As the Trump administration rolls back environmental regulations, we revisit a 2022 episode that explored the hidden cost of an invisible threat: air pollution.
SOURCES:
Angela Duckworth, psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania.
Michael Greenstone, economist at the University of Chicago, director of the Energy Policy Institute, co-director of the Climate Impact Lab.
Stephan Heblich, economist at the University of Toronto.
Andrea La Nauze, economist at Deakin University.
Steve Levitt, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Chicago.
Edson Severnini, economist at Boston College.
RESOURCES:
"Most Polluted Cities," (American Lung Association, 2026).
"Air Pollution and Adult Cognition: Evidence from Brain Training," by Andrea La Nauze and Edson Severnini (Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, 2025).
"Air Pollution and Student Performance in the U.S.," by Michael Gilraine and Angela Zheng (NBER Working Papers, 2022).
"Billions of people still breathe unhealthy air: new WHO data," (World Health Organization, 2022).
"Evolution of the Clean Air Act," by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (2020).
"The Death of U.K. Coal in Five Charts," by Hannah Ritchie (Our World in Data, 2019).
"The Colour of Pollution," (The Economist, 2014).
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You’re not the same person with your friends as you are with your co-workers or your kids. So...who are you, really? This week, political scientist Eric Oliver explores why we often feel divided within ourselves, and how we can learn to live more peacefully with those contradictions. Then, psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman answers your questions on the science of intelligence.
Should you worry about your memory? For many of us, forgetting a name or losing your keys feels like a small failure. But what if forgetting is actually one of the most important things your brain does? Check out our new video on the surprising (and reassuring!) science of forgetting to learn more.
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This is the abbreviated version of Checkup's call-in about the challenges young people are facing finding jobs and housing. We hear perspectives from Canada about how young people's financial future, and how they're families are figuring out how to support them. Career advisor Devon Turcotte and Family Counselor Alyson Schafer share their insights on how young people and their parents can navigate the road ahead.
For decades, adulthood followed a familiar script: finish school, land a job, move out, build a life. But today's economy is rewriting that story. With youth unemployment at 13% and more young adults living at home longer, the old milestones of "adulting" are shifting...for young Canadians and the parents supporting them. Career advisor Devon Turcotte and family counselor Alyson Schafer have answers for families looking to navigate this new reality without friction, guilt or outdated expectations.
With insolvency filings up 8% over last year and essentials like gas and groceries squeezing household budgets, Canadians share how they're rethinking how they spend, save, and stay afloat. Financial educator Mark Kalinowski joins us with clear, practical advice on how to get help when budgets are tight.
This ICYMI episode takes you back to October of 1990 - a moment when Canadians were staring down soaring interest rates, spiking oil prices, and waves of layoffs at CN Rail, Imperial Oil and Air Canada. The Conference Board of Canada had just declared a recession, while Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Finance Minister Michael Wilson hesitated to say the word. Checkup callers share how they were surviving tough economic times with host Dale Goldhawk.
