Cleaner energy! Reasoning with climate deniers! Using fandom to pass policy! And not burning out. Adam Met, of the colossal indie pop band AJR is also a career climate activist, an International Human Rights Law PhD, adjunct professor at Columbia University, and the author of the upcoming book “Amplify: How to Use the Power of Connection to Engage, Take Action, and Build a Better World.” He joins to chat about breaking through the overwhelm of climate causes, what action actually matters, if petitions even work, what happens to our brains at a rock concert, how human rights and climate policy intersect, if you should drive a gas or an electric car, how to solve problems that are vexing you by not working on them, carbon footprint guilt, the similarities between writing an album and writing a book, and how to do something about climate change without bumming everyone out. It’s possible.

Listen via Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Podbay, Podcast Addict, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Visit Dr. Met’s website and follow him on Instagram, Bluesky, and LinkedIn

Pre-order his book releasing June 3, 2025, Amplify: How to Use the Power of Connection to Engage, Take Action, and Build a Better World, on Bookshop.org or Amazon

A donation went to Planet Reimagined

Links to things we discussed:

Émile Durkheim’s The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life

Emotional processes, collective behavior, and social movements: A meta-analytic review of collective effervescence outcomes during collective gatherings and demonstrations

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson’s Climate Venn Diagram

Dr. Johnson’s book: What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures

Temperature, violent crime, climate change, and vulnerability factors in 44 United States cities

The association between weather and the number of daily shootings in Chicago (2012–2016)

Analysis of Daily Ambient Temperature and Firearm Violence in 100 US Cities

Upheaval and firings at CDC raise fears about disease outbreak response

Layoffs hit many at CDC lab program that was started to address previous failures

US EPA Rollback of Dozens of Air, Water and Chemical Pollution Regulations Threatens America’s Health, Experts Warn