Podcasts about inside climate news

While state officials and legislators have positioned Texas to be “the bitcoin mining capital of the world,” in small towns like Granbury, working-class residents living next to giant, loud, environmentally destructive data centers are the ones paying the price for Texas's crypto boom. “None of us are sleeping,” Cheryl Shadden, a Granbury resident who lives across the street from a 300-megawatt bitcoin mining data center owned by Marathon Digital, tells TRNN. “We can't get rid of this alien invasion in our homes…This is like being a prisoner of war. It's like being tortured with loud sounds and bright lights and being sleep deprived.”In this episode of Working People, we dive deeper into the reality of living next to crypto mining data centers like the one in Granbury, the unseen threats they pose to human and nonhuman life, and what residents in Granbury are doing to fight back. TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez speaks with: Cheryl Shadden, a registered nurse anesthetist and resident of Granbury, who lives right next to the site of the Marathon bitcoin mining operation; Dr. Shannon Wolf, Precinct Chair in Hood County, who lives about 3 miles from the bitcoin mine; and Nannette Samuelson, County Commissioner for Precinct 2 in Hood County.Additional links/info: Protect Hood County website Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, “A bitcoin mine in Texas is “killing us slowly,” local residents say” Andrew R. Chow, TIME, “‘We're living in a nightmare:' Inside the health crisis of a Texas bitcoin town” Andrew R. Chow, TIME, “Noisy neighbor: Bitcoin's hidden health cost” (Video Report) Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, “TRNN wins 2025 Izzy Award for coverage of East Palestine, OH, trainwreck & chemical disaster” Keaton Peters, Inside Climate News, “Texas leaders worry that bitcoin mines threaten to crash the state power grid” NBC News, “Inside the Texas bitcoin mine reportedly making residents sick” James Pollard, The Texas Tribune, “Texas Republicans want to make the state the center of the cryptocurrency universe” Permanent links below… Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show! Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page Featured Music… Jules Taylor, “Working People” Theme Song Studio Production: Maximillian Alvarez Post-Production: Jules Taylor

While state officials and legislators have positioned Texas to be “the bitcoin mining capital of the world,” in small towns like Granbury, working-class residents living next to giant, loud, environmentally destructive data centers are the ones paying the price for Texas's crypto boom. “None of us are sleeping,” Cheryl Shadden, a Granbury resident who lives across the street from a 300-megawatt bitcoin mining data center owned by Marathon Digital, tells TRNN. “We can't get rid of this alien invasion in our homes…This is like being a prisoner of war. It's like being tortured with loud sounds and bright lights and being sleep deprived.” In this episode of Working People, we dive deeper into the reality of living next to crypto mining data centers like the one in Granbury, the unseen threats they pose to human and nonhuman life, and what residents in Granbury are doing to fight back. TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez speaks with: Cheryl Shadden, a registered nurse anesthetist and resident of Granbury, who lives right next to the site of the Marathon bitcoin mining operation; Dr. Shannon Wolf, Precinct Chair in Hood County, who lives about 3 miles from the bitcoin mine; and Nannette Samuelson, County Commissioner for Precinct 2 in Hood County.Additional links/info:Protect Hood County websiteMaximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, “A bitcoin mine in Texas is “killing us slowly,” local residents say”Andrew R. Chow, TIME, “‘We're living in a nightmare:' Inside the health crisis of a Texas bitcoin town”Andrew R. Chow, TIME, “Noisy neighbor: Bitcoin's hidden health cost” (Video Report)Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, “TRNN wins 2025 Izzy Award for coverage of East Palestine, OH, trainwreck & chemical disaster”Keaton Peters, Inside Climate News, “Texas leaders worry that bitcoin mines threaten to crash the state power grid”NBC News, “Inside the Texas bitcoin mine reportedly making residents sick”James Pollard, The Texas Tribune, “Texas Republicans want to make the state the center of the cryptocurrency universe”Permanent links below…Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter pageIn These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter pageThe Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter pageFeatured Music…Jules Taylor, “Working People” Theme SongStudio Production: Maximillian AlvarezPost-Production: Jules TaylorHelp TRNN continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterFollow us on BlueskyLike us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDonate to support this podcast

I would like to see Texas become the center of the universe for bitcoin and crypto,” US Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in 2021. In 2024, Republican Governor Greg Abbott said Texas “wears the crown as the bitcoin mining capital of the world.” But in small towns like Granbury, TX, about an hour southwest of Fort Worth, residents are the ones paying the price for Texas' crypto boom. Granbury's 300-megawatt bitcoin mine, which is owned by Marathon Digital, a Florida-based cryptocurrency company, uses a mix of liquid immersion and industrial fans to prevent over 20,000 computers from overheating. Many residents say that it's the constant sound from those fans that has made life increasingly unbearable in their small town—and that their concerns are going ignored by the company and government officials. In this episode of Working People, we speak with four residents of Granbury living near the Marathon bitcoin mine: Danny Lakey, Karen Pearson, Nick Browning, and Virginia Browning. Additional links/info:   Protect Hood County website Andrew R. Chow, TIME, “‘We're living in a nightmare:' Inside the health crisis of a Texas bitcoin town” Andrew R. Chow, TIME, “Noisy neighbor: Bitcoin's hidden health cost” (Video Report) Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, “TRNN wins 2025 Izzy Award for coverage of East Palestine, OH, trainwreck & chemical disaster” Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, “‘I had to move away from everything that I ever had': Chemically exposed residents of East Palestine, OH, and Conyers, GA, have been left behind” Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, “‘This is murder!': Industrially poisoned South Baltimore residents march on state capitol, demand help from Gov. Moore” Maximillian Alvarez, Steve Mellon, & Mike Balonek, The Real News Network, “Trainwreck in ‘Trump Country': Partisan politics hasn't helped East Palestine, OH (DOCUMENTARY)” Keaton Peters, Inside Climate News, “Texas leaders worry that bitcoin mines threaten to crash the state power grid” NBC News, “Inside the Texas bitcoin mine reportedly making residents sick” James Pollard, The Texas Tribune, “Texas Republicans want to make the state the center of the cryptocurrency universe” Permanent links below… Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show! Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page Featured Music… Jules Taylor, “Working People” Theme Song Studio Production: Maximillian Alvarez Post-Production: Jules Taylor    

“I would like to see Texas become the center of the universe for bitcoin and crypto,” US Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in 2021. In 2024, Republican Governor Greg Abbott said Texas “wears the crown as the bitcoin mining capital of the world.” But in small towns like Granbury, TX, about an hour southwest of Fort Worth, residents are the ones paying the price for Texas's crypto boom. A 300-megawatt bitcoin mine, which is owned by Marathon Digital, a Florida-based cryptocurrency company, uses a mix of liquid immersion and industrial fans to prevent over 20,000 computers from overheating. Many residents say that it's the constant sound from those fans that has made life increasingly unbearable in their small town—and that their concerns are going ignored by the company and government officials. In this episode of Working People, we speak with four residents of Granbury living near the Marathon bitcoin mine: Danny Lakey, Karen Pearson, Nick Browning, and Virginia Browning.Additional links/info:Protect Hood County websiteAndrew R. Chow, TIME, “‘We're living in a nightmare:' Inside the health crisis of a Texas bitcoin town”Andrew R. Chow, TIME, “Noisy neighbor: Bitcoin's hidden health cost” (Video Report)Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, “TRNN wins 2025 Izzy Award for coverage of East Palestine, OH, trainwreck & chemical disaster”Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, “‘I had to move away from everything that I ever had': Chemically exposed residents of East Palestine, OH, and Conyers, GA, have been left behind”Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, “‘This is murder!': Industrially poisoned South Baltimore residents march on state capitol, demand help from Gov. Moore”Maximillian Alvarez, Steve Mellon, & Mike Balonek, The Real News Network, “Trainwreck in ‘Trump Country': Partisan politics hasn't helped East Palestine, OH (DOCUMENTARY)”Keaton Peters, Inside Climate News, “Texas leaders worry that bitcoin mines threaten to crash the state power grid”NBC News, “Inside the Texas bitcoin mine reportedly making residents sick”James Pollard, The Texas Tribune, “Texas Republicans want to make the state the center of the cryptocurrency universe”Permanent links below…Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter pageIn These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter pageThe Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter pageFeatured Music…Jules Taylor, “Working People” Theme SongStudio Production: Maximillian AlvarezPost-Production: Jules TaylorBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.

In 2023, Oregon was awarded more than $58 million in federal grants from the Inflation Reduction Act to plant and maintain trees. The availability of much of those funds remains uncertain.  Earlier this month, the Oregon Department of Forestry, city agencies and nonprofits told Inside Climate News that at least $40 million dollars in grant reimbursements to boost urban tree canopies in Oregon remain unpaid.  Last week, several U.S. farmers and nonprofits sued the Trump administration for withholding grants funded by the Inflation Reduction Act.   Vivek Shandas is a professor of geography at Portland State University and a member of the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council. He joins us with more on the future of the state’s tree canopies and what they mean for Oregonians.

About the Guest: Caroline Tracey is a distinguished writer focusing on topics related to art, literature, environment, and migration in the U.S., the Southwest, Mexico, and borderland regions. Caroline contributes to the Border Chronicle, among other reputable publications such as N1, The Nation, and The Guardian. Not only does she have expertise in English, but she is also trilingual, proficient in Spanish and Russian. Caroline's significant contributions to journalism include winning the 2019 Scoundrel Time Summer Literary Seminars nonfiction contest for her work on migrant deaths in South Texas. With a PhD in geography from UC Berkeley, Caroline is currently working on a book about salt lakes, set to be published by W.W. Norton. Episode Summary: In this episode of "90 Miles from Needles," host Chris Clarke converses with Caroline Tracey, a talented journalist with a focus on the borderlands of the U.S. and Mexico. The discussion revolves around Plan Sonora, a significant energy transition and development initiative in the Mexican state of Sonora, which borders the U.S. state of Arizona. Through this lens, Caroline explores the impacts of renewable and fossil fuel energy developments, such as lithium mining and solar arrays, on both local ecosystems and indigenous communities. Her insights underscore the complex balance between industrial progress and environmental conservation. The episode gives an in-depth look at Plan Sonora's four key components: a major solar array in Rocky Point, the nationalization of lithium mining reserves, an expansive natural gas pipeline project, and logistic developments that aim to transform Sonora into an economic hub. Caroline delves into activism efforts against these developments, particularly highlighting successful campaigns led by environmental groups against the Mexico Pacific's Saguaro Energy Project. By doing so, she paints a vivid picture of the current tensions between commercial ambitions and advocacy for ecological protection and cultural preservation. Key Takeaways: Plan Sonora: This encompasses solar power projects, lithium mining, natural gas pipeline proposals, and logistical developments, transforming Sonora into a critical player in renewable energy. Cross-border Impacts: Renewable energy developments in Mexico cater largely to U.S. demands, raising concerns about "green colonialism." Opposition and Activism: Indigenous communities and environmental activists are actively opposing certain projects due to cultural and environmental implications, most notably the pipeline and terminal proposals along the Gulf of California. Political Dynamics: Recent changes in Mexico's administration and judicial system reform are smoothing the way for energy investment and curtailing environmental regulations. Economic and Environmental Tensions: Despite opportunities for economic growth, critics argue these projects risk damaging vital ecosystems and stripping local communities of benefits. Notable Quotes: "Personally, I increasingly think that enlisting large corporations to do your climate mitigation work is inevitably going to kick you in the butt." - Chris Clarke "They plan to build a couple other solar plants that are of similar size…[in] the Gulf of California." - Caroline Tracey "There are four pipelines that are being developed right now…[raising] economic development to the detriment of people in Mexico." - Caroline Tracey "If indeed we're going to transition to renewable energy, that means first of all, stopping new extraction projects." - Caroline Tracey Resources: Caroline Tracey’s work at the Border Chronicle: https://www.theborderchronicle.com Caroline Tracey’s personal website: https://cetracey.com Ballenas ó Gas in Spanish: https://ballenasogas.org/ and in English: https://whalesorgas.org/ Article by By Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News, and Alejandra Martinez, the Texas Tribune on opposition to the Saguaro Pipeline in Van Horn, TX: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/20122023/west-texans-rally-against-cross-border-pipeline/ Stay tuned to "90 Miles from Needles" for more enlightening discussions on desert protection and environmental advocacy.Become a desert defender!: https://90milesfromneedles.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Douglas Haynes takes a comprehensive look at climate related actions on the federal and state levels with Marianne Lavelle of Inside Climate News and Brett Korte of Clean Wisconsin. The post Rolling Back Climate Regulations appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today’s show: ProPublica’s Andy Kroll examines how Trump’s cuts at the IRS could make it harder for the federal government to root out fraud. Dylan Baddour of Inside Climate News joins to explain a case at the Supreme Court pitting Texas against the federal government on nuclear-waste disposal. Leslie Patton, a consumer reporter at Bloomberg News, examines what happened to one company as the backlash to black-plastic kitchen utensils grew. Plus, the Supreme Court denies Trump’s request to cancel nearly $2 billion in foreign aid, D.C. officials will remove Black Lives Matter Plaza, and why scientists genetically engineered woolly mice. Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.

