#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

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 | Brought to you
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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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*


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*


Why is Ayana not doing much public-facing stuff right now, and
why did she choose to make an exception for this conversation?
[06:59]


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? [10:33]


What superpowers did Ayana inherit from her parents? [17:18]


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?
[26:31]


Why are Ayana’s parents the coolest? [32:34]


How can we get people excited about course-correcting climate
change from a perspective of awe and wonder instead of hopeless
guilt? [35:42]


Can Ayana guess which episode of her podcast I recently shared
with my 5-Bullet Friday readers and why? [42:01]


Can Ayana guess which episodes of her podcast I might be hesitant
to share? [48:53]


On the need for linguistic jiu-jitsu mastery siding with climate
solutions, and why Ayana’s been keen on using the word
“transformation.” [51:06]


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? [54:44]


Thoughts on the promising technologies and companies vying to
provide solutions to our environmental problems. [1:02:31]


No matter who you are or what you do, there’s room for you to be
part of the solution. [1:08:04]


Could humor be the secret weapon against climate crisis?
[1:11:06]


How can we get both sides of the political spectrum to cooperate
on legislation needed to fight environmental crises? [1:13:24]


As a constituent, what’s the outsized cheat code you can use for
ensuring your voice matters to your elected congresspeople?
[1:19:16]


What are the next actions we can take to goad politicians into
taking more aggressive steps in stemming environmental crises?
[1:25:23]


What can someone who has a general aversion to politics do to get
involved in changing policy? [1:29:27]


How choosing not to eat shrimp is just one example of a small
decision that makes a huge difference. [1:32:48]


How Ayana came to be cool with her name. [1:40:23]


Audience asks and parting thoughts. [1:41:14]


*


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