An Aspiring Climate Scientist Fahrenheit 140

What does an older member of Generation Z think about climate change? How does improving climate literacy and finding a balance between scale and individual engagement help tackle these challenges? Hosts Robert Mace and Carrie Thompson speak with Nicolas Tarasewicz, who has been working at the Meadows Center as a Climate Change Program Associate, about his thoughts and perspective on the climate crisis as he prepares to embark on his Ph.D.

In this episode, our hosts cover several topics:


Three things Robert learned about geothermal power production, Climeworks, and groundwater on a recent vacation to Iceland [4:28],
Talking about the three latest reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the balance between policy and science [15:00],
The threat of a mega-drought compared to extended drought in Texas and its consequences on water planning [27:35],
Soaring records of methane emissions in 2021 [31:00],

An Interview with Nicolas Tarasewicz:


Introduction and brief background [34:14],
How growing up in a small mountain town sparked an interest in nature [36:50],
Being introduced to the field of geography and studying in Sweden [41:43],
Moving to Texas [46:00],
Future PhD work and explaining climate refugia [48:17],
A Gen Z perspective on climate [52:50],
Climate literacy and action empowerment [1:04:21],
Coming to the Meadow’s Center and lessons learned [1:06:50],

Along with some feel-good stories to leave you inspired, like:


Texas’ progress and potential to achieve net-zero by 2050 [1:170:38],
How changes made at home can help us meet climate goals [1:20:31],

Articles Mentioned in this Episode:


Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis (IPCC Sixth Assessment Report I),
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability(IPCC Sixth Assessment Report II),
Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change (IPCC Sixth Assessment Report III),
Technology to reverse climate change(Climeworks),
Texas Can Get to Net-Zero by 2050 and Simultaneously Bolster the Economy (UT Austin),
Climate change: IPCC scientists say it's 'now or never' to limit warming(BBC News),
Climatologist says future megadrought could harm Lake Travis area(Community Impact Newspaper),
Methane emissions jumped by record amount in 2021, NOAA says(The Washington Post),
How going electric lets homeowners help slow climate change (PBS)