We're breaking all kinds of records lately… but not good ones. This January was the hottest one on record, and last year, Pennsylvania had an increasing number of tornadoes. These severe weather events mean more disasters, and the state can't always handle the aftermath alone. Host Megan Harris is with Inside Climate News reporter Kiley Bense to discuss what it means for Pennsylvania to face more threats from climate change as Trump considers cutting FEMA.  Learn more about the sponsors of this March 3rd episode: The Frick Pittsburgh Museums and Gardens Pittsburgh Marathon - Use code CITYCAST15 for 15% off any event City Theatre Fulton Commons Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm. Want more Pittsburgh news?  Sign up for our daily morning Hey Pittsburgh newsletter. We're on Instagram @CityCastPgh. Text or leave us a voicemail at 412-212-8893. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this bonus episode, I break down the controversy surrounding REI's support for Doug Burgum as the new Secretary of the Interior under the Trump administration. The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable's endorsement of Burgum has sparked backlash, with calls for a boycott of REI. But what's really happening?We explore Burgum's background as a pro-fossil fuel businessman, his legal battles against the Department of the Interior, and his priorities for public lands. We also analyze REI's role in the conversation, the industry's response, and what this means for conservation efforts moving forward.Finally, we discuss REI's official statement on the issue and share actionable ways to support public lands. Episode Resources:Read the ORR letter: https://recreationroundtable.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ORR-Burgum-Nomination-Letter-of-Support-Final.pdfREI's Recent Statement: https://www.rei.com/newsroom/article/we-will-never-stop-defending-our-public-landsVoice Your Opposition to Burgum's Actions through the REI Cooperative Action Network: https://www.rei.com/action/network/campaign/protect-public-landsBurgum's First Day Orders: https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/secretary-doug-burgum-signs-first-round-secretarys-orders-unleash-american-energyRelated Episodes Episode 163. Fighting for Outdoor Policy and Protection in 2025 with Adam Cramer Episode 164. Is an Outdoor Recreation Economy How We Stop Off-Shore Drilling? with Chad NelsenSourcesProPublica: https://www.propublica.org/article/doug-burgum-north-dakota-interior-department-trumpAlaska Wild: https://alaskawild.org/blog/doug-burgum-the-billionaire-governor-turned-trumps-doi-secretary/Inside Climate News: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/05022025/new-interior-secretary-weakens-public-land-protections-fossil-fuels/

Winter is the fastest-warming season in the Midwest — more than five degrees on average since 1970, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.All that warming is having an impact on ice formation. “Climate change is injecting more energy into our weather systems, and that's resulting in in just more extreme extremes,” journalist Kristoffer Tigue told MPR's Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner. Tigue wrote about the shift in ice trends for Inside Climate News. Warmer temperatures could result in a later start for ice formation and a shorter lifespan for lake ice. Add a rapid temperature swing in the middle of winter and the ice can become increasingly unstable.“On some of the hotter winters, there's spikes in these fatalities related to falling through the ice,” Tigue said.To hear the full conversation, click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast.

The holidays are a time where we tend to eat a lot of food, and throw a lot out. Americans throw away about four pounds of waste per day, higher than anywhere in the world. But where does all that food waste go? Reporter: Erin Stone, LAist California Resources Corporation and Aera Energy joined forces to become the state's largest oil company. But a new investigation from KVPR and Inside Climate News finds that the merger could leave taxpayers on the hook for millions. Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eagles have found a home in Alabama, and Lee Hedgepeth, Environmental Reporter for Inside Climate News, talks with Carolyn Hutcheson of In Focus about an incident in Auburn, Alabama, where a developer cut down the nesting tree of a couple of bald eagles.  The irony is that War Eagle, a golden eagle, is the mascot of Auburn University.  The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is investigating the  paperwork submitted for approval by the developer.

President-elect Donald Trump is making cabinet choices that will likely impact U.S. climate policy. Observers of the picks point out ties to the fossil fuel industry. Kiley Price with Inside Climate News spoke to MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner about the picks and what it could mean for the future of climate policy.To hear the full conversation, click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast.

Inside Climate News reporter Bob Berwyn on Sea Change Radio with sad COP29 protest rules . Hurricane seasons go strange: new science from Dr. Hosmay Lopez of NOAA. American Senator Sheldon Whitehouse with real news from COP29. He says climate action is going  …

Brooke Rollins, a climate skeptic with ties to a powerful pro-fossil fuels group, has been picked to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Georgina Gustin, reporter who covers agriculture and food systems for Inside Climate News, discusses Rollins's appointment and the consequences as the challenge of climate change makes farming more difficult.

To have a greener holiday season (and beyond) and avoid buying a bunch of cluttering stuff your friends and family don't need (and probably don't want), this annual holiday show focuses not on eco-friendly products/items but more on eco-friendly experiences and services in order to avoid cluttering up our lives (and planet) with more items that land in our homes permanently and ultimately weigh us and our descendants down (or just end up in a landfill down the line). So my emphasis here is on sharing gift-giving ideas for vegan-friendly foods/restaurants or experiences (airbnbs/cabins, park passes, professional photography sessions and massages, etc. excluding animal entertainment venues) or lending a helping hand (dog-sitting, babysitting/tutoring, lawncare and home vegetable gardening, home organization), or media subscriptions (to streaming services like Ecoflix, PBS Passport, the Guardian, Vox, NYT, AJC, Sentient Media, Inside Climate News, Insight Timer app), or savings/investing ideas, and giving your holiday money to communities and small businesses in distress. Basically, don't head to the mall or Amazon.com and get sucked into traditional consumerism. Plan ahead and be thoughtful and you'll probably save money in the process. I forgot to mention this gift idea on the show; you can also sponsor/"adopt" rescued animals or endangered species from nonprofit sanctuaries and wildlife organizations to give funds to those advocacy groups and educate kids about what we owe to these beautiful animal kin -- for example, Farm Sanctuary's Adopt a Turkey program https://www.farmsanctuary.org/adopt-a-turkey  The radio show is focused more on gifting for the adults in our lives, as I know that kids often do need books, toys, and clothes as they grow (and you can buy used, eco-friendly, and vegan products there). "In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station). Hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature  Please support indie media like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/   Take care of yourself and others, including other species.

Inside Climate News reporter Marianne Lavelle writes that New York Representative Lee Zeldin brings a moderate face to a radical game plan.

Donald Trump's second administration is poised to soon do a great deal of damage in several important areas – including health care, education, reproductive freedom, immigration, foreign policy and the economy. That said, when it comes to the damage that will be truly irreparable, no pledge looms darker or more ominous than Trump's plan to […]

It is the Midday Newswrap on today's show. Baltimore's go-it-alone approach to holding companies accountable for their role in the opioid epidemic continues to pay off. This week, the city won yet another huge judgment. WYPR's Health Reporter Scott Maucione has the latest. Plus, Aman Azhar of Inside Climate News reports on efforts to end Maryland's use of energy generated by trash incineration. Advocates have long railed against waste-to-energy plants, but now lawmakers are signaling their appetite for change.  And, we remember a titan of Baltimore politics. Mary Pat Clarke passed away this week. Former Baltimore City Councilman Anthony Ambridge reflects on her life of service.Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

