Season Three Launches Today
SAN FRANCISCO, CA-October 16, 2023 — Record-breaking temperatures across the country. Wildfires in the Northeast. Urban tornadoes and inland hurricanes. The effects of climate change are intensifying, producing unpredictable climate events in areas previously thought to be less susceptible. Meanwhile the housing crisis has made owning or renting a home increasingly difficult, or worse, unattainable for an ever-growing segment of the population. How do we protect the most vulnerable people who lack adequate housing from climate disasters? How do homeowners and renters deal with escalating insurance premiums? And how are our homes themselves contributing to our climate problems?
In the third season of the SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America podcast, KQED’s Climate and Housing Affordability desks examine the intersection of the climate and housing crises. Hosted by Erin Baldassari, the series tells the stories of families and communities that are grappling with the ways that climate is challenging our very idea of home, and our ability to live there. SOLD OUT shines a light on the solutions that can help us all face the future, highlighting the people who are actively working to protect their communities. It questions assumptions that dictate how and where people live, while examining the barriers – whether political, financial or social – that hold us back from embracing or realizing change.
The new six-episode season kicks off today, October 16, with the story of the Escutias, a family in the small town of Pajaro, along the Monterey California coast, who must look for a new home on higher ground after a levee breach forces them to abandon their home. Other episodes will explore the collision of the homeless and climate crises; how we can reduce emissions that emanate from our homes, buildings and appliances; the intriguing, yet complicated concept of transit-oriented housing; and the trade-offs we are willing to make by living in areas more prone to climate disaster.
The new season features contributions from climate reporters Ezra David Romero, Laura Klivens, and Danielle Venton; and housing reporters Vanessa Rancaño and Adhiti Bandlamudi. Erika Kelly and Kevin Stark edited the show, and Jen Chien is contributing editor. Brendan Willard is sound engineer and the theme song is by Cedric Wilson.