Possibly

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Possibly looks at the science behind proposed environmental solutions - helping you cut through the noise and make choices that, possibly, will make a difference.

The Public's Radio


    • Jun 3, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 2m AVG DURATION
    • 483 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Possibly

    Heat pumps run on a substance that can create a lot of emissions. Is it still worth buying them?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2025 1:27


    If refrigerant, the key substance inside a heat pump leaks into the atmosphere, it can warm the planet thousands of times more than CO2. The Possibly team does the math to see if that risk outweighs the climate benefit of heat pumps.

    Why would an energy company remove its dams?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2025 1:26


    When four dams were removed along the Klamath River in the Pacific Northwest, it meant giving up a source of renewable energy. But clean energy wasn't the only factor the company had to consider.

    How are rising temperatures affecting our organs?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2025 1:27


    As our planet warms and heat waves become more common, we wondered how that heat affects our bodies. In today's episode, the Possibly team explains how heat impacts two key organs: your kidneys and your intestines.

    Can green spaces make you happier?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2025 1:27


    It always feels better to go outside, move around a little bit, and get some fresh air. But this week on Possibly we look into the research, do green spaces actually improve our health?

    How can I replace my gas stove? 

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2025 1:26


    Gas stoves can pollute the air in our homes and even contribute to climate change. But lots of people enjoy cooking on them. Is there a way to switch away from gas that works well and doesn't break the bank?

    Could music help us adapt to climate change?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2025 2:25


    Chris Thile's new Audible podcast and musical variety show, the Energy Curfew Music Hour uses music to imagine how people can adapt to a world reshaped by climate change.

    Good News Abroad – China

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2025 1:27


    The news about climate change efforts in the US hasn't been great lately. So Possibly is launching a new occasional series to highlight advances against climate change around the world. Up first: China

    How do we solve the climate change home insurance crisis?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2025 1:27


    This week on Possibly, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse helps explain what options we have to address climate change's impact on the home insurance industry.

    Climate change is messing up our home insurance prices. What can states do?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2025 1:27


    Home insurance is supposed to help us recover from natural disasters, but climate change is disrupting the industry. This week on Possibly, we look at how states are responding to this problem.

    How is climate change affecting home insurance? 

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2025 1:27


    Recent reports by the Senate Budget Committee and the Treasury found that climate change is already upending the US's home insurance industry.

    How can a lake contribute to climate change? 

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2025 1:27


    On this episode of Possibly, we're taking a look at the Great Salt Lake. The lake has been shrinking for years, but it's also doing something strange- it's creating more greenhouse gas emissions than people expected.

    Can we use ocean water to fight wildfires?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2025 1:05


    After fire hydrants ran dry during the wildfires in Los Angeles, listeners wondered why firefighters didn't just use ocean water to begin with. On this episode of Possibly, we explain the tradeoffs of using the ocean to fight fires.

    Are people moving because of climate change?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2025 1:05


    We hear a lot about climate migration—the idea that people will have to move as climate change makes some places unlivable. But is this something we're still waiting for, or is it already happening?

    What does the Air Quality Index really mean?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2025 1:05


    Air pollution results in over 7 million deaths each year. In this episode of Possibly, we look at the most common way to measure air quality, the Air Quality Index, and what it means for you.

    What can we learn from France about food waste?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2025 1:05


    Possibly's founder and the Provost of sustainability at Brown University Stephen Porder recently visited a supermarket chain in France that sells products other stores would have thrown away.

    How can schools fight food waste? 

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2025 1:05


    Wasted food takes up lots of space in landfills and, while getting a compost bin at home is great, it isn't enough to solve the problem. This week, we investigate how schools are taking big steps towards eliminating food waste.

    When should I charge my electric car?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2025 1:05


    If you have an electric car, and you want to try to reduce the greenhouse gases that are created in order to power that car, when should you charge it?

    Are geothermal networks the future of heating and cooling?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2025 1:05


    A new program in Framingham, Massachusetts is leading the transition from gas to geothermal heating and cooling.

    How can hospitals cut their plastic waste?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2025 1:05


    Hospitals have to use a lot of single-use plastics to deliver care for patients. In today's episode, we look at how one hospital is cutting down through their medical plastics recycling initiative.

    What is the Conservative Climate Caucus? 

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2025 1:05


    With the second Trump administration underway, the Possibly team takes a look at a group hoping to shape the country's energy policy: a Republican caucus in the House of Representatives.

    What happened to the Inflation Reduction Act? 