The re-election of Donald Trump casts US climate action into doubt. President-elect Trump has vowed he will again pull the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement, cancel President Biden's climate policies and unleash American fossil fuels. Our colleagues at Inside Climate News join us for a roundtable discussion about what's next for the climate, environmental policy and journalism. Also, the latest summit for the UN's biodiversity treaty to attempt to avert mass extinctions was recessed when it ran out of time to make major decisions. Vox journalist Benji Jones was at the meeting in Cali, Colombia and joins us to talk about what it did achieve and what is still unresolved. And eels play an important ecological role in many rivers and streams, but they're so eel-usive that even eel scientists have been challenged to observe them mating in the wild. Ellen Ruppel Shell is author of the 2024 book Slippery Beast: A True Crime Natural History, with Eels, and she sheds light on the eel's murky ecology and path through the seafood industry. -- Interested in gaining hands-on experience with producing a radio show and podcast? Apply to be a Living on Earth intern this spring! The deadline is November 20th. To learn more go to loe.org and click on the About Us tab at the top of the page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're talking about a key piece of the global transition to renewable energy: metals. Specifically, metals like copper, lithium and cobalt that we need to build wind turbines, electric vehicles and to improve our energy grid. Vince Beiser, author of the forthcoming book “Power Metal: The Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future,” said we’ll need hundreds of millions more tons of these metals. But mining them comes at a cost. On the show today, Beiser explains the environmental and social consequences of mining for these metals, China’s dominance over the supply chain, and ways to make the transition to renewables more fair. Plus, why mining in space is a pipe dream, at least for now. Then, we’ll get into how the U.S. dairy industry could be upended if former President Donald Trump’s plan for mass deportations took place. And, how one listener makes voting a party. Here’s everything we talked about today: “The Green Economy Is Hungry for Copper—and People Are Stealing, Fighting, and Dying to Feed It” from Wired “Mining Critical to Renewable Energy Tied to Hundreds of Alleged Human Rights Abuses” from Inside Climate News “How does the environmental impact of mining for clean energy metals compare to mining for coal, oil and gas?” from MIT Climate Portal “The Indispensable Industry: Mining's Role in the Energy Transition and the Americas” from the Center for Strategic and International Studies “What a Crackdown on Immigration Could Mean for Cheap Milk” from The New York Times “Trump’s economic plans would worsen inflation, experts say” from AP News “Boeing to Sell at Least $10 Billion in Shares to Plug Cash Drain” from The Wall Street Journal We love to hear from you. Email your comments and questions to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Today we're talking about a key piece of the global transition to renewable energy: metals. Specifically, metals like copper, lithium and cobalt that we need to build wind turbines, electric vehicles and to improve our energy grid. Vince Beiser, author of the forthcoming book “Power Metal: The Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future,” said we’ll need hundreds of millions more tons of these metals. But mining them comes at a cost. On the show today, Beiser explains the environmental and social consequences of mining for these metals, China’s dominance over the supply chain, and ways to make the transition to renewables more fair. Plus, why mining in space is a pipe dream, at least for now. Then, we’ll get into how the U.S. dairy industry could be upended if former President Donald Trump’s plan for mass deportations took place. And, how one listener makes voting a party. Here’s everything we talked about today: “The Green Economy Is Hungry for Copper—and People Are Stealing, Fighting, and Dying to Feed It” from Wired “Mining Critical to Renewable Energy Tied to Hundreds of Alleged Human Rights Abuses” from Inside Climate News “How does the environmental impact of mining for clean energy metals compare to mining for coal, oil and gas?” from MIT Climate Portal “The Indispensable Industry: Mining's Role in the Energy Transition and the Americas” from the Center for Strategic and International Studies “What a Crackdown on Immigration Could Mean for Cheap Milk” from The New York Times “Trump’s economic plans would worsen inflation, experts say” from AP News “Boeing to Sell at Least $10 Billion in Shares to Plug Cash Drain” from The Wall Street Journal We love to hear from you. Email your comments and questions to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Today we're talking about a key piece of the global transition to renewable energy: metals. Specifically, metals like copper, lithium and cobalt that we need to build wind turbines, electric vehicles and to improve our energy grid. Vince Beiser, author of the forthcoming book “Power Metal: The Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future,” said we’ll need hundreds of millions more tons of these metals. But mining them comes at a cost. On the show today, Beiser explains the environmental and social consequences of mining for these metals, China’s dominance over the supply chain, and ways to make the transition to renewables more fair. Plus, why mining in space is a pipe dream, at least for now. Then, we’ll get into how the U.S. dairy industry could be upended if former President Donald Trump’s plan for mass deportations took place. And, how one listener makes voting a party. Here’s everything we talked about today: “The Green Economy Is Hungry for Copper—and People Are Stealing, Fighting, and Dying to Feed It” from Wired “Mining Critical to Renewable Energy Tied to Hundreds of Alleged Human Rights Abuses” from Inside Climate News “How does the environmental impact of mining for clean energy metals compare to mining for coal, oil and gas?” from MIT Climate Portal “The Indispensable Industry: Mining's Role in the Energy Transition and the Americas” from the Center for Strategic and International Studies “What a Crackdown on Immigration Could Mean for Cheap Milk” from The New York Times “Trump’s economic plans would worsen inflation, experts say” from AP News “Boeing to Sell at Least $10 Billion in Shares to Plug Cash Drain” from The Wall Street Journal We love to hear from you. Email your comments and questions to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Why stop emitting when we can just plant a bunch of trees?BONUS EPISODES available on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/deniersplaybook) SOCIALS & MORE (https://linktr.ee/deniersplaybook) CREDITS Created by: Rollie Williams, Nicole Conlan & Ben BoultHosts: Rollie Williams & Nicole ConlanExecutive Producer: Ben Boult Post-production: Jubilaria Media Researchers: Carly Rizzuto, Canute Haroldson & James Crugnale Art: Jordan Doll Music: Tony Domenick Special thanks: The Civil Liberties Defense Center, Shelley Vinyard & The National Resources Defense Council, Angeline Robertson & Stand.EarthSOURCESMrBeast. (2019). Planting 20,000,000 Trees, My Biggest Project Ever! YouTube.Charmin. (2022, January 31). Protect Grow Restore | Charmin® Loves Trees. YouTube.CNBC Television. (2020, January 21). Watch President Donald Trump's full speech at the Davos World Economic Forum. YouTube.Carrington, D. (2019, July 4). Tree planting “has mind-blowing potential” to tackle climate crisis. The Guardian.Jordan, A., Vinyard, S., & Skene, J. (2024). Issue with the Tissue. NRDC.Lee, S.-C., & Han, N. (n.d.). Unasylva - Vol. 2, No. 6 - Forestry in China. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.The Green Belt Movement. (2021, March 3). Wangari Maathai on the origins of The Green Belt Movement. Facebook.MacDonald, M. (2005, March 26). The Green Belt Movement, and the Story of Wangari Maathai. YES! Magazine.What We Do. (2024). The Green Belt Movement.Nobel Peace Center. (2022, February 25). Wangari Maathai: the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Who Planted Trees.Campaign to plant a billion trees within a year launched at UN climate change conference. (2006, November 8). UN News: Global Perspective Human Stories.U. N. Environment Programme. (2008, September 10). Plant for the Planet: The Billion Tree Campaign. UNEP.Christophersen, T. (n.d.). The Climate Leadership That Inspires Me: Felix Finkbeiner. UNEP.Plant-for-the-Planet – Trillion Trees for Climate Justice. (2024). 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(2020, March 11). Is the GOP warming to climate action? Trillion trees plan hopes for growth. YouTube.Speaker Kevin McCarthy. (2023, June 29). Speaker McCarthy and House Republicans Fight For American-Made Energy in Columbiana County, Ohio. YouTube.Sen. Mike Braun - Indiana. (2024). Open SecretsRep. Buddy Carter - Georgia (District 01). (2024). Open Secrets.Rep. Kevin McCarthy - California (District 23). (2024). Open Secrets.Rep. Clay Higgins - Louisiana (District 03). (2024). Open Secrets.Rep. Bruce Westerman - Arkansas (District 04). (2024). Open Secrets.Actions - H.R.2639 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Trillion Trees Act. (n.d.). Congress.gov.2023 National ECongress.govnvironmental Scorecard. (2023). League of Conservation Voters.Heal, A. (2023, April 11). The illusion of a trillion trees. The Financial Times Limited.Veldman, J. W., Aleman, J. C., Alvarado, S. T., Anderson, T. M., Archibald, S., Bond, W. J., Boutton, T. W., Buchmann, N., Buisson, E., Canadell, J. G., Dechoum, M. de S., Diaz-Toribio, M. H., Durigan, G., Ewel, J. J., Fernandes, G. W., Fidelis, A., Fleischman, F., Good, S. P., Griffith, D. M., & Hermann, J.-M. (2019). Comment on “The global tree restoration potential.” Science, 366(6463). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aay7976.Erratum for the Report: “The global tree restoration potential” by J.-F. Bastin, Y. Finegold, C. Garcia, D. Mollicone, M. Rezende, D. Routh, C. M. Zohner, T. W. Crowther and for the Technical Response “Response to Comments on ‘The global tree restoration potential'” by J.-F. Bastin, Y. Finegold, C. Garcia, N. Gellie, A. Lowe, D. Mollicone, M. Rezende, D. Routh, M. Sacande, B. Sparrow, C. M. Zohner, T. W. Crowther. (2020). Science, 368(6494). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abc8905Anderson, T. R., Hawkins, E., & Jones, P. D. (2016). CO2, the greenhouse effect and global warming: from the pioneering work of Arrhenius and Callendar to today's Earth System Models. Endeavour, 40(3), 178–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.endeavour.2016.07.002Hasler, N., Williams, C. A., Vanessa Carrasco Denney, Ellis, P. W., Shrestha, S., Terasaki, D. E., Wolff, N. H., Yeo, S., Crowther, T. W., Werden, L. K., & Cook-Patton, S. C. (2024). Accounting for albedo change to identify climate-positive tree cover restoration. Nature Communications, 15. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46577-1Viani, R. A. G., Bracale, H., & Taffarello, D. (2019). Lessons Learned from the Water Producer Project in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil. Forests, 10(11), 1031. https://doi.org/10.3390/f10111031Vadell, E., de-Miguel, S., & Pemán, J. (2016). Large-scale reforestation and afforestation policy in Spain: A historical review of its underlying ecological, socioeconomic and political dynamics. Land Use Policy, 55, 37–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2016.03.017TED-Ed. (2023, December 19). Does planting trees actually cool the planet? - Carolyn Beans. YouTube.Howard, S. Q.-I., Emma, & Howard, E. (2022, December 12). “How are we going to live?” Families dispossessed of their land to make way for Total's Congo offsetting project. Unearthed.Garside, R., & Wyn, I. (2021, August 6). Tree-planting: Why are large investment firms buying Welsh farms? BBC News.Gabbatiss, J., & Viisainen, V. (2024, June 26). Analysis: UK misses tree-planting targets by forest the “size of Birmingham.” Carbon Brief.Buller, A. (2022). The Value of a Whale. Manchester University Press.Alexander, S. (2024, May 3). A Billionaire Wanted to Save 1 Trillion Trees by 2030. It's Not Going Great. Bloomberg.No Watermark Clips. (2019, May 21). King of the Hill on Carbon Offsets. YouTube.Choi-Schagrin, W. (2021, August 23). Wildfires are ravaging forests set aside to soak up greenhouse gases. The New York Times.Hodgson, C. (2021, August 4). US Forest Fires Threaten Carbon Offsets as Company-Linked Trees Burn. Inside Climate News.What's the potential of a trillion trees? (2020). Crowther Lab.Luhn, A. (2023, December 13). Stop Planting Trees, Says Guy Who Inspired World to Plant a Trillion Trees. Wired.TED Audio Collective. (2022, July 3). Can planting trees really stop climate change? | Thomas Crowther | The TED Interview. YouTube.Fleischman, F., Basant, S., Chhatre, A., Coleman, E. A., Fischer, H. W., Gupta, D., Güneralp, B., Kashwan, P., Khatri, D., Muscarella, R., Powers, J. S., Ramprasad, V., Rana, P., Solorzano, C. R., & Veldman, J. W. (2020). Pitfalls of Tree Planting Show Why We Need People-Centered Natural Climate Solutions. BioScience, 70(11). https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaa094Oglesby, C. (2021, Feb 9). Republicans want to plant 1 trillion trees — and then log them. GristCORRECTIONSFelix Finkbeiner was 13 years old when he spoke at the United Nations, not 12.The industry that has currently contributed the most to Rep. Bruce Westerman's career campaigns for federal congress is the Forestry & Forest Products industry, as reported by Open Secrets. The Oil & Gas industry is listed as #2.DISCLAIMER: Some media clips have been edited for length and clarity.[For sponsorship inquiries, please contact climatetown@no-logo.co]See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our fall campaign is happening now! It takes a lot to keep City Cast Pittsburgh and Hey Pittsburgh running strong. Your membership helps us cover the cost of bringing you the local stories you care about. If you believe in what we do, become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh today. Every member makes a difference! Debate moderators, the national press, and even the candidates themselves keep equating Pennsylvania voters with fracking, even as they say the commonwealth could be the electoral linchpin for the White House. But why? Why has fracking become the single issue we're associated with? Today we're with friend-of-the-pod Kiley Bense of Inside Climate News to talk about how 13 million Pennsylvanians really feel about natural gas extraction, and what the campaigns should maybe be talking about instead. Here are some notes and references from today's show: MSNBC's Chris Hayes talked about fracking with PA Lt. Gov. Austin Davis & former congressman and Republican advisor Charlie Dent, who explain it's really more of a fear tactic. Today's guest, Kiley Bense, wrote about fracking in context with our local U.S. Senate race between Democratic incumbent Bob Casey and his Republican challenger, Dave McCormick. The Ohio River Valley Institute shared a poll in 2021 that indicated more people are worried about the climate impact of fracking. Muhlenberg College also tracks polling pretty closely.  The NYT published an excellent piece about low natural gas prices and how fracking ebbs and flows with price and demand. And check out this Inquirer column, which argues that if the candidates really wanted to woo us, they'd be talking less about fracking and more about the economy and reproductive rights.  Learn more about the sponsor of this September 30th episode: Pittsburgh Opera Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm. Want more Pittsburgh news?  Sign up for our daily morning Hey Pittsburgh newsletter. We're on Instagram @CityCastPgh. Text or leave us a voicemail at 412-212-8893. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climate advocates are showing strong support for Gov. Tim Walz's vice presidential campaign. They point to his record. “Walz was responsible, or at least, signed into law several climate action bills that are progressive no matter which state you live in,” said Kristoffer Tigue, who wrote about Walz's climate record for Inside Climate News. “That includes a law from 2023 which requires Minnesota utilities to produce 100 percent of their electricity from carbon free sources by 2040. He also signed several other bills that do a lot to advance the effort to slow down climate change.” Tigue joined MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner to talk about Walz's record in Minnesota and what that might mean for the Harris-Walz ticket. “A lot of advocates and political analysts believe that the Harris-Walz ticket will probably walk a line that's similar to what Biden has been doing in his last couple of years as president, which is taking kind of a moderate approach, trying to appeal to a broader audience, rather than appeasing a smaller, more progressive climate constituency,” Tigue said. But there's not a lot to go on.“Both Walz and Harris have largely refrained from talking about climate change since announcing their campaign together, but in the debate with former President Trump earlier this month, Harris did address climate change, and the two have since released a platform, though the details on policy are still pretty slim,” she said.To hear the full conversation, click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast.

