Conan chats with geography professor Stephanie in Richmond, Virginia about studying climate change and what everybody gets wrong about the field of geography. Wanna get a chance to talk to Conan? Submit here: teamcoco.com/apply Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link: https://siriusxm.com/conan.
Chapter 1: Who is Conan chatting with in this episode?
Hey, Stephanie, welcome to Conan O'Brien Needs a Fan. Hi, how are you?
How are you, Stephanie?
Great. This is funny.
So weird. Absolutely nothing funny has happened so far. So you have a very low bar for funny.
I do. It's been a tough week. So I'll tell you, yes, the lowest of bars.
Oh, I'm sorry it's been a tough week. Anything the matter or...
No, my kids have just been home from daycare with the flu. Oh, okay.
And when the kids, yes. Yeah, it's tough when their kids are around and you don't really love them.
I know. I know I had agency in that decision, but I didn't think I'd have to be around them all the time.
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Chapter 2: Why does Stephanie dislike Richmond, Virginia?
Oh, Jesus Christ. She was ready.
Yeah, I'm a real scientist, though, too.
Wait a minute. I thought people just gave one answer when they gave their astrological sign.
Yeah, but that's not the whole picture.
All right. Well, okay. I'm just an Aries. I'm not an Aries. There's no moon rising. There's no ram jumping in a hole. You do have it.
You just might not know it. There is.
You just don't know it. No, but I've looked into it. Just Aries. Stephanie, tell us a little bit about yourself. You're coming to me. They say you're from, are you in central Virginia?
Ugh, yeah, I'm in Richmond. Do you want me to hit record? Are we still doing it back?
No, no, no, you don't have to hit record. We can proceed just like this. Thanks for asking. Yeah.
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Chapter 3: What does a geography professor study?
Yes, I am a geography professor.
That is my job. Okay. And how did you get into that? I mean, how does one become a geography professor?
Yeah, as an undergrad, I checked off a box that said I had to travel, so then I got into this geology program, and that's not geography. Geology is rocks. Geography is people and places.
You're talking to me like I'm an idiot. That's what you're doing.
People know.
Yes, I know. The difference between geology and geography.
Well, I know, but it's more than maps.
The listeners might not all know.
Listen, if you're a listener right now and you don't know that geology is rocks, never listen to this podcast again. You are banished. And that includes you, David, because you seem genuinely confused.
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Chapter 4: How does climate change impact our environment?
And I, I sometimes want to be the voice of things will be okay. We'll figure this out. But then I sound like, you know, very Pollyanna. I can sound like a moron. What's your take on this? Is there a way that we can be positive or talk to people about who are anxious on this subject?
Yeah, I think it's okay to be anxious about it. I think it's kind of crazy if you're not anxious about it because it's very real. But I also have a two and a four-year-old, and that was like an act of radical hope in society that we would kind of figure this out. I think just getting outside and breathing and taking a walk and connecting with nature, that's what I do if I'm getting overwhelmed.
I think you can be overwhelmed, but you can't let it take over. And you just find faith in your community. You find what you can do. Maybe eat one less burger a week. But I'm not saying become a vegetarian or a vegan. Don't go vegan. You don't have to do that. It's not that good for the environment. If you just eat a little bit less meat, feel better about it. You can take one less flight a year.
But honestly, just being okay with being upset, allowing yourself to feel your feelings. To me, I think we all should be feeling our feelings a little more.
Yeah, that's very good advice. That's very good advice.
And then just getting outside.
I should tell you I drive a 12-cylinder car. Sure. And I eat seven burgers a day. All your private flights.
I took a private... That's not probably great for your arteries.
Oh, terrible. They keep trying to get me to stop, but I can't hear them over the revving of my 12-cylinder. And it runs on rainforest wood that just...
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Chapter 5: What advice does Stephanie give about handling climate anxiety?
And yeah, I think it's going to be a mix of science and everyone realizing that These disasters that we keep having cost so much money. So it actually be cheaper if we start actually investing in climate change solutions and resilience.
I think insurance companies in L.A. are going to start investing in climate change technology because, you know, and you're going to see. I mean, unfortunately, at a certain point, it takes. I hate to say it, but it does. Once you start hurting big businesses' pocketbook, that's when they pay attention and they see religion. I know.
I'm so sorry. This is the most depressing conversation you've probably ever had.
No. First of all, no. I just talked to my staff 10 minutes ago. that was much more depressing. Real downer. Yeah, real downer. They're just not fun people. Yeah, we had a quick meeting where I encouraged them to tell me how they really felt about me. And that went terribly. We're never doing that again. Stephanie, I know how to brighten this up. Yeah. I'm going to do it right now. Go.
I take to heart what you said, and you shouldn't be self-conscious because I want these discussions. Yes, it's nice when they're fun, but it's also heartening to talk to people who are out there dealing with the real problems in the world. So don't feel badly about that. Okay? Okay.
And I won't feel badly about my job. OK.
Yeah. Yeah. If you want to feel badly about something, feel badly about thinking that I didn't understand the difference between geology and geography.
I just think we don't have geography in many schools. So I just am used to it's a battle I've been fighting for years.
Do you feel that people have lost touch with the outside world, that we're all on our screens, that we've lost touch with nature?
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Chapter 6: How can we reconnect with nature in our technology-driven world?
Yeah, we have a little mushroom fan club book. He's really into mushrooms.
He's got a mushroom fan club book? Listen, he's going to be bullied. You know that, right? I know.
You're not the first person.
No, no, no, but I just want to make sure that he learns self-defense. Because David here was in a mushroom fan club.
Yeah, things did not go well for me. No, no, no.
They were constantly smashing his glasses. Yeah, it was awful. Yeah, and then he came to work for me and I smashed his glasses.
Yeah, I never...
But I think it's great. I, I, I applaud. I applaud young people being passionate about knowledge. And I think that's a great thing. I think that's really cool.
Yeah. Yeah. He gets outside. We can make sure we get our kids outside. Yeah.
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