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The events of the past year have reinforced the logic of the Ten Across initiative. In the context of the hottest year in recorded history, the Ten Across geography witnessed ongoing drought, a supercharged Atlantic hurricane season, devastating wildfires, and a significant loss of homeownership or insurance safety nets for its residents.

As we enter 2025, with staggering urban wildfires still raging in the Los Angeles area and a new federal administration soon to be sworn in; it is evident that this year will be a complex, unpredictable, if not historic year. This underscores the urgency of continuing our dialogues and collaborations on climate resilience. We believe the Ten Across region holds critical insights to understanding our present challenges and the foreseeable future as a nation as climate change and other global forces converge.

In this episode, we contextualize major issues surfaced in 2024 and their significance within our region to set the stage for conversations in the year ahead. While we cannot highlight every guest and topic, we would like to sincerely thank all who engaged with us and shared their insights last year. We hope this summary will inspire you to revisit and share some of your favorite conversations of the show, so that we may connect with more of you in the new year.

Thank you for listening along and stay tuned for more!

Featured podcasts by order of appearance in this recording:

“Why Phoenix is the ‘Most American City’ with George Packer”

“How the 10X Region Can Plan for Climate Migration with Abrahm Lustgarten”

“Future Cities: How Mayors Are Leading U.S. Progress with Clarence Anthony”

“James Fallows on How the News Media Influence U.S. Democracy and Elections”

“New America’s Anne-Marie Slaughter on the Importance of Local and Regional Governance”

Related articles and resources:

George Packer on Washington Week with The Atlantic, 12/27/24

“As a Climate Scientist, I Knew It Was Time to Leave Los Angeles”
(Peter Kalmus, NYTimes Opinion, January 10, 2025)

“The Great Climate Migration Has Begun”
(Abrahm Lustgarten, New York Times Magazine, July 23, 2020)

Our Towns Civic Foundation

New America’s Co-Governance Project