Why It Matters

Latest Episodes:

Why Climate Matters: Home Insurance Jan 23, 2025

Show notes

For decades, U.S. homeowners have counted on property insurance to protect them from catastrophic loss if their homes are destroyed. But last year, private companies pulled their coverage in multiple climate-sensitive states, only months before the fires in Los Angeles and the hurricanes in the Southeast region wreaked havoc. As climate disasters become more frequent, can home insurance hold up?

This episode was originally released on September 27, 2023.

Featured Guests

David Marlett, Managing Director of the Brantley Risk & Insurance Center, Appalachian State University

Nancy Watkins, Principal and Consulting Actuary, Milliman

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/could-climate-change-break-home-insurance

Why Climate Matters Jan 23, 2025

Show notes

Our editors top picks of Why It Matters episodes on climate.

The Dirty Energy Powering AI Dec 03, 2024

Show notes

What powers artificial intelligence (AI)? As global electricity use is surging, with unprecedented demand coming from an increase in data centers, AI’s dependence on fossil fuels presents a serious issue for the planet. In the United States, data center power usage is on track to double by 2030, largely due to the proliferation of AI technology. But while the application of AI shows potential to mitigate climate problems, will its power grab stall the clean energy transition?

Featured Guests:

Varun Sivaram, Senior Fellow for Climate and Energy, CFR

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/dirty-energy-powering-ai

Why the World Next Week Matters Nov 14, 2024

Show notes

Tumultuous events have rocked the last four years: the COVID-19 pandemic, Europe’s largest land war in eighty years, and an escalating Middle Eastern conflict between Israel and Iran-backed forces. On top of that, the United States faces an intensifying geopolitical struggle with China and Russia. Now, U.S. President Joe Biden is running out of time to secure his legacy while the transition to a second Donald Trump administration comes sharply into focus. The U.S. president-elect has been quickly nominating leaders to his cabinet and receiving calls from foreign leaders.

Why It Matters sits down with the hosts of The World Next Week to talk about what the United States–and a closely watching world–should expect in the weeks and months to come as incoming President Trump takes office.

Featured Guests:

Robert McMahon (Managing Editor, CFR)

Carla Anne Robbins (Senior Fellow, CFR)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/why-world-next-week-matters

The New Tech World Order Nov 13, 2024

Show notes

For most of our history, the realm of international relations was dominated by nation-states. They waged wars and signed treaties through the framework of governance. But today, more so than ever before, tech titans are acting as unilateral decision-makers, upsetting the balance and structure of global power around the world.

Featured Guests:

Rana Foroohar (Global Business Columnist and Associate Editor, Financial Times; Global Economic Analyst, CNN)

Adam Segal (Ira A. Lipman Chair in Emerging Technologies and Director of the Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program, CFR)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/new-tech-world-order

A World Under the Influence Oct 21, 2024

Show notes

With the rise of social media, influencers around the world have increasingly taken on the role of newscaster without a traditional media organization behind them. Some say it has democratized journalism, but with the rise of misinformation, influencers who capture massive audiences online also run the risk of spreading false or even harmful information. How much have influencers altered the media landscape?

Featured Guests:

Nic Newman (Senior Research Associate, Reuters Institute)

Michael Spikes (Lecturer and Director of Teach for Chicago Journalism Program, Northwestern University)

Renee DiResta (Technical Research Manager, Stanford Internet Observatory)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/world-under-influence

Who’s Afraid of the National Debt? Oct 02, 2024

Show notes

The United States national debt is rising to levels not seen since World War II. Many economists say Washington is on an unsustainable track, but no one knows when it will pass the point of crisis. What is at risk if U.S. debt continues to grow?

Featured Guests:

Maya MacGuineas (President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget)

Roger W. Ferguson Jr. (Steven A. Tananbaum Distinguished Fellow for International Economics, CFR)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/whos-afraid-national-debt

Why Is the World Obsessed With the U.S. Election? Ask Germany Sep 18, 2024

Show notes

The world is watching the U.S. presidential contest between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris with intense interest. Few countries are tracking the race more closely than Germany, Europe's biggest economy and a founding member of the NATO alliance. Its experiences provide insights into how this election is reverberating globally.

Featured Guests:

Liana Fix (Fellow for Europe, CFR)

Stefan Kornelius (Foreign Editor, Süddeutsche Zeitung)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/wim/why-world-obsessed-us-election-ask-germany

Can West Africa Curb Its Brain Drain? Jun 20, 2024

Show notes

West Africa is losing many of its best and brightest. Across the region, doctors, lawyers, and engineers are leaving, depriving some of the world’s youngest countries of the minds they need to develop sustainably. At the same time, coups have rocked the nearby Sahel, threatening to create a corrosive cycle of instability. Can West Africa quell the tide of emigration?

Featured Guests:

Aanu Adeoye (West Africa correspondent, Financial Times)

Ebenezer Obadare (Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow for Africa Studies, CFR)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/can-west-africa-curb-its-brain-drain

Global Abortion Access After Roe Jun 05, 2024

Show notes

In the past thirty years, sixty countries have expanded access to abortion care as an underpinning of maternal health. The 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade made the United States the fourth country ever to decrease access to abortion—and the world took notice. Some countries have since reinforced protections for abortion care, while others have moved to further restrict it.

Featured Guests:

Onikepe Owolabi (Director of International Research, Guttmacher Institute)

Patty Skuster (Reproductive Health Law Policy Researcher and Consultant, University of Pennsylvania)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/global-abortion-access-after-roe