The Marine Protection Atlas maps the global conservation of ocean areas that are supposed to legally protect aquatic animals and plant life from industrial activities like commercial fishing, mining, and drilling, but they have varying levels of protection and effectiveness so far. In this 33-minute podcast, we discuss the status of legally protected marine ocean areas worldwide, some of which are called “blue parks,” based on a report titled “Ocean protection quality is lagging behind quantity: Applying a scientific framework to assess real marine protected area progress against the 30 by 30 target” this was published in the Conservation Letters journal in 2024. Host Carrie Freeman interviews our guest -- the lead author of that report -- Beth Pike, who is also a ship captain, whale researcher, and the current Director of Marine Protection Atlas at the Marine Conservation Institute. You can explore the maps at https://mpatlas.org/  This is in context of the monumental agreement from 188 countries at the COP15 UN Biodiversity Conference in 2022 to protect 30 percent of our planet's land and waters by the year 2030 (Hence "30 by 30"). Beth's co-authored report tells us how we are lagging behind on that 30 x 30 goal and what we need to do to meet it, including ensuring that nations hold themselves accountable for not just making a marine area a park on paper but actually taking the extra steps to fund and enforce protections to avoid oil drilling, mining, and commercial fishing/poaching in those areas --high protections well managed so they actually allow marine plants and animals to regenerate and flourish and stem the tide of mass extinction we humans have caused.  Parks require policy, and they need political will to be funded and protected, so at the end we discuss the importance of voting for political leaders who care to do the right thing for biodiversity and our planetary health, and do so in an equitable/fair way that works with frontline and indigenous communities to use their knowledge in the process of developing policies that work for humans and nonhumans alike. In the context of US Politics, see articles like https://www.americanprogress.org/article/project-2025-would-be-a-disaster-for-national-marine-sanctuaries/  You can see a summary of Beth's report in this Inside Climate News article that alerted me to this issue. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17062024/largest-marine-protected-areas-have-inadequate-protections/  In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent, progressive, noncommercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like those who live in our oceans. Photo Credit: Stellar sea lions looking at us and depending on our marine protection efforts, by Jett Britnell/Coral Reef Image Bank.

On Thursday's show: We get the latest on possible stormy weather in the region and learn about a new report on coastal flooding from NOAA and what it suggests for Galveston and other Texas Gulf Coast communities.Also this hour: Plastic waste is piling up in a Houston facility awaiting the promise of new "advanced" or chemical forms of recycling. Some say those methods could solve the world's mounting plastic waste problem while others worry it could create another set of environmental problems. So, are we truly on the cusp of solving our plastic problem -- or is it all just a waste?Then, how vulnerable is Greater Houston's economy to risks stemming from climate change? The directors of Rice University's just-established Center for Coastal Futures and Adaptive Resilience (CFAR) share their insights.And we chat with Michael Moore, the president of Uptown Houston.

Tell us what you think of the show! his Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less.This week's episode features Dan Gearino from Inside Climate News, who wrote about how progress in solid-state battery technology may soon enable electric vehicles to achieve up to 600 miles of range. This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Emilie Oxel O'Leary, founder of Green Clean Wind LLC. Emilie is actively urging her LinkedIn followers to reach out for their solar recycling needs, highlighting the growing concern over solar components ending up in landfills. She's asking for every steel pile, aluminum racking component, nut, and bolt, so she can help clean up your site. Congratulations Emilie! This Week in Cleantech — August 30, 2024 Far-Right ‘Terrorgram' Chatrooms Fuel Wave of Power Grid Attacks — BloombergThe Case for a Clean Energy Marshall Plan — Foreign AffairsScoop: Swell is shutting down — Latitude MediaHungry for Clean Energy, Facebook Looks to a New Type of Geothermal — New York TimesWant an EV With 600 Miles of Range? It's Coming — Inside Climate NewsWatch the full episode on YouTubeRegistration is live for GridTECH Connect Forum - Northeast. Join us in Newport Rhode, Island October 28-30 for the interconnection event. Click the link in the episode description to get 10% off your ticket. The conference program is available here.

Baltimore's sewage system is one of its oldest assets, and its decay has plagued the parts of the city for years. Sewage backups caused by extreme weather or broken pipes leave residents with a costly clean up that can imperil their health. Aman Azhar is a reporter for Inside Climate News. He joins us to discuss the city's sewage infrastructure, its plan to help residents and a call from advocates to invest in a climate resilient future. According to the Department of Public Works, between 2018 and 2021, there were at least 8,860 reported residential sewage backups in Baltimore caused at least partially by conditions in the city's portion of the pipes.Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

This week on CounterSpin: Climate disruption is outpacing many scientists' understanding of it, and it's undeniably driving many harms we are facing: extreme heat, extreme cold, devastating hurricanes and tornadoes. News media are giving up pretending that these extreme weather events are just weird and not provably driven by the continued use of fossil fuels. But fossil fuel companies are among the most powerful players in terms of telling lawmakers how to make the laws they want to see — public interest be damned. We'll hear about what you are very definitely not supposed to hear from reporter Emily Sanders from ExxonKnews. Not everyone is lying down and accepting that we're going to die from a climate crisis that is avoidable, but since companies don't want to talk about it, let's not. A county in Oregon is saying, deaths from high heat are in fact directly connected to conscious corporate decision-making. We'll hear about that potentially emblematic story from Victoria St. Martin, longtime journalist and journalism educator, now reporting on health and environmental justice at Inside Climate News.   The post Emily Sanders on Criminalizing Pipeline Protest / Victoria St. Martin on Suing Fossil Fuel Companies appeared first on KPFA.

Remember that District-wide boil water advisory on July 3? Turns out it was caused by a massive algae bloom in our local waters, and because of climate change, issues like this could become more common. Last week, Inside Climate News reporter Aman Azhar broke the story on what caused the problem, and he tells us what it means for water safety in D.C. going forward. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $8 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this August 8th episode: Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week: (8/12 - 8/18) Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not long ago, scientists made a discovery in Pennsylvania. They found a ton of lithium in wastewater created by fracking – enough to meet 40% of our whole country's needs. On the surface, this sounds like it could be a win, given lithium's importance in the shift to cleaner energy. But things always get complicated when fracking is part of the picture. Kiley Bense with Inside Climate News joins us to talk about what we know about Pennsylvania's lithium supply and the pros and cons of what comes next. Learn more about the sponsors of this July 24th episode: Bike PGH Pittsburgh Cultural Trust  Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST YWCA Equity Award Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm. Want more Pittsburgh news?  Sign up for our daily morning Hey Pittsburgh newsletter. We're on Instagram @CityCastPgh. Text or leave us a voicemail at 412-212-8893. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Flash floods and extreme temperatures — both heat and cold — are having a negative impact on infrastructure across the Midwest. These extreme weather swings take a toll on roads, bridges and railroads, leading to headaches for travel and daily commutes.Kiley Price wrote about the threat for Inside Climate News and joined MPR News meteorologist Paul Huttner to explain what's being done to address the aging infrastructure in the Midwest.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take this survey. Trump's vice presidential pick J.D. Vance has ties to Silicon Valley, where a growing number of entrepreneurs are backing the former president. The Washington Post's Cristiano Lima-Strong tells us more. Then, we speak with two voters from key swing states about the 2024 presidential election and who they plan to support. And, Indigenous communities in the Amazon rainforest are building a grassroots movement to fight deforestation. Inside Climate News' Katie Surma joins us.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Climate change-enhanced rainfall events threaten nearly 92,000 dams across the U.S. and many are over 100 years old — including dams in Minnesota. Climate reporter Kristoffer Tigue wrote about aging dams and the risk for extreme rainfall for Inside Climate News. Tigue joined MPR News meteorologist Paul Huttner to explain how extreme weather events pose a threat to dams in Minnesota and the Midwest. To hear the full conversation, click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast.

