Ten Across Conversations

Water is one of the most critical issues of our time. Whether it’s flood risk on the Gulf Coast or megadrought in the Western United States, both situations are becoming increasingly dire in light of rapid climate change. How should we talk about our current water challenges to provide clarity and inspire change? Listen in as Ten Across founder Duke Reiter talks to esteemed hydrologist and water c...

Often referred to as the silent killer, extreme heat is one of the most pervasive bi-products of human caused climate change with vulnerable populations being the most impacted. Much research and study has been done to surface the immense challenges extreme heat presents, but what still needs to be done to address these critical issues and how do we best communicate it to have an impact? Join Ten...

The results of the COP26 summit were mixed to many who were following the negotiations. Topic experts and activists showed up in force, calling attention to the inadequacy of the commitments made in the Glasgow Climate Pact. Meanwhile, the private sector made big promises to facilitate the energy transition and slash emissions. But what was the overarching narrative? Listen in as Ten Across founde...

As the United Nations Climate Change Conference came to a close in mid-November, the world looked on with a sense of unease and muted optimism when 197 countries signed the Glasgow Climate Pact. While the agreement staves off the worst climate impacts, many countries and activist groups consider it too little, too late. But is it? In this episode, Ten Across founder Duke Reiter talks to journalist...

As the machine of Manifest Destiny churned west in the late 1800's, John Wesley Powell dedicated his life to understanding the region’s complexities, fueling his passionate warnings to the U.S. Congress that the stories of a verdant Eden had little basis in fact. Were these lands to be settled with European-style sedentary agriculture, he urged that one would need to proceed with extreme caution a...

The U.S. Interstate 10 corridor has a notable history of executing impressive feats of infrastructure, contributing to the region’s urban and economic growth. But the very systems of roads, bridges, and dams that made modern life possible sometimes ignored and even harmed low-income and marginalized communities. What can the past teach us as the U.S. looks to embark on a new era of infrastructure...

The COVID-19 pandemic is a visceral demonstration of how the entire world responds to a global emergency, providing insightful parallels into how we can learn to address the compounding crises of climate change. In this episode, Ten Across founder Duke Reiter speaks with climate change expert Alice Hill about her most recent book, The Fight for Climate After COVID-19. In it, she offers thoughtful...

Resilience is a primary function of any thriving city. No where do we see this challenge most evident than across the U.S. I-10 corridor. Whether it’s the impacts of mega drought and extreme heat in the west or hurricanes and massive floods in the east, the cities along the U.S. I-10 have had to anticipate and respond to unprecedented challenges caused by rapid climate change including failing inf...

The devastation wrought by Hurricane Ida revealed the climate change vulnerabilities of the U.S. Gulf Coast and Northeast regions with communities destroyed, commerce halted, and energy systems disrupted. It also provided a sobering view into what the future will look like with a rapidly warming climate. In this episode, Ten Across founder Duke Reiter talks to Baton Rouge Area Foundation President...

In the arid and drought ridden American southwest, the future of water is here. Ten Across Founder Duke Reiter talks to water policy experts, Felicia Marcus and Kathryn Sorensen, each of whom represents two of the most drought impacted states in the U.S., California and Arizona respectively. The images of a shrinking Colorado River have been widely distributed and climate change identified as the...

Well-constructed survey data tells us a lot about how people in our communities truly feel about critical issues. What is also revealed is the disconnect between those perspectives and the orientation of elected representatives, especially at the state level. Why do people think differently than they vote? How can a divided electorate come together on issues they agree on like education, immigrati...

Southern and rural parts of the U.S. are often overlooked in the national media, giving a limited view of some of the most pressing challenges facing our nation today. Ten Across Founder Duke Reiter talks to veteran journalists James and Deborah Fallows, who have recently traveled the country reporting from America’s small towns to explore the nation’s growing fragmentation and how we can look bey...

As a monumental infrastructure bill makes its way through Congress, state and local governments are preparing to bring America’s infrastructure into the future. The Ten Across geography has been manipulated by massive infrastructure projects to transform challenging environments into the fastest growing areas of the country. Is this a viable strategy for the future? Duke Reiter talks to Henry Cisn...