Don’t Look Up | Netflix
- Why Our Secret Weapon against the Climate Crisis Could Be Humour by Adam McKay and Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson | The Guardian
- Rick Doblin — The Psychedelic Domino That Tips All Others | The Tim Ferriss Show #440
- The US Military and Oil | Union of Concerned Scientists
- Devastating Wildfires Might Spell the End for Northern California’s Wine Country | National Geographic
- Climate Change Makes England’s Vineyards Perfect for Sparkling Wine | NBC News
- Climate Change Vulnerability of American Lobster Fishing Communities in Atlantic Canada | Frontiers In Marine Science
- What It Takes to Make Congress Actually Listen | WIRED
- Here’s Why You Should Call, Not Email, Your Legislators | The New York Times
- I Called Congress: Here’s Why You Should Too | World Vision Advocacy
- The Easiest and Most Effective Way for US Constituents to Make a Political Impact | 5 Calls
- How Biden and Congress Could Pass a Popular Climate Change Policy: Clean Electricity | Vox
- American History X | Prime Video
- Lowercarbon Capital
- Supreme Court: Brett Kavanaugh’s Insidious New Voting Rights Opinion, Explained | Vox
- Here’s What the Voting Rights Bills before the Senate Would Do, in Simple Terms | NPR
- Environmental Voter Project
- Citizens United Explained | Brennan Center for Justice
- Lead Locally
- Sotol Is the Mexican Spirit That Will Replace Tequila and Mezcal | Esquire
- FAQ | Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
- My Octopus Teacher | Netflix
- A Guide to Oregon Fisheries | Oregon State University
- NaturalShrimp Forms JV to Build USD 25 Million RAS Shrimp Farm in Florida | Seafood Source
- Cricket Protein Bars & Snacks from Cricket Flour | Exo Protein
- Ayana: Girl’s Name Meaning | BabyCenter
- Connect With Environmental Action Groups | Patagonia Action Works
- Make Climate Your Career | Climatebase
- Headlands Center for the Arts
SHOW NOTES
Note from the editor: timestamps will be added shortly.
- Why is Ayana not doing much public-facing stuff right now, and why did she choose to make an exception for this conversation?
- How did the members of Ayana’s formidable group text assemble?
- When did Ayana know marine biology and conservation were in her blood, and that she could actually pursue a career that wove all of her dream jobs together?
- What superpowers did Ayana inherit from her parents?
- Why do snorkeling and scuba diving provide such a transformative experience for so many humans? How does this drive home the immediacy of our climate crisis in a way that can’t be ignored?
- Why are Ayana’s parents the coolest?
- How can we get people excited about course-correcting climate change from a perspective of awe and wonder instead of hopeless guilt?
- Can Ayana guess which episode of her podcast I recently shared with my 5-Bully Friday readers and why?
- Can Ayana guess which episodes of her podcast I might be hesitant to share?
- On the need for linguistic jiu-jitsu mastery siding with climate solutions, and why Ayana’s been keen on using the word “transformation.”
- How can we empower ourselves to make a difference against a never-ending number of environmental and societal catastrophes? What’s the right mindset for trying to solve problems that seem way bigger than us? How can we stay energized to fight the good fight without succumbing to apathy — or even just general disappointment in our fellow humans?
- Thoughts on the promising technologies and companies vying to provide solutions to our environmental problems.
- No matter who you are or what you do, there’s room for you to be part of the solution.
- Could humor be the secret weapon against climate crisis?
- How can we get both sides of the political spectrum to cooperate on legislation needed to fight environmental crises?
- As a constituent, what’s the outsized cheat code you can use for ensuring your voice matters to your elected congresspeople?
- What are the next actions we can take to goad politicians into taking more aggressive steps in stemming environmental crises?
- What can someone who has a general aversion to politics do to get involved in changing policy?
- How choosing not to eat shrimp is just one example of a small decision that makes a huge difference.
- How Ayana came to be cool with her name.
- Audience asks and parting thoughts.
MORE GUEST QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW
“It doesn’t need to be a partisan issue. We can all care about maintaining a habitable planet.”
— Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
“People don’t think about the full spectrum of ways you can be a part of the solution. You can be a tycoon and do this. You can be a tech nerd and do this. You can be a technologist and do this. You can be a health nut and do this. Whatever is your thing, we need you.”
— Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
“There’s a lot of money to be made in green energy, in food system shifts, in huge transportation. All of it.”
— Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
“We need more climate media that is deploying humor, because humor, quantitatively we know, is a way to have people open their minds to new ideas. When you’re laughing, you’re not fighting. You’re able to listen. It helps you let your guard down. It helps you be in community with people in a different way.”
— Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
“The majority of Americans understand that climate change is a massive problem. It’s only nine percent of Americans who are full-blown climate science deniers.”
— Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
“I actually don’t that often think about the details of how bad the scientific projections are and exactly what’s happening to ecosystems. I focus almost entirely on solutions.”
— Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
PEOPLE MENTIONED
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