Bonus: Should we mess with nature? From "How We Survive"

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
How We Survive is supported by Climatize. At climatize.earth, you can help fund climate-focused projects. Climatize is a U.S.-based investing platform that connects everyday investors with vetted renewable energy projects across the country. Explore projects, learn how renewable energy investing works, and join thousands of community members learning about clean energy infrastructure nationwide. For listeners of How We Survive, use code PLANET when you sign up and complete your profile to receive a $50 investment credit subject to platform terms and minimum investment requirements. Learn more at climatize.earth.howwesurvive.
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**Rima** (0:46)
Hey everyone, it's Rima. This week we're sharing an episode from our friends at How We Survive, which is Marketplace's podcast about the complicated work of tackling climate change.
But first, I wanted to share another one of our new segments, Uncomfortable Money Questions, where listeners share what's going on in their financial lives. Today's submission is from Tim.

**Tim Victor** (1:06)
Hey, my name is Tim Victor and I am 36 years old. I am from Brooklyn, New York, and I am currently a music teacher.
What's something inexpensive that you can't live without? Oh, I'm going to have to say pho. I love me a good bowl of pho. Like I love Vietnamese food, so pho is literally like $12. I will eat it at any time of the year. You will catch Tim Victor having pho in the winter time, in the spring time, in the summertime, in the fall time. Get me a bowl of pho.
Amen.
What was the last thing you bought on Impulse, and how much was it, and how did you feel after? Hmm, okay. So the last thing that I bought on Impulse was at the flea market here in New York. We were walking around, and I just saw this beautiful brown leather tote bag screaming my name from this vendor. And I was just like, yo, one of my friends was just like, yo, you got to get that bag. And I'm like, I do. I definitely have to get that bag. So I went over to the vendor and the vendor told me that it was $100. And I've never bought a bag at that price before. So I treated myself and I said, you know what? I'm going to treat myself and get this bag. So I bought it. And how did I feel after getting it? I felt good. I felt proud. I felt empowered to know that I could buy myself a bag at that price. It felt good.
What is a financial mistake that still haunts you? I just wish that when I look back, I just wish that I was saving a little bit more consistently, even if it was small amounts of money, because I treated money as something to survive instead of something to plan. And whenever I had an extra income, I would focus on the next opportunity instead of building a cushion for myself. So now that I, now that that has changed, you know, I see financial stability as another form of freedom because it gives me the ability to say yes to the right opportunities and no to the ones that don't align with my goals, you know, especially as someone that is pursuing creative work. I used to think investing in myself meant saying yes to every opportunity, but I eventually learned that investing in myself also means protecting my future. And by doing so, I just have to be better with my money and start saving and investing in myself.

**Rima** (3:56)
Thank you so much, Tim, for answering our uncomfortable questions. If you'd like to be on the show and share what's going on in your financial life, I'd love to hear from you. You can go to marketplace.org/uncomfortablequestions.
All right, so today we're sharing an episode from the Marketplace podcast, How We Survive. It's hosted by my colleague and longtime Marketplace correspondent, Amy Scott. The show is all about the messy business of climate solutions. And this season explores the wild and kind of scary way humans are trying to engineer nature to save the planet. From shooting sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere to launching sunshades into space.
This episode you're about to hear is my favorite from the season. It's a fun and fascinating look at de-extinction. That is, efforts to bring extinct animals back from the dead. We get to meet some cute animals, talk with scientists working on cutting edge technology, and explore a much bigger question. Just because we can mess with nature, does that mean we should? Okay, I hope you all enjoy it, and I'll catch you all on Thursday with a new episode of This Is Uncomfortable.