David Fidler, senior fellow for global health and cybersecurity at CFR, discusses the factors shaping U.S. health and climate policy included in his Council Special Report, A New U.S. Foreign Policy for Global Health. Penelope Overton, climate reporter at the Portland Press Herald, speaks about her experiences reporting on climate and environment stories in Maine and their intersection with public health outcomes. The host of the webinar is Carla Anne Robbins, senior fellow at CFR and former deputy editorial page editor at the New York Times.  TRANSCRIPT FASKIANOS: Thank you. Welcome to the Council on Foreign Relations Local Journalists Webinar. I'm Irina Faskianos, vice president for the National Program and Outreach here at CFR. CFR is an independent and nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher focused on U.S. foreign policy. CFR is also the publisher of Foreign Affairs magazine. As always, CFR takes no institutional positions on matters of policy. This webinar is part of CFR's Local Journalists Initiative, created to help you draw connections between the local issues you cover and national and international dynamics. Our programming puts you in touch with CFR resources and expertise on international issues and provides a forum for sharing best practices. We're delighted to have over thirty-five participants from twenty-two states and U.S. territories with us today, so thank you for joining this discussion, which is on the record. The video and transcript will be posted on our website after the fact at CFR.org/localjournalists. So we are pleased to have David Fidler, Penelope Overton, and host Carla Anne Robbins to lead today's discussion on “Climate Change and Public Health Policy.” David Fidler is a senior fellow for global health and cybersecurity at CFR. He is the author of the Council special report A New U.S. Foreign Policy for Global Health. Professor Fidler has served as an international legal consultant to the World Bank, the U.S. Department of Defense, the World Health Organization, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And his other publications include The Snowden Reader, Responding to National Security Letters: A Practical Guide for Legal Counsel, and Biosecurity in the Global Age: Biological Weapons, Public Health, and the Rule of Law. Penelope Overton is the Portland Press Herald's first climate reporter. She's written extensively on Maine's lobster and cannabis industries. She also covers Maine state politics and other health and environmental topics. In 2021, she spent a year as a spotlight fellow with the Boston Globe exploring the impact of climate change on the U.S. lobster fishery. And before moving to Maine, Ms. Overton covered politics, environment, casino gambling, and tribal issues in Florida, Connecticut, and Arizona. And, finally, Carla Anne Robbins is a senior fellow at CFR and cohost of the CFR podcast The World Next Week. She also serves as the faculty director of the Master of International Affairs Program and clinical professor of national security studies at Baruch College's Marxe School of Public and International Affairs. And previously, she was deputy editorial page editor at the New York Times and chief diplomatic correspondent at the Wall Street Journal. So thank you all for being with us. I'm going to turn the conversation over to Carla to run it, and then we're going to open up to all of you for your questions, which you can either write in the Q&A box but we would actually prefer you to raise your hand so we can hear your voice, and really open up this forum to share best practices and hear what you're doing in your communities. So with that, Carla, over to you. ROBBINS: Thank you, Irina. And I'm glad you're feeling better, although your voice still sounds scratchy. (Laughs.) Welcome back. So, David and Penny, thank you for doing this. And thank you, everybody, for joining us here today. This is—Penny, at some point I want to get into the notion of covering cannabis and lobsters because they seem to go very well together, but—(laughs)—and how you got that beat. But, David, if we can start with you, can you talk about the relationship between the climate and public health threats like the COVID pandemic? I think people would tend to see these as somewhat separate. They're both global threats. But you know, why would rising temperatures increase, you know, the emergence or spread of pathogens? I mean, are they directly driving—one driving the other? FIDLER: Yes. I'll just give a quick public health snapshot of climate change as an issue. In public health, the most important thing you can do is to prevent disease threats or other types of threats to human health. In the climate world, that's mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. That hasn't gone so well. That creates, then, the second problem: If you have—if you're not preventing problems from emerging, threatening human health and the infrastructure that supports human health, then you have to respond. And that's climate adaptation. And in climate adaptation, we deal—public health officials and experts are going to have to deal with a range of issues. Close to if not at the top of the list is the way in which the changing nature of the global climate through global warming could increase—and some experts would argue is increasing—the threat of pathogenic infections and diseases within countries and then being transmitted internationally. And this leads to a concern about what's called a one health approach because you have to combine environmental health, animal health, and human health to be able to understand what threats are coming. And climate change plays—is playing a role in that, and the fear is that it will play an even bigger role. Coming out of the problems that we had with dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, this also fills public health officials with alarm because we didn't do so well on that pathogenic threat. Are we ready to deal with potential pathogenic threats that global warming exacerbates in addition to all the other health threats that are going to come with climate change? ROBBINS: So can we just drill down a little bit more on that, as well as a variety of other health threats from climate change? So, like, with malaria, like, more water; water, you know, pools; mosquitoes; malaria spreads itself. With COVID, there was this whole question about, you know, loss of jungles, and maybe animals come in closer to humans, and things spread that way. Can you talk some more about what changes happen to the world around us that—with climate change that could increase the possibility of people getting sick, as well as other stresses on our bodies? FIDLER: Yes. In terms of vector-borne diseases such as malaria or dengue fever, the concern is that as global warming happens the area in which the vectors that carry these diseases will expand. So if you have malaria-carrying mosquitoes, if global warming is expanding the range of possibilities for those mosquitoes to inhabit, then there's a(n) increased public health threat from those vector-borne diseases. If you have a situation in which that global warming is also happening in connection with waterborne diseases, it's both the excess amount of water that you might have with flooding as well as potential shortages of water that you have could also increase the threat of waterborne diseases. So global warming has these effects on potential pathogenic threats. Deforestation is a concern in connection also with humans coming more into contact with pathogens that we haven't experienced before. Unfortunately, we still don't really know what the origin of the COVID-19 virus was, largely because of geopolitical problems. But also, as global warming affects forested areas or other types of ecosystems, the possibility for pathogens to emerge and effect public health increases. ROBBINS: And then there are other effects, like loss of access to water, and rising heat, and all these other things which are part of—because I would suppose that in a lot of places, you know, people would think, well, you know, I live in Kansas; I'm not going to be really worried about loss of a jungle or something of that sort. So in the United States, if you're a public health official, and you haven't thought about climate change as a—as a public health issue, and you want to go make the pitch, what would you say that—how climate is already potentially affecting people's health? FIDLER: Yes, and this is one of the most interesting policy challenges about climate adaptation. Different areas of every country are going to experience climate change differently. So in some parts it might be wildfires. In another part it might be extreme heat. In another part it might be the spread of vector-borne diseases. And in other—in coastal areas, you know, sea level rise. In other areas, shortage of water because of drought. And so for any given locality, right, there could be diverse and different effects of climate change on public health from even a neighboring state or certainly a state, you know, across the country. City and county public health officials and state public health officials are already trying to start to get their head around the types of threats that their communities are going to face. And that's what's going to be interesting to me about today's conversation, is how those types of effects are being discussed at the local level. A critical principle that's usually put in—on the table for any policy discussion, whether it's foreign policy or local policy, is that if you don't have community buy-in, you don't have community commitment to dealing with some of these problems, the policy solutions are going to be far more difficult. ROBBINS: So, Penny, you are new—reasonably new to this beat, and your newspaper created this beat, which is—you know, which is a sort of extraordinary thing. I mean, how big is your newsroom? OVERTON: I think it's about fifty people— ROBBINS: And the notion— OVERTON: —if you include, you know, sports reporters and everybody. ROBBINS: So the notion that they would—maybe your newspaper's the rare local newspaper that's doing really well, but most local newspapers are, you know—(laughs)—are battling these days. Why did they decide that they wanted to create a climate beat? OVERTON: I think that our readers were asking for it. I mean, everybody—I think you find that every newspaper is writing climate stories, you know, in some way, even if it's just running wire—like, national wire stories. And of course, papers are and every news outlet is obsessed with metrics, and we know what readers are looking for. Sometimes the stories aren't necessarily labeled climate, but they are, you know, climate-related. And so in trying to sort out during a general newsroom kind of reshuffle about what readers, especially what our online readers—since that's where everything is kind of moving towards—what they were really looking for, climate was one of the topics that kind of rose to the top. And then also we're part of a newspaper family in Maine where there's a—you know, every—a lot of weeklies, several dailies that all belong under one ownership. It's actually a nonprofit ownership now, as of about a year ago. So I don't think it's a coincidence that it went nonprofit at the same time that they decided to do a climate beat. But one of the topics that unite all of the papers across a really, you know, far-flung state with the areas where you have really well-off people that live along the shore, people who aren't so well-off in the interior, there's not a lot that sometimes unites our state, but everybody was interested in this from the fishermen—who may not want to call it climate change, but they know that things are changing and it's impacting their bottom line; to the loggers up north who can't get into their—you know, their forest roads are now basically mud season for much longer than they used to be, they're not frozen anymore for as long as they were so they can't get in and harvest the way that they were; farmers. I mean, the three Fs in Maine—forestry, farming, and fishing—are, you know, pretty big, and they all care immensely about climate because they know it's affecting their bottom line. So I think that that really united all of our newsrooms. ROBBINS: So can you talk a little bit more about that? Because I—you know, you've lived in places other than Maine, right? I mean, I used to live in Miami, and it's really hot in Miami these days. And the New York Times had this really interesting interactive a couple of years ago in which you could put in the year you were born and your hometown, and it would tell you how many more days of the year would be over 90 degrees. And it was just wild how many more days in Miami it would be. I mean, it's pretty hot in Miami, but many more days now than it was. And you've seen already this spring how bad it is in Miami. So I think to myself, Maine. I mean, Maine—I went to school in Massachusetts; I know what Maine is like. So I would think that Maine would be—it's going to take a while for—you know, for it to come to Maine, but what you're saying is it's already in Maine. So can you talk about how—you know, how it is? And, obviously, it's affecting Maine for them to create a beat like that. So what sort of stories are you writing? OVERTON: Well, I mean, Maine is definitely—you know, its impacts are going to be different. The actual climate threats are different in Maine than they are, say, like in Arizona where I used to live and report. You know, but contrary to what you might think, we actually do have heatwaves—(laughs)—and we have marine heatwaves. The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99 percent of the, you know, world's ocean bodies, and so the warming is definitely occurring here. But what we're seeing is that just because it's not—the summer highs are not as high as, like, you know, Nevada, Arizona, Southern California, the Midwest, we also are completely unprepared for what's actually happening because nobody here has ever really had to worry about it. Our temperate climate just didn't make air conditioning a big, you know, high-level priority. So the increasing temperatures that are occurring even now are—we don't have the same ability to roll with it. Warming stations in the winter? Yes, we have those. Cooling stations in the summer? No, we don't have those. And I mean, there are a few cities that are now developing that, but if you don't have a large homeless population in your city in Maine you probably don't have a public cooling station. It's really just the public library is your cooling station. So some of those—that kind of illustrates how sometimes it's not the public health threat; it's actually the public health vulnerability that a local reporter might want to be focusing in on. So you can go to the National Climate Assessment and you can pull up, like, exactly what, you know—even if you don't have a state climate office or a climate action plan, you can go to one of those National Climate Assessments, drill down, and you can get the data on how, you know, the projected temperature increases, and precipitation increases, and the extreme weather that's projected for 2050 and 2100 in your area. And those might not be, you know, nightmare stuff the way that it would be for other parts of the country, but then you'd want to be focusing in on how—what the infrastructure in your state is like. Are you prepared for what will be happening? And I think the air conditioning thing is a really good example. Maine also happens to be, you know—Florida will love this, but Maine's actually the oldest state as far as demographics go. And so you have a lot of seniors here that have been identified as a vulnerable population, and so with the combination of a lot of seniors, with housing stock that's old and doesn't have air conditioning, and that they're a long distance from hospitals, you know, don't always—they don't have a lot of emergency responder capability, that's kind of a recipe for disaster when you start talking to your local public health officers who are going to start focusing in on what happens when we have extreme weather, and the power goes out, and these people who need—are reliant on electricity-fed medical devices, they don't have access, they can't get into the hospital. You can see kind of where I'm going with the vulnerability issue. ROBBINS: David, Penny has just identified the sort of things that one hopes a public health official on a state, or county, or local town or city level is thinking about. But in your report, it says the United States faces a domestic climate adaptation crisis. And when we think about climate and adaptation, and when we look at the COP meetings, the international climate change meetings, the Paris meetings, we usually think about adaptation as something that we're going to pay for for other countries to deal with, or something of the sort. But can you talk about the concerns of our, you know, adaptation policies, and particularly state-level weaknesses? FIDLER: Yes, and I think Penny gave a nice overview of what, you know, the jurisdiction in Maine, you know, faces, and public health officials and experts are beginning to think about how do we respond to these new types of threats, which for most public health agencies and authorities across the United States is a new issue. The data is getting better, the research is getting better. The problems that public health agencies face sort of a across the United States are, one, they were never really built to deal with this problem. Some of it overlaps, so for example, if you have increased ferocity of, you know, extreme weather events—tornados, hurricanes—public health officials in those jurisdictions that are vulnerable know how to respond to those. They work with emergency management. As the scale of those types of events increases, however, there is a stress on their capabilities and their resources. Other things are new—air pollution from wildfire, the extreme heat of that; sea level rise, salination of drinking water from that; or even sinking in places where groundwater is being drawn out because of a lack of rainfall. Part of the problem that we have, that I talk about in my report coming out of COVID, is that among many issues today, the authority that public health agencies have at the federal and state level is polarized. We don't have national consensus about public health as an issue. So unfortunately, coming out of COVID, we're even less prepared for a pandemic as well as climate change adaptation. And that's something that we need to have better federal, state, local cooperation and coordination on going forward. Again, it's going to be very different from dealing with a pandemic, or even dealing with a non-communicable disease like tobacco consumption or, you know, hypertension because of the diversity—geographic—as well as the particular problem itself. So this is going to be a real challenge for federal and public health agencies, which at the moment are in some of the weakest conditions that I've seen in decades. ROBBINS: Penny, how much do you have to deal with your local public health, state public health agencies? And do they have a climate action plan? How developed are they on this? You talked about going to a particular website. Do you want to talk a little bit about that, as well? The assessments that you are making, is that information that you've gotten from your local public health agencies or from your state, or is this something that you yourself have come up with? OVERTON: Well, the state is—I think that the state of Maine is actually pretty far down the road for its size. It's like punching above its weight, I guess, when it comes to climate. They have—they published their first climate action plan in 2020, and they updated it with a—kind of like how close are we coming to our goals in 2022, and then they're in the process of developing the next four-year kind of installment, which will be due out in December. So the first one was kind of like—to me as an outsider, it felt like a “climate change is happening, folks” kind of report. In Maine we definitely—we have a split. We have an urban, you know, core that's kind of—it's liberal, and you don't have to convince those people. We have a lot of rural parts of the state where, if you ask, you know, is climate change real, you're still going to get a pretty good discussion, if not an outright fight. (Laughs.) But one of the things that I've found in this latest update is that, as they are focusing in on impacts, you get a different discussion. You don't have to discuss with people about why the change is happening; you can just agree to discuss the changes, and that pulls in more communities that might have not applied for any type of, you know, federal ARPA funds or even—Maine makes a lot of state grants available for communities that want to do adaptation. So if you can get away from talking about, you know, the man-made contributions, which, I mean, I still include in every one of my stories because it's just—you know, that's actually not really debatable, but as far as the policy viewpoint goes, if you can just focus in on the impact that's already occurring in Maine, you get a lot of people pulled into the process, and they actually want to participate. And I also have found that the two—the two impacts in Maine of climate change that are most successful at pulling in readers—(laughs)—as well as communities into planning processes are public health and extreme weather. I don't know if it's, you know, all the Mainers love their Farmers' Almanacs—I'm not sure. I mean, I'm originally from West Virginia. I still have a Farmers' Almanac every year, but I just kind of feel like extreme weather has been a wakeup call in Maine. We got hammered with three bad storms in December and January that washed a lot of our coastal infrastructure away. And, I mean, privately owned docks that fishermen rely on in order to bring in the lobster catch every year, and that's a $1.5 billion industry in Maine. Maine is small—1.5 billion (dollars), that dwarves everything, so anything the messes with the lobster industry is going to have people—even in interior Maine—very concerned. And everybody could agree that the extreme storms, the not just sea level rise, but sea level rise and storm surge, nobody was prepared for that, even in places like Maine, where I think that they are ahead of a lot of other states. So you start pulling people in around the resiliency discussion. I think you kind of have them at that point. You've got their attention and they are willing to talk, and they're willing to accept adaptations that they might not be if you were sitting there still debating whether or not climate change is real. The public health has been something that has really helped bring interior Maine into the discussion. Everybody does care. Nobody wants to lose the lobster industry because that's an income, like a tax revenue that you just wouldn't be able to make up any other way, even if you are in a Rumford or a Lewiston that have nothing to do with the shoreline. But public health, that unites—that's everybody's problem, and asthma, and, you know, all of our natural resource employees who are out working in the forests, and the blueberry fields, and whatnot, extreme heat and heat stroke—those things really do matter to them. They may disagree with you about what's causing them, but they want to make sure that they are taking steps to adapt and prepare for them. So I just have found public health to be a real rallying point. And I also think that, for local reporters, if you don't have a state action plan—because even though Maine has one—we're a lean government state—they don't—you know, they're still gathering data, and it can be pretty slim pickings. But you can go to certain things like the U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index, and you can start looking for—drilling down into your local Census tract even. So you don't need something at your state. Even if you're in a state that, say, politically doesn't want to touch climate change with a ten-foot pole, you can still use those national tools to drill down and find out where your community is both vulnerable to climate threats, but then also the areas that are least prepared to deal with it. And then you can start reporting on what nobody else wants to write about or talk about even. And isn't that the best kind of reporting—is you kind of get the discussion going? So I think public health is a real opportunity for reporters to do that, and also your medical—the medical associations. If you talk to doctors here at the Maine Medical Association, they may not want to talk about humanity's contribution to climate change, but they already know that climate change is posing an existing health risks to their patients, whether that be, you know, asthma, allergies, heat stroke, Lyme disease, or just mental health issues; whether you're a lobsterman worried that you're not going to be able to pay off that million-dollar boat because the lobsters are moving north, or if you are a young person who has climate fatigue. We don't have enough mental health providers as it is. Anything that's going to exacerbate a mental health issue in Maine, I mean, we don't have the tools to deal with what's already here. That's a gap that reporters feast on, right? We write about those gaps to try and point them out, and hopefully somebody steps in to resolve them. So I rambled a bit, but there's—I feel like this bee— ROBBINS: No, no, no, you— OVERTON: —it's like never like what stories—boy, what stories can I write; it's more like how am I going to get to them all, you know, because I feel like everybody out there, even if you are not