Sanity Check

Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation

Welcome to Sanity Check (formerly Created to Reign), a production of the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. On this podcast, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner, Dr. David Legates, and experts in science, economics, theology, ethics, and public policy strive to think Biblically about creation care, global warming, and the world’s poor.

  1. 3d ago

    Did Cleaning Up Europe’s Air Make It Hotter?

    Europe has been warming significantly faster than the global average, and this summer’s heatwaves once again prompted politicians and environmental activists to point to fossil-fuel emissions as the obvious culprit. In this episode, Dr. David Legates examines a new study that suggests there is another important piece of the story: Europe’s remarkable success in reducing air pollution. Since 1980, Europe has dramatically reduced sulfur dioxide and other aerosol emissions. Those pollutants brought serious health and environmental costs, but some of them also reflected sunlight and increased cloud reflectivity, producing a cooling effect. As Europe cleaned up its air, that cooling influence diminished. The new research suggests that the resulting changes may have contributed not only directly to regional warming, but also indirectly by altering atmospheric circulation patterns that favor persistent summer heat and heatwaves. So, could one of the reasons Europe has warmed so rapidly be that Europeans successfully eliminated some of the pollution that had been keeping temperatures down? In this episode, Dr. Legates examines the new study, the science of aerosols, Europe’s dramatic decline in sulfur emissions, the difference between weather and climate, and what this complicated story means for the way we talk about climate change. We also consider a question that environmental policy rarely acknowledges: what happens when solving one environmental problem changes another part of the climate system in an unexpected way? https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2026GL122424 https://www.nationalreview.com/news/european-heat-wave-driven-by-cleaner-air-u-k-climate-office-study-finds/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/22/heatwaves-caused-by-fall-in-pollution/ Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/ Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.

  2. Aug 14

    El Niño Explained: Climate, Forecasts, and Uncertainty

    Episode Description El Niño has returned, and forecasters around the world are watching closely. In this episode, Dr. David Legates explains what El Niño is, why the tropical Pacific Ocean is warming, and what scientists expect as the 2026 event continues to develop. He explores how El Niño influences weather patterns around the globe, from rainfall in the southern United States to hurricane activity in the Atlantic and drought risks in Australia. Drawing on decades of climatological research, Dr. Legates also examines the limits of seasonal forecasting. While El Niño can shift the odds of certain weather patterns, it does not guarantee specific outcomes. Every event is different, and Earth's climate is shaped by a complex interaction of oceanic and atmospheric processes that extend far beyond a single climate pattern. Join Dr. David Legates for an accessible look at one of Earth's most influential climate phenomena and discover what the developing 2026 El Niño may—and may not—have in store. https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.shtml https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0252-6 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/weather/2026/07/22/super-el-nino-atlantic-la-nina-hurricane-weather-forecast/91005872007/ Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/ Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.

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About

Welcome to Sanity Check (formerly Created to Reign), a production of the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. On this podcast, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner, Dr. David Legates, and experts in science, economics, theology, ethics, and public policy strive to think Biblically about creation care, global warming, and the world’s poor.

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