Stephen Dubner

I could also see that because of your job and because of how much people care about rats. I could imagine if you do this well that you are mayoral material. Is that an ambition?

So how are Karate and her colleagues performing in the early days of this war on rats? As she told us in part one, the science of rat measurement is not very sophisticated. There is no reliable rat headcount. So the metrics she uses are a bit removed. Rat complaints called into the city's 311 line, for instance. and rat sightings in the new mitigation zones.

So how are Karate and her colleagues performing in the early days of this war on rats? As she told us in part one, the science of rat measurement is not very sophisticated. There is no reliable rat headcount. So the metrics she uses are a bit removed. Rat complaints called into the city's 311 line, for instance. and rat sightings in the new mitigation zones.

So how are Karate and her colleagues performing in the early days of this war on rats? As she told us in part one, the science of rat measurement is not very sophisticated. There is no reliable rat headcount. So the metrics she uses are a bit removed. Rat complaints called into the city's 311 line, for instance. and rat sightings in the new mitigation zones.

Those numbers are down, but much more data is needed, and there is a potential countervailing force. A new research paper by a large team of biologists and pest control experts argues that climate change is contributing to the rise of the rat population in New York and other big cities. So maybe the rat will remain our unofficial mascot.

Those numbers are down, but much more data is needed, and there is a potential countervailing force. A new research paper by a large team of biologists and pest control experts argues that climate change is contributing to the rise of the rat population in New York and other big cities. So maybe the rat will remain our unofficial mascot.

Those numbers are down, but much more data is needed, and there is a potential countervailing force. A new research paper by a large team of biologists and pest control experts argues that climate change is contributing to the rise of the rat population in New York and other big cities. So maybe the rat will remain our unofficial mascot.

It's clearly possible that you can have an urban area without rats, but they do love it there. That is the Harvard economist Ed Glazer. We heard from him in part one of the series as well. He is an expert in and huge fan of cities, and he grew up in Manhattan. I asked Glazer what he thinks of the city's rat action plan.

It's clearly possible that you can have an urban area without rats, but they do love it there. That is the Harvard economist Ed Glazer. We heard from him in part one of the series as well. He is an expert in and huge fan of cities, and he grew up in Manhattan. I asked Glazer what he thinks of the city's rat action plan.

It's clearly possible that you can have an urban area without rats, but they do love it there. That is the Harvard economist Ed Glazer. We heard from him in part one of the series as well. He is an expert in and huge fan of cities, and he grew up in Manhattan. I asked Glazer what he thinks of the city's rat action plan.

I don't know how much time you've been spending in New York lately, but there has been a wholesale change, which is the conversion from from plastic bags of trash that you just throw out onto the sidewalk and wait for sanitation to come pick up, which plainly doesn't seem very rat proof. In fact, it's not at all to a requirement that trash be contained in plastic bins with a top.

I don't know how much time you've been spending in New York lately, but there has been a wholesale change, which is the conversion from from plastic bags of trash that you just throw out onto the sidewalk and wait for sanitation to come pick up, which plainly doesn't seem very rat proof. In fact, it's not at all to a requirement that trash be contained in plastic bins with a top.

I don't know how much time you've been spending in New York lately, but there has been a wholesale change, which is the conversion from from plastic bags of trash that you just throw out onto the sidewalk and wait for sanitation to come pick up, which plainly doesn't seem very rat proof. In fact, it's not at all to a requirement that trash be contained in plastic bins with a top.

It seems pretty darn sensible and indeed easy.

It seems pretty darn sensible and indeed easy.

It seems pretty darn sensible and indeed easy.

Now, what about you, Ed? If you were rat czar, in addition to changing the way food is disposed of, what other solutions might you think about?

Now, what about you, Ed? If you were rat czar, in addition to changing the way food is disposed of, what other solutions might you think about?

Now, what about you, Ed? If you were rat czar, in addition to changing the way food is disposed of, what other solutions might you think about?

As far as we can tell, there's not really been any kind of decent rat census. Why do you think that is?