a climate reporter, I guarantee you there is a climate aspect to your beat, and there is probably a public health climate aspect to your beat. I mean, if you are a crime reporter, are your prisons—(laughs)—I mean, most prisons aren't air conditioned. Just think about the amount of money that's being spent to deal with heat stroke, and think about the amount of—I mean, I'm making this up as you go, but I guarantee you if you are a prison reporter, that you're going to find, if you drill down, you're going to see disciplinary issues go through the roof when you have a heat wave. That's what I mean by, like, you can find a climate story in any beat at a newsroom. ROBBINS: That's great. I always loved the editors who had story ideas if they gave me the time to do them. David, can we go back to this—the United States faces a domestic climate adaptation crisis? If I wanted to assess the level of preparation in my state to deal with some of the problems that Penny is doing, how do I do that? What do I look for—climate action plans? Where do I start? FIDLER: Well, I think you would start at the—you've got to start both at the federal level, so what is the federal government willing to do to help jurisdictions—local, county, state—deal with the different kinds of climate adaptation problems that they're facing. And even as a domestic policy issue, this is relatively new. I think Penny gave a great description of how that has unfolded in one state. This is happening also in other jurisdictions. But again, because of the polarization about climate change, as well as fiscal constraints on any federal spending, how the federal government is going to interface with the jurisdictions that are going to handle adaptation on the ground is important—state government planning, thinking, how they talk about it, how they frame the issue, do they have a plan, is it integrated with emergency management, is it part of the authority that public health officials are supposed to have, how is that drilling down to the county, municipal, and local level. Again, it's going to be different if it's a big urban area or if it's a rural community, and so, as the impacts—and Penny is right about it—it's the impacts on human lives, direct and indirect, including damage to economic infrastructure, which supports jobs, supports economic well-being. That's a social determinant of health. And as I indicated, there are efforts underway, not only in individual states, but also in terms of networks of county and city health officials, tribal health officials, as well, for Native American areas—that they're beginning to pool best practices. They're beginning to share information. So I would look not only at those governmental levels, but I would look at the networks that are developing to try to create coordination, cooperation and sharing of best practices for how to deal with different issues. So if you have a situation where you are like Penny described in Maine, you know, you really haven't had to have air conditioning before; now you've got a problem. What are the most efficient and effective ways of dealing with that problem? Share information. Research, I think, is also ongoing in that context. And so there is a level of activism and excitement about this as a new, emerging area in public health. Again, there are lots of constraints on that that have to be taken seriously. At some point, it's just also a core principle of public health and epidemiology that you need to address the cause of these problems. And if we still can't talk about climate change and causes for that, this problem is only going to metastasize in our country as well as the rest of the world. And there are not enough public health officials at the state, county, local level, and there's not enough money if we don't try to bring this more under control. That's mitigation. We've squandered four decades on this issue. We have no consensus nationally about that question, and so that just darkens the shadow in, you know, looking forward in terms of what public health officials are going to have to handle. ROBBINS: So I want to throw it open to our group, and if you could raise your hand. We do have a question already from Aparna Zalani. Do you want to ask your question yourself, or shall I read it? Q: Can you guys hear? ROBBINS: I will—I'm sorry. Yes, please. Q: OK, yeah, basically I just wanted to know if you guys know if anybody is collecting good heat-related death data—data on heat-related deaths. ROBBINS: And Aparna, where do you work? Q: I work for CBS News. ROBBINS: Thank you. OVERTON: I'm just looking through my bookmarks because, yes—(laughs)—there are. I know that those are factored into Maine's climate action plan, and I can guarantee you that is not a Maine-only stat. That would be coming from a federal—there's just not enough—the government here is not big enough to be tracking that on its own. It is definitely pulling that down from a federal database. And I'm just trying to see if I can find the right bookmark for you. If you—and I'm not going to because, of course, I'm on the spot—but if you add your contact information to the chat, or you can send it, you know, to me somehow, I will—I'll send that to you because there is, and it's a great—there's emergency room visits, and there are other ways. They actually break it down to heatstroke versus exacerbating other existing problems. It's not necessarily just—you don't have to have heatstroke to have, like, say, a pregnancy complication related to heat illness, or an asthma situation that's made far worse. So they do have, even broken down to that level. FIDLER: And when I'm often looking for aggregate data that gives me a picture of what's happening in the United States, I often turn to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC. And so they're often collecting that kind of data to build into their own models and their research, also in terms of the assistance that provide state and local governments on all sorts of issues. And because adaptation is now on the radar screen of the federal public health enterprise, there might be data on the CDC website. And then you can identify where they are getting their sources of information, and then build out a constellation of possible sources. Again, it's something—there's the National Association of City and County Health Officers—NACCHO is the acronym—that, again, it's one of those networks where you could probably see those health officers that are having to deal with extreme heat and the morbidity and mortality associated with that. There could be data that they are generating and sharing through that sort of network. And on the— OVERTON: And one thing I would add— FIDLER: Sorry. Drilling at the global level, WHO would be another place to think about looking if you wanted a global snapshot at data. OVERTON: I was going to add that will probably be underreported, as well, because in talking to, like, say—because, I mean, we're just ultra-local, right—talking to the emergency room directors at our hospitals, there are—the number of cases that might come in and really should be classified as heatstroke, but then end up being listed instead in the data, you know, in the documentation as, like, a cardiac problem. You know, it's—I think you are limited to how quickly someone on the ground might identify what's coming in as actually being heat-related versus like just whatever the underlying problem was. They might list that instead. And the other thing, too, is to make sure that—this is the hardest part about climate reporting is the correlation aspect versus causation. You're going to mostly be finding, look, heat waves are—when we have heat waves, you see this spike. You have to be really careful because it could be that the spike that's coming in emergency rooms is actually because there was also a power outage. Now I would argue extreme weather still adds that—you know, makes that linked, but you have to be careful about making sure you don't jump from correlation to causation. I'm sure you know this, but it's the same thing with every statistic, but sometimes my first draft of a story I'm like, oh, look at that. I just made climate change responsible for everything. (Laughter.) And I have to go back and like, you know, really check myself because the minute you overstep in any way is the minute that you, like, lose all credibility with the people out there who are already skeptical. FIDLER: And this is sort of—it's often where adaptation becomes a much more complicated problem for public health officials because there are underlying health problems that have nothing to do with climate change, that when you meet, you know, warming, extreme temperatures or even, you know, problems with, you know, sanitation, or water, or jobs, it can manifest itself in very dangerous diseases or health conditions that then lead to hospitalization and to biased statistics. So what Penny is saying is absolutely right, and there needs to be care here, but from a public health point of view, this is why this is going to be a monster problem. ROBBINS: Can we just—because we have other questions, but talking about bookmarks, Penny, you had—when you were talking before, you went through some other places that you go to for data and information. Can you just repeat some of those you were talking about? OVERTON: Yeah, the National Climate Assessment, the U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index, good old Census Bureau. (Laughs.) I mean, there are a couple of—the other thing, too, I would say that if you are in a state that doesn't have—say that public health officers are under intense pressure not to talk about climate change, still go to your local university because I guarantee you that there are grad students, you know, coming in from the blue states someplace that might be going to school in a red state, but they're going to be studying those topics, and they are going to be collecting data. I, you know—geez, countless stories based on grad student work. So I would keep those folks in mind, as well. And the other thing is that, if we're talking about public health, I always think of public health and climate in three ways. It's the threat, you know, the actual increase, something like tick-borne illness if you are Mainer because we never had ticks here really before because our winters were so awful, and the ticks couldn't last. Well, now they're here, and Lyme disease has gone through the roof. So I think about it—that's like a threat. And then there's the vulnerability issue that I was mentioning. But there's also the accountability issue—is that you want to make sure as a reporter that you are following the infrastructure money that's coming through, and that they are actually going to the places that need it the most. And public health is something that I think is a good lens to look at that. If all your money is going into the shoreline communities in Maine because they're the ones with grant officers that are writing the grant applications to get the infrastructure money, do they really need it, or is it that town in the middle of the state with no grant officer, and huge public health needs and vulnerabilities that really need it. So I would think about public health as being an important accountability tool, as well, because if you've got public health data, you can easily point out the communities that need that money the most, and then find out who is actually getting the cash. ROBBINS: So Debra Krol from the—environmental reporter from the Arizona Republic, you had your hand up. OVERTON: I love your stories, Deb. Q: Thank you very much. Just a brief aside before I ask the question because I know we're running short on time. We did a story here a few months ago about a nonprofit group that's helping these underserved communities obtain grants and do the grant reporting, and I remembered something that we learned at a local journalist get-together at CFR, so that's what influenced me to do that. So kudos to our friends over there. But my question is, is data sharing between agencies—you know, we're always trying to get statistics out of the Indian Health Service, and every other state that has tribal communities or tribal health has the same problem. So how much of these stats do you think are actually coming from tribal health departments? OVERTON: I know in Maine they are coming. In fact, Maine's five federally recognized tribes are kind of blazing a path as far as looking for grant applications. And of course, once they apply for a grant, you could go through all that data when they're looking to justify the need, right? And that will help you in just getting the, you know, situation on the ground. But I—yes, I mean, I don't know about whether there may be certain parts of the country where that's not leading the way, but also—I would also urge you to look at—go through the Veterans Administration, as well, just because I'm sure that, you know, that there's a large overlap between Indian Health Services, BIA, and the VA. And it's the way the VA provides public health care and the outcomes they get when they are serving indigenous veterans are far different than what Indian Health Services and BIA sometimes get. And they are more forthcoming with their data. FIDLER: I know that one of the issues that's on my list to do some more research for my foreign policy analysis is to look at the way the federal governments, state governments, and tribal authorities interact on climate adaptation. And that comes loaded with lots of complicated problems—just the history of relations between tribes and the federal government, the concerns that the Indian Health Service has about problems that have been around for decades, layering on top of that adaptation. So some of it, I think, gets involved in just political disputes between tribes and the federal government. Some of the data-sharing problems I think relate to a lack of capabilities to assess, process, and share the data. The tribal authorities are on the list, at least, of the federal government's radar screen for improving how they do adaptation. I personally think that how that jurisdictional tension is resolved could be a very valuable model for thinking about U.S. foreign policy and how we help other countries in adaptation. I also think there is variable experiences between tribal authorities and the federal government. A lot of activity is happening in Alaska with adaptation that I think is more advanced than it is with some of the tribal authorities' relations with the federal government in the continental United States. So we just also need to start looking, you know, beyond for best practices, principles, ways of making this work better as adaptation becomes a bigger problem. ROBBINS: Debra is—Debra Krol is offering to speak with you offline. She has some recommendations on research. Debra, thank you for that. Q: You are welcome. ROBBINS: And for the shoutout. Garrick Moritz, an editor of a small town newspaper in South Dakota. Can you tell us the name of your paper and ask your question? Q: Yeah, I am the Garretson Gazette. Hello, if you can hear me. ROBBINS: Absolutely. Q: Oh, yeah, we just get frequent—we get frequent notifications from the state health department about, you know, like West Nile and several other, you know, vector diseases, and it mostly comes from mosquitos, and mosquito populations are a real problem in a lot of places. And it's definitely one here. And so, I guess, in my own reporting and in basically reporting from people across the country, how can—what are practical tips that we can give to people, and things we can recommend to our city, state or county officials? ROBBINS: To protect themselves. OVERTON: You know, I think that if you were to go to the, you know, U.S. CDC, you're going to see that there's a lot of, you know, straight up PSAs about how to handle, you know, even right down to the degree of, like, you know, the kinds of mosquito repellent you can use that doesn't have DEET in it, you know, like it gets pretty specific. I think that that's—you could probably—and in fact I think they even have infographics that, you know, are public domain that you are able to just lift, as long as you credit the U.S. CDC. So it's almost like—and also Climate Central. And there's a couple of—I would say a couple of kind of groups out there that basically serve it up for reporters. I mean, I love Climate Central. I love Inside Climate News. These are some places that specifically work with reporters, and for smaller markets, they even do the graphic work. And it's a great resource. I would urge you to look there, too. ROBBINS: Can we talk a little bit more about other— FIDLER: And I think one of the— ROBBINS: Yeah, David, can you also talk about other resources, as well as answering—whatever answer to your question. What should we be reading and looking to for information? FIDLER: Well, in terms of vector-borne diseases, many states and the federal government has vast experience dealing with these. There's a fundamental problem—is that as the geographic range of vector-borne diseases begins to expand into areas where the history of that type of vector control just really hasn't been, you know, part of what public health officials have had to worry about, so the infrastructure, the capabilities. And then, also importantly, how you communicate with the public about those kinds of threats: what the government is doing, what they can do to protect themselves. We're sort of present at the creation in many ways, and some of these places have a whole new way of doing public health. One of the things that worries people the most in our polarized society is the disinformation and misinformation that gets in the way of accurate public health communication—whether it's COVID-19, or whether it's climate change, or whether it's something else. So that communication piece is going to be vital to making sure that people can take the measures to protect themselves, and they understand what the state governments and the local governments are doing to try to control vectors. ROBBINS: And Inside Climate News—where else do you get your information that you would recommend for our— OVERTON: Well, I just— FIDLER: Sorry, go ahead, Penny. OVERTON: Oh, no. You can go ahead. I'm actually pulling some up right now that I can put in the chat. FIDLER: Again, my go-to source is the CDC, and the CDC then also has its own information sources that you can track in terms of how, you know, public health authorities, public health policies, practices, implementation plans can be put together for all kinds of different public health threats. And the spread of vector-borne diseases has been near the top of the list longer, I think, than some of these other health threats from climate change. So that's a little bit more advanced, I think, based on the history of controlling vectors as well as the identification of that being an ongoing threat. There are synergies with what we've done in the past. With some of these other problems we don't have those synergies. We're having to create it from scratch. ROBBINS: Penny, you were talking about places that actually—smaller, you know, that newspapers can—or other news organizations can get info, can actually, you know, get graphics gratis, or something of the sort. Does Poynter also have help on climate or are there other reporting centers where people are focusing on climate that provide resources for news organizations? OVERTON: Yes, I mean, Climate Central has—I should have just like made them like the co-beat, you know, reporters for me in the first six months when I was starting this because anything that I needed to—you know, every day it was something new. OK, geez, today I've got to know everything there is to know about extreme weather and climate, you know, in such a way that I can bulletproof myself when the troll inevitably calls me and says, you know, this isn't true. And I need to have, you know, a little bit of armor prepared, right down to I need graphics, and I don't have—we don't have a graphics person, but—so Climate Central is a great place for a reporter in a small market to start. They actually, like just this past week, came out with what they call a summer package, and it basically has an overarching umbrella viewpoint of, like, here's like the climate topics that are going to brought up this summer. Inevitably it's going to be heat waves, it's going to be drought, or extreme rainfall. It's going to be, you know, summer nights getting warmer and what that means—the benefits, the longer growing seasons than some areas that, like in Maine, for example, climate change will not be all bad for Maine. It's going to mean that we have longer growing seasons in a place that has been pretty limited by the—you know, the temperature and by the amount of time that we could actually grow a crop. And then, also, I mean, we're going to have—we're going to have migration in because, like I was saying earlier, we are not going to be dealing with the extreme heat of like the Southwest, so people who are escaping like the California wildfires—we're already seeing groups of people moving to Maine because it is more temperate, and you do have a longer horizon line before you—you know, you get miserable here. And I think that if you look at those issues and you figure out how do I even start, going to Climate Central where they can actually—not only do they have the infographics, but you can type in, like, the major city in your state, you know. I can't tell you the number of times I've typed in Portland, Maine, and I get some amazing number, and it's, oh, wait, this is Portland, Oregon. So you could pull, like, your individual state, and even Maine has three states that Climate Central—or excuse me, three cities that Climate Central lists. I guarantee you that your state will probably have many more. So it will be probably a place pretty close to where you are located. And you can have the infographic actually detailed, without doing anything besides entering in the city. It will be information that's detailed to your location. That's an incredible asset for a small market reporter who doesn't have a graphics person or the ability to, like, download data sets and crunch a lot of numbers. Also— ROBBINS: That's great. OVERTON: —I would urge you to look at the National Climate Assessment. There is a data explorer that comes out with those, and that allows you to drill down to the local level. That's the way that I found out that there's a small place in Aroostook County, Maine, which is like potato country, that's going to see the greatest increase in high precipitation days in the next—I think it's in the next 50 years. I can't think of many things that aren't potato related that Aroostook County stands out for, but the fact that you play around with the data enough, and you see, look, there's a small place here in Maine that's going to be the number one greatest increase. That's why I think the climate assessment and the data explorer is so important. ROBBINS: So we're almost done, David. I wanted to throw the last question to you. I'm a real believer in comparison. I always say that to my students: Comparison is your friend. Is there any city or state in the United States, or perhaps someplace overseas that has a really good state plan for dealing with the health impacts of climate change that we could look at and say, this is really what we should be doing here? FIDLER: I mean, given that I'm a foreign policy person, I'm probably not the best person to inquire about that, but as I began to do my research to see how this is happening in the United States, I've been surprised at the number of cities, counties, state governments that have really begun to dig into the data, develop plans, you know, for whatever problem that they're going, you know, to face. I live in the—you know, the Chicagoland area. The city of Chicago has been working on adaptation for a while. The problems that it faces are going to be different than the problems that Miami faces. There's also, again, networks of cities that are starting to talk to each other about what they are doing in regards to these issues. The data is becoming better, more accessible, data visualization tools. Penny just described those sorts of things. My recommendation to those working in local journalism is to begin to probe what your jurisdictions are doing, where they are getting their information. How are they implementing and turning that information into actionable intelligence and actionable programs? And I think that local journalism will help fill out our understanding of who is taking the lead, where should we look, what are the best practices and principles around the country. ROBBINS: Well, I want to thank David Fidler, and I want to thank Penny Overton for this. And I want to turn you back to Irina. This has been a great conversation. FASKIANOS: It really has been a fantastic conversation. Again, we will send out the video, and transcript, and links to resources that were mentioned during this conversation. Thank you for your comments. We will connect people that want to be connected, as well, so thank you very much to David and Penny for sharing your expertise, and to Carla for moderating. You can follow everybody on X at @D_P_fidler, Penny Overton at @plovertonpph, and at @robbinscarla. And as always, we encourage you to go to CFR.org, ForeignAffairs.com, and ThinkGlobalHealth.org for the latest developments and analysis on international trends and how they are affecting the United States. Again, please do share your suggestions for future webinars by emailing us at localjournalists@CFR.org. So again, thank you to you all for today's conversation, and enjoy the rest of the day. ROBBINS: Thanks, everybody. (END)

