What we'll eat on a warmer planet
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The future of food is not just about survival—it's about reinvention. In a world where climate change threatens to erase beloved staples like Georgia peaches, champagne, and chocolate, former White House chef Sam Kass delivers a haunting dinner called 'The Last Supper,' featuring dishes that may vanish within decades. His message is urgent: food and climate are inseparable. But the solution isn’t just despair—it’s innovation. From Arkansas rice farms that cut methane emissions by 79% through smart water management, to biotech pioneer Isha Datar’s vision of cultivated meat grown from cells, the episode reveals a quiet revolution in agriculture. The most radical idea? That we don’t need to replicate the past—we can grow entirely new food systems from cells, fungi, and grafting. Artist Sam Van Aken’s 'Tree of 40 Fruit' isn’t just a botanical marvel; it’s a living archive of biodiversity, proving that art and conservation can save what’s disappearing. Together, these stories show that the future of food isn’t about giving up what we love—it’s about reimagining it.
Rice farming can reduce methane emissions by 79% and cut water use by 50% using zero-grade fields and alternate wetting and drying.
Cultivated meat is now legally approved in the U.S. and Singapore, but still contains 97% plant-based fillers, limiting its impact.
Over 90% of rennet used in cheese production now comes from lab-grown cells, not calves—proving cellular agriculture is already in our food.
The 'Tree of 40 Fruit' grafts 40 heirloom stone fruits onto one tree, preserving biodiversity and reconnecting people to forgotten food heritage.
Climate change could eliminate chocolate production by 2040, as the equatorial zones where it’s grown become too hot and dry.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
The Last Supper: A Dinner for a Vanishing Future
“This menu has been put together with ingredients that experts and models predict will not be around for our kids and our grandkids.”
The Climate Crisis in Our Plates
“By 2040, assuming we hit two degrees, the world's wine growing regions will be cut in about half in terms of what can sustain wine.”
The Three Pillars of Food Revolution
Kass outlines a three-part strategy: consumers must demand climate-friendly food, farmers must be incentivized to adopt sustainable practices, and culture must shift to embrace change.
Rice Farming Reimagined: From Flooded Fields to Smart Fields
“Last year I documented emission reduction was 79%. Oh, wow. But we say that we're going to reduce it 50% on our package. But our documented last year was 79% reduction.”
The Rise of Cultivated Meat
“The product on the market in Singapore is made of 3% sales, 97% plant stuff. And that's actually exciting. Like, that's actually a really great step forward.”
“if and when we hit two degrees, the world's wine growing regions will be cut in about half in terms of what can sustain wine.”
“This menu has been put together with ingredients that experts and models predict will not be around for our kids and our grandkids.”
“Last year I documented emission reduction was 79%. Oh, wow. But we say that we're going to reduce it 50% on our package. But our documented last year was 79% reduction.”
Host
Guests
Sam Kass
person
Isha Datar
person
Jim Whitaker
person
Jessica Whitaker Allen
person
Sam Van Aken
person
The Last Supper
other
wine
other
Tree of 40 Fruit
other
chocolate
other
Singapore
place
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