Link to record and submit your story

There are further directions on the video submission site to set you up for success when recording. Most of all, we are looking for real stories from real people. We ask that you simply show up as yourself.

The link to submit videos will only be live for a few weeks, so if you’d like to share your story for this project, the time is now.

---

(Recorded February 5th, 2025)

In an era of compounding global challenges, many ask “What can we do?” While The Great Simplification podcast explores the systemic nature of our predicament, some of the most creative and impactful responses are emerging directly from our audience. From educators weaving systems thinking into their curricula to entrepreneurs redirecting carbon project revenues to local communities, TGS viewers are already cultivating meaningful change in diverse and inspiring ways.

In this special Frankly, Nate launches a community-driven project to capture and share these stories and examples of transformation - from small to large scales, with personal and global impact. We invite you to submit a short video (maximum three minutes) sharing how engaging with TGS has influenced changes in your life – whether through community projects, career shifts, consumption habits, or local initiatives. These submissions will be compiled into an upcoming episode, creating a tapestry of responses to, in turn, creatively inspire others to imagine how these ideas might 'rhyme' with possible changes in their own lives and communities.

What paths are you forging in response to what you’ve learned? How might witnessing the diverse responses of fellow viewers spark new ideas for your own action? And what emergent responses to our cultural/ecological challenges might arise when we share our stories of transformation and change?

Show Notes and More

Watch this video episode on YouTube

---

Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future

Join our Substack newsletter

Join our Discord channel and connect with other listeners

(Conversation recorded on November 6th, 2024)

The vision of a carbon-free, net-zero society is often framed around the promise of transitioning away from fossil fuels. But what can we learn from past “energy transitions” that might inform how feasible – or unrealistic – this vision actually is?

Today, Nate is joined by energy and technology historian Jean-Baptiste Fressoz for a lesson on the importance of understanding the historical trajectory of energy use for realistically navigating the unprecedented challenges humanity faces today – including the dominant narrative of a modern-day “energy transition.” Jean-Baptiste explores the interdependent relationship between different energy sources—from wood to coal to oil—and reveals how this history shapes our hopes for renewables and nuclear energy moving forward.

How can examining the history of energy and material use help us fully grasp the scale at which human societies actually consume them? What role do our current economic systems play in driving an ever-growing demand for new energy sources? In the history of our species, have we ever fully transitioned off of one energy source and replaced it with another – and what does this imply for the hope of a fossil-free future?

About Jean Baptiste Fressoz:

Jean-Baptiste Fressoz is a historian and researcher at the Alexandre Koyré Center of the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris, France. His work focuses on environmental history, technology and energy, and the Anthropocene. He is the author of Happy Apocalypse: A History of Technological Risk, as well as the co-author of the book Chaos in the Heavens: The Forgotten History of Climate Change. Most recently, he wrote More and More and More: An All Consuming History of Energy.

Show Notes and More

Watch this video episode on YouTube

Want to learn the whole story of The Great Simplification? Watch our 30-minute Animated Movie.

---

Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future

Join our Substack newsletter

Join our Discord channel and connect with other listeners

(Recorded January 27th, 2025)

We live in an era where artificial intelligence increasingly dominates the headlines with promises of revolutionary advances - from medical breakthroughs to productivity gains. Yet, while society fixates on these micro-level innovations, a deeper macro story remains largely untold: how AI may fundamentally reshape the relationship between humanity, technology, and the living world. As we race towards artificial superintelligence, we face a species-level ‘Icarus moment’ - where our technological ambitions risk outstripping our collective wisdom as we fly too close to the sun.

In this Frankly, Nate explores seven potential macro-risks associated with AI, from the amplification of wealth inequality to the (literal) existential threat of superintelligence. Through the lens of ‘obligatory technology’ and Jevons paradox, he examines how AI could turbocharge the economic superorganism - accelerating its impact on resource extraction, ecosystem degradation, and human meaning - all while fragmenting our shared reality and concentrating power in dangerous ways.

What happens when we outsource, not just our labor, but also our creativity and meaning-making to machines? How might society adapt when technological efficiency leads to even greater resource extraction and consumption? And as we stand at this critical juncture, can we find ways to “use the devil’s tools in service of Gaia’s work”? Or are we opening a Pandora’s box that cannot be closed? Metaphors - and risks - abound.

Show Notes and More

Watch this video episode on YouTube

---

Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future

Join our Substack newsletter

Join our Discord channel and connect with other listeners