The government is forcing me to buy an electric vehicle even though it emits more than a Ford F-350 truck smoking an unfiltered cigarette. COMMUNISM!BONUS EPISODES available on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/deniersplaybook) SOCIALS & MORE (https://linktr.ee/deniersplaybook) CREDITS Created by: Rollie Williams, Nicole Conlan & Ben BoultHosts: Rollie Williams & Nicole ConlanExecutive Producer: Ben Boult Producer: Gregory Haddock Editor: Brittany TerrellResearchers: Carly Rizzuto, Canute Haroldson & James CrugnaleArt: Jordan Doll Music: Tony Domenick Special thanks: The Civil Liberties Defense CenterSOURCESAAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. (2023). American Driving Survey: 2022. Andersson, Ö., & Börjesson, P. (2021). The greenhouse gas emissions of an electrified vehicle combined with renewable fuels: Life cycle assessment and policy implications. Applied Energy, 289, 116621. Atkinson, R. (2023, June 3). I love electric vehicles – and was an early adopter. 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China's ability to flood EV market concerning to US, energy secretary says. Reuters. Hanfield, R. (2023, May 11). Shining a Light on the EV Supply Chain: A Poor Environmental and Human Rights Record. Supply Chain Resource Cooperative. Hardesty, C. (2021, September 22). Average Miles Driven Per Year: Why It Is Important. Kelley Blue Book. J. Lyman, E. (2024, March 23). Europe faces EV challenges similar to those in US, production problems allow China to fill the void | Just The News. Justthenews.com. John, A. S. (2024, January 11). Electric cars need less service — but they could cost you more. Business Insider. Jolly, J. (2023, December 1). How problematic is mineral mining for electric cars? The Guardian. Krantz, P. (2023, September 25). EVs are a climate solution with a pollution problem: Tire particles. Grist. Krishner, T. (2023, May 15). Why Americans are holding on to their vehicles longer than ever. PBS NewsHour. L. Micek, J. (2024, February 22). MSN. Www.msn.com. Leinert, P. 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On Earth Day, a discussion about the future of wind energy in Maryland. Last year, Governor Wes Moore announced a goal of 100% renewable clean energy in the state by 2035. He made this announcement from Sparrows Point, at the site of a new factory building parts for offshore wind turbines. Offshore wind plays a prominent role in Maryland's renewable energy plans, so today we are taking a closer look at development of offshore wind, and the challenges those projects face. Norwegian wind energy giants Orsted pulled out of Maryland earlier this year, leaving just one company approved to develop offshore wind in the state. Guests on this show include Aman Ahzar, a reporter for Inside Climate News and  Delegate Lorig Charkoudian. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Modern humans have a Stockholm Syndrome relationship to technology, which has kidnapped us while convincing us it has our best interests in mind. But when one looks back at the history of plastics or the current frenzy around AI, it isn't hard to see the insanity of doubling down on new technology to save us from previous technology. Find out what a person or society can actually do to develop a healthy, non-abusive relationship with technology, aside from joining an Amish community or going "full Kaczynski."Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Moriah McDonald reports on the big underestimates of Greenland ice loss in Inside Climate News.Typical article about how AI can solve climate changeAnother such article about the "magic" of AIAnd another -- sheesh (no wonder Jason was so upset)!Report on the future of petrochemicals from the International Energy AgencyKelly Oakes of the BBC asks, "What would happen if we stopped using plastic?"Website of The Ocean CleanupLow Tech MagazineLow Technology Institute's 10-Mile Building ChallengeSulan Chen writes for UNDP, "A global treaty to end plastic pollution is in sight."BBC reporting on the EU's efforts to regulate AISupport the show

