A podcast highlighting the connection between water and climate adaptation.

Will Sarni joins John Sabo to discuss why the U.S. needs a new National Water Strategy and what innovation in the water sector really means. The conversation explores innovation beyond technology, the role of finance and data, and what it will take to manage water in a changing world.

In this special bonus episode, John Sabo looks back at the conversations with leading experts in Season 4. Each guest joined him to explore one of the five transformations reshaping the Mississippi River Basin, making it hotter, drier, stormier, saltier, and sicker. He revisits what gave them hope for the future, and how those conversations offer even more hope for the future of the heartland.

Dr. Mary Hayden, a medical anthropologist and Research Professor with the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, joins John to explore how human behavior and water insecurity are reshaping the spread of mosquito-borne disease. With fieldwork spanning the U.S. and Latin America, Mary shares how climate change is expanding disease risk into new regions -- and why public health strategies must go beyond spraying to include education, trust, and community action.

Charles Allen, Engagement Director for the Audubon Delta unit of the National Audubon Society and co-founder of the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development, joins John to reflect on nearly 20 years since Hurricane Katrina and what it means for New Orleans today. They discuss his experience with post-Katrina recovery, the importance of community-led rebuilding, and how neighborhoods have navigated uneven redevelopment. Charles also explores how communities can stay engaged on the impacts of climate change and why public participation is key to building long-term resilience.

Dr. Marshall Shepherd, Director of the Atmospheric Sciences Program at the University of Georgia, joins John to discuss the fourth transformation: how tropical storms and extreme weather are intensifying in frequency and power. From hurricanes moving further inland to the compounding effects of heatwaves and heavy rainfall, Marshall explains the science behind these shifts and the growing challenges they pose for communities across the U.S. Together, they explore the critical steps needed to adapt, rethink infrastructure, and address inequities in how extreme weather impacts vulnerable populations.