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2025 1:05


    In the summer of 2022 President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. The law was the US's largest investment in climate and clean energy ever. But what's happened since then? Who has actually been implementing the bill?

    Could we just fire our trash into the sun?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2025 1:05


    We asked our listeners to send in their wildest ideas for addressing climate change. And one listener, thinking about all of the trash Americans throw into landfills, asked if we could send it somewhere else: the sun.

    Our resolutions for 2025

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2024 1:05


    As we head into a new year, our Possibly team decided to think about all of our episodes, and how they might inspire our resolutions for 2025. Here's what some of us had to say.

    No more coal for stockings in the UK

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2024 1:05


    Britain recently announced the closure of the country's last coal-fired power plant, as well as an ambitious new energy plan. This week on Possibly, we break down what happened.

    What do the numbers on the bottom of your plastic products mean?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2024 1:05


    If you've ever looked at the bottom of a plastic item, you may have seen a number surrounded by three arrows around it. Today we take a look into the meaning behind the numbers, and how they actually relate to recycling.

    Can a game help you take effective climate action?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2024 3:58


    We played a climate game that is supposed to help you find the highest-impact changes you can make in your life to take effective climate action. Could games like this actually help address the climate crisis?

    Wild turkeys were locally extinct for decades. How did they come back?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2024 3:59


    Turkeys are more than just a Thanksgiving meal, they're part of forest ecosystems across the country. In this episode of Possibly, we take a look at how they made a major comeback in New England after being driven to local extinction.

    Can we count the number of people who die because of coal powerplants?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2024 3:58


    You probably know that coal power plants are bad for the climate, and for your health. But how do we know how much of an impact one coal power plant can have? Where does its pollution go?

    Why are hospitals switching anesthesia?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2024 3:58


    Hospitals can be hotspots for greenhouse gas emissions. But Boston Medical Center is part of a movement of hospitals changing their anesthesia to cut their footprint.

    Why is it so hard for factories to reach net zero emissions?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2024 3:58


    On Possibly, we've talked about how we can cut out greenhouse gas emissions from our homes and cars. But we wondered, how are factories and manufacturers working on this problem?

    Why is using plastic a climate issue?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2024 3:58


    Everyone knows that plastic pollutes our environment. But it's less obvious why plastic would create a lot of emissions. Today, we break down why plastic use is a climate change issue.

    What is good gas mileage anymore?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2024 3:58


    There's an urgent need to use less fossil fuel, and that includes cutting down on how much gasoline we put in our cars. Does that mean longstanding ideas about what counts as “good gas mileage” are out of date?

    Where did all the plankton go?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2024 3:58


    Plankton form the basis of the food web in oceans and new research shows that the level of phytoplankton in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay has dropped by half in the past 60 years. We wondered why.

    Why is it so cold in libraries?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2024 4:19


    If you've ever spent time in a library or art museum on a hot summer day, you might have felt way colder than you expected. On this episode of Possibly we break down the science of why libraries get so cold in the summer.

    What is landfill gas and should we be using it as an energy source?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2024 3:58


    This week on Possibly we're talking about landfills, the methane they create, and why some landfills are capturing it and using it as a source of energy.

    What happens to landfills when they close?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2024 3:58


    Rhode Island's biggest landfill is expected to fill up by 2043. And there are about 100 inactive landfills across the state. This made us wonder, what can be done with closed landfills?

    Should I use a wooden pencil or a mechanical one?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2024 3:58


    Students at the Lincoln School have a question: should they be using wooden pencils or plastic mechanical ones? This week on Possibly we explain the answer, and how to find it.

    Is climate change making turbulence worse?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2024 3:58


    Today we're taking a look at what causes in-flight turbulence and how rising temperatures might be making your flight bumpier.

    Could we put solar panels on cars?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2024 3:58


    It turns out, student engineers, and one major car manufacturer are already trying the idea. But there are limits to how effective these panels can be.

    How are doctors responding to climate change?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2024 0:44


    More medical schools are training their students on climate change. This week on Possibly we're taking a look at how your visit to the doctor might be changing.

    Can a doctor give you a prescription for solar panels?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2024 4:19


    A new program at the Boston Medical Center says it prescribes solar panels to patients. But we wondered, what does that really mean?

    What happened when young people sued Hawai’i's Department of Transportation?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2024 3:58


    The two sides just reached a settlement that will have a major impact on the state's carbon emissions.

    Should we use hydropanels to pull clean water out of thin air?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 6, 2024 3:21


    A new technology promises to suck water vapor out of the air and turn it into water that we can drink. How do they work and are these worthy investments?

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