A red and blue sales pitch for electric vehicles?That's what some EV dealers are doing right here in Minnesota to convince prospective EV buyers of different political affiliations. Dan Gearino visited two dealerships in areas with different political leanings and wrote about what he saw for Inside Climate News.

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently granted more than $600 million to states and communities across the country to roll out new EV charging stations and tune up existing ones. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joins us to discuss the connections between EV charging access, environmental justice, and economic growth. Also, when scientists began to warn in the later half of the twentieth century that burning oil, gas, and coal could bring severe consequences for our planet, they touched a nerve in the powerful fossil fuel industry. In this second installment of our series on climate change disinformation, we dive into how the fossil fuel industry infiltrated the political sphere and scientific community to block climate action. And a potential third-party presidential run by West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin could influence the outcome of the 2024 election. Inside Climate News reporter Phil McKenna is back on the campaign trail in New Hampshire with this report about Senator Manchin's support of fossil fuels and the climate concerns of New Hampshire voters.  -- We rely on support from listeners like you to keep our journalism strong. You can donate at loe.org – any amount is appreciated! -- and thank you for your support.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent years, several states and localities have passed “crown” laws, statutes that keep employers from discriminating against African Amercans for wearing their hair in natural styles. That's because, historically, having straight hair has often been a requirement for professional advancement for Black women in particular. But there is more science emerging that connects chemical relaxers with cancer. In today's episode of A Word, reporter and cancer survivor Victoria St. Martin speaks with host Jason Johnson about the dangers of formaldehyde in hair relaxers, the history of marketing toxic cosmetics to African Americans, and consumer efforts to raise awareness. Guest: Victoria St. Martin, Inside Climate News reporter  Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent years, several states and localities have passed “crown” laws, statutes that keep employers from discriminating against African Amercans for wearing their hair in natural styles. That's because, historically, having straight hair has often been a requirement for professional advancement for Black women in particular. But there is more science emerging that connects chemical relaxers with cancer. In today's episode of A Word, reporter and cancer survivor Victoria St. Martin speaks with host Jason Johnson about the dangers of formaldehyde in hair relaxers, the history of marketing toxic cosmetics to African Americans, and consumer efforts to raise awareness. Guest: Victoria St. Martin, Inside Climate News reporter  Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent years, several states and localities have passed “crown” laws, statutes that keep employers from discriminating against African Amercans for wearing their hair in natural styles. That's because, historically, having straight hair has often been a requirement for professional advancement for Black women in particular. But there is more science emerging that connects chemical relaxers with cancer. In today's episode of A Word, reporter and cancer survivor Victoria St. Martin speaks with host Jason Johnson about the dangers of formaldehyde in hair relaxers, the history of marketing toxic cosmetics to African Americans, and consumer efforts to raise awareness. Guest: Victoria St. Martin, Inside Climate News reporter  Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a seven-day pause, the Washington Post reports that fighting has resumed between Israel and Hamas. Vox explains why so many Palestinians are detained in Israeli prisons, while CNN speaks with some of those who’ve been released as part of the recent hostage deal to learn more about their experiences. The first new legislation in eight decades to regulate chemicals in cosmetics comes into effect this month. Inside Climate News reports on how critics say it doesn’t go far enough, and on how risks from unregulated toxic substances in beauty and personal care products fall disproportionately on Black women. USA Today explains how a children’s movie inspired an unusual name for a rare atmospheric phenomenon.

On Wednesday, the United States announced it will join United Nations guidelines to set up a loss and damage fund due to climate change. Bob Berwyn, science correspondent for Inside Climate News, breaks down what the U.S. will pledge going into the global COP28 climate talks in Dubai.

Today we’re talking about another potential tool in the climate solutions toolbox: carbon capture. The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law put $12 billion toward the tech, which promises to take carbon emissions straight from the air and store them underground. But there are concerns that supporting the fledgling industry could backfire. On the show today, Inside Climate News’ Nicholas Kusnetz explains the ins and outs of carbon capture and the challenges of making it work on a scale big enough to be meaningful. Plus, how investing in the tech could prolong dependence on fossil fuels. Then, studios want to own actors’ digital likenesses forever, and that’s a sticking point for SAG-AFTRA in the actors strike. We’ll get into what this has to do with trends in the generative AI industry. And, some news about former President Donald Trump’s net worth that made us say, “Huh?” Later, we’ll hear from listeners about hydrogen fuel cell cars and shower design flaws. Plus, what a listener got wrong about the climate crisis. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Pipe Dreams” from Inside Climate News “How Does Carbon Capture Work?” from The New York Times “Controversial carbon removal technology just got $1.2 billion from the Biden administration” from The Verge “Carbon Capture” from MIT Climate Portal “Companies capture a lot of CO2. Most of it is going into new oil.” from The Washington Post “SAG-AFTRA won’t budge as studios push to own actors’ likenesses in perpetuity” from The Verge “OpenAI unveils personalized AI apps as it seeks to expand its ChatGPT consumer business” from Reuters “As shutdown looms, US House Republicans search for stopgap solution” from Reuters “Donald Trump Net Worth Reaches $3.1 Billion Amid Trial” from Bloomberg “How We Survive” from Marketplace We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. You can reach us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

Plastic is just about everywhere, and there’s going to be a lot more of it. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development expects global plastic use to triple by 2060. So what are we to do with all the waste? Tossing empty iced coffee cups, peanut butter jars and blueberry containers into a recycling bin might seem like the obvious solution. But while the plastics industry has been working hard to promote recycling as a fix since the ’70s, it turns out our recycling systems are not equipped to handle the various plastics we use. “Think of your own home. On top of your washing machine, you probably have a bright orange, hard plastic detergent bottle. And then in your refrigerator, you might have a squeezable clear ketchup bottle. Those two plastic containers cannot be recycled together,” said Judith Enck, founder of Beyond Plastics and former regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. On the show today: the fundamental problems with plastic recycling and the ubiquitous chasing-arrow symbol, and what we should do about it. Then, we’ll discuss Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s visit to China, and why it may be time for Chinese officials to make a visit of their own. And is Yahoo is making a comeback? Later, we'll hear some listeners' thoughts on robotaxis. And this week's answer to the Make Me Smart question comes from one of the economists behind our favorite nerdy econ game, Tradle. Here’s everything we talked about today: “Plastic Recycling Doesn’t Work and Will Never Work” from The Atlantic “Toward a circular economy: Tackling the plastics recycling problem” from The Conversation “The recycling myth: A plastic waste solution littered with failure” from Reuters “Decades of public messages about recycling in the US have crowded out more sustainable ways to manage waste” from The Conversation “The Plastics Industry’s Long Fight to Blame Pollution on You” from Tahe Intercept “What a reporter learned after cataloging her plastic use for a week” from Marketplace “UN Agency Provides Path to 80 Percent Reduction in Plastic Waste. Recycling Alone Won't Cut It” from Inside Climate News “U.S. Does Not Want to ‘Decouple' From China, Raimondo Says” from The New York Times “How Yahoo is coming back from the dead” from Axios We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. You can reach us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.