Cooler Earth

What will happen when refugees become more than people fleeing conflict? Climate change is already forcing families to flee their homes due to water scarcity, crop failure, and rising sea levels. It may cause as many as 143 million people to be displaced by 2050. This week we spoke with Erica Bower before her trip to this year's UN Climate Negotiations. She will be beginning a National Geographic Young Explorers Grant in January 2019 to further research a drought-affected Himalayan community in Nepal, and previously worked for the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR in Geneva, focusing on climate-related migration. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Carbon pricing has been in the news a lot lately. The IPCC even dubbed it a critical policy to avoid the worse consequences of climate change. What most people don’t realize though is that many jurisdictions already live under a carbon pricing mechanism, and that there are many different ways the policy can be implemented. We spoke to Jonah Kurman-Faber, a researcher here at CXC, about what it means to put a price on carbon. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The starkest reality of climate change is that the countries least responsible for emitting greenhouse gases are the ones facing the worst climate impacts. One such state is the island nation of Kiribati, located in the Pacific Ocean, and projected to become increasingly uninhabitable over the next 50 years. We spoke to Janice Cantieri, an environmental journalist and Fulbright National Geographic storyteller, about her work in Kiribati, the importance of storytelling in climate change communication, and local adaptation and innovation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Is climate action inherently against Republican or business interests? Not according to Claudine Schneider. This week, and for the first episode of our second season, we sat down with Claudine, who was the first woman elected to higher office in the state of Rhode Island, representing the state in D.C. for 10 years and earning a reputation as one of the House’s strongest environmental advocates. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today, we have the power and technology to change the Earth’s climate as we see fit. Geoengineering. Is it a good idea or a terrible one? What happens if we do it? Or if we don’t? This week we discuss emerging technologies with our guest, Professor of Sustainability Science and Policy, Jennie Stephens. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Few sectors are as deeply impacted by changing weather patterns as agriculture. More than 60% of the world’s population depends on it for their livelihood, and the rest of us depend on their work to feed ourselves. We sat down with Laura Kuhl, expert in agriculture adaptation strategies, to discuss the ways we must rethink development in order to become more resilient. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Winter Olympics is a worldwide showcase of competitive snow sports. But how will climate change impact the cities that host these games and the mountainsides that welcome recreational athletes across the globe? We chat with Olympic Biathlete Maddie Phaneuf about how waning winters motivated her advocacy for climate action. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Can knowing your neighbors be the key to surviving a disaster and thriving in it's aftermath? This week on the podcast, we sit down with a leading expert on social capital and disaster recovery, Daniel Aldrich, to talk about how communities around the world have used their networks to become more resilient. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In recognition of Earth Day, we coaxed our office into attempting a zero-waste week. So, how difficult was it? It turns out, very. In a special episode of the podcast, we catch up with our officemates to hear whether they were able to quit plastic and create less trash. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What if we could create a profoundly more equitable world? Renewable energy has the potential to disrupt power dynamics created by fossil fuels, but the way that transition is implemented will be crucial. This week, we explore the concept of energy democracy with lawyer, activist and author, Shalanda Baker. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For decades, controversy has brewed in DC over whether the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should be opened to oil and gas exploration. This week, we are exploring the complexities surrounding this controversy with skier and preservation advocate, Brennan Lagasse. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, we focus on the ways in which changing climate patterns influence vector-borne diseases, causing a much wider population to be at risk of contracting malaria and lyme disease. John Pontillo joins us to talk about his personal experience living in a community impacted by malaria and how climate change will exasperate public health issues experienced in communities across the globe. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Covering 70% of the Earth’s surface, oceans are crucial for sustaining human life and global ecosystems. However, climate change and plastic pollution are affecting our aquatic world in complex and disproportionate ways. Our guest this week is Daisy Kendrick, Founder of Ocean Generation, who joins us to discuss these issues and the ways her organization is spurring younger generations to take action. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We discuss the Paris Agreement three years into its signing as well as the international climate movement and international policy on climate change more generally. We dive deep into the legal implications of the US President announcing the withdrawal from the Agreement and what it means for the future of international climate action. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Carbon pricing has emerged as a market based policy solution to climate change. The general idea is that by making it more costly to pollute, we would eventually decrease demand for fossil fuels while incentivizing alternatives. This week, we discuss the basic concepts around carbon pricing and the bills that have been enacted or introduced so far both in the U.S. and internationally. Our guest this week is Executive Director of Climate XChange and long time advocate of carbon pricing, Michael Green. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For our first episode of the podcast we wanted to tell you a little bit about ourselves, our personal stories and the journeys that brought us to work on climate issues. Get to know your hosts and hear a little bit about what to expect from the podcast! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.