Short Run

WBUR

4.4 (214)
SOCIETY & CULTURE
SERIES

The best long-form audio series from WBUR, Boston's NPR, all in one feed.

EPISODE 1

Reverse Course: Battery-powered big rigs could haul the future of trucking

Short Run presents Here & Now's climate series "Reverse Course". Today's episode is about how the trucking industry is responsible for almost a quarter of all American greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector. But roadblocks remain to going green. Take a deep dive on this story here. Find out more about the Reverse Course series and listen to the previous eight episodes here.

12 min
EPISODE 2

Reverse Course: Planes pollute the planet, but new technology could clean up the aviation industry

People are taking steps big and small to move the dial on climate change. This week, in Here & Now's Reverse Course series, senior editor Peter O’Dowd and producer Chris Bentley take listeners across the country for a closer look at projects designed to make an impact. This episode looks at big commercial airliners, some of the fastest-growing sources of climate-warming pollution on the planet. Scientists and entrepreneurs are trying to solve that problem with sustainable aviation fuels, such as electric batteries and hydrogen. Dive deeper into this episode here. Find out more about the Reverse Course series and listen to the previous nine episodes here.

12 min
EPISODE 3

Reverse Course: Shipbuilders harness the wind to clean up global shipping

People are taking steps big and small to move the dial on climate change. This week, in Here & Now's Reverse Course series, senior editor Peter O’Dowd and producer Chris Bentley take listeners across the country for a closer look at projects designed to make an impact. This episode looks at shipping goods by sea on large container ships, which creates about 3% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions each year. In pursuit of a cleaner alternative, some companies are using wind power to move cargo. Dive deeper into this episode here. Find out more about the Reverse Course series and listen to the previous nine episodes here.

11 min
EPISODE 4

Reverse Course: Detroit debuts 'road of the future' with wireless EV charging

People are taking steps big and small to move the dial on climate change. This week, in Here & Now's Reverse Course series, senior editor Peter O’Dowd and producer Chris Bentley take listeners across the country for a closer look at projects designed to make an impact. This episode looks at wireless electric vehicle charging. Detroit is testing a new way to charge electric vehicles that doesn’t require plugging in: Just park or drive your car on the right strip of road and watch the battery meter tick up. Dive deeper into this episode here. Find out more about the Reverse Course series and listen to the previous nine episodes here.

11 min
EPISODE 5

Reverse Course: This machine creates drinking water ‘from thin air’ in driest parts of the world

People are taking steps big and small to move the dial on climate change. This week, in Here & Now's Reverse Course series, senior editor Peter O’Dowd and producer Chris Bentley take listeners across the country for a closer look at projects designed to make an impact. This episode looks at water conservation in the Navajo Nation. Up to 30% of the homes on the Navajo Nation still go without running water. But there’s new hope for many of these arid communities. They’re using solar-powered machines to pull moisture straight out of the air. Each one creates more than a gallon of fresh drinking water every day. Dive deeper into this episode here. Find out more about the Reverse Course series and listen to the previous nine episodes here.

12 min

See All Season 7 (5)

TRAILER

Introducing ‘The Gun Machine’

Every time there is a mass shooting in America, the first question is why. When we look for answers, we tend to focus on the incident itself - who the shooter was, why they did it, and who parachutes in to debate the state of regulation — or lack thereof — that allowed it to happen. What we forget is the centuries of history that got us to this long emergency of gun violence in America. Produced by WBUR, Boston’s NPR, in partnership with The Trace, The Gun Machine looks into the past to bring you a story that most Americans never learned in history class: how early partnerships between mad scientist gunsmiths and a fledgling U.S. government created the gun industry in the Northeast, and how that industry has been partners with the government ever since. Host Alain Stephens examines how this 250-year relationship underpins all Americans’ interactions with guns — including our failures in dealing with the fallout of gun violence. The Gun Machine debuts on Oct. 4, 2023. Listen and follow on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

S6

•

2 min

4.4

out of 5

214 Ratings

Loved It

Aug 1

Kozmo 702

While the topic is maddening and frustrating, I thoroughly enjoyed this series. It’s very well done.
We Are The Gun Problem

Feb 26

DrDK2

This is such an important public health issue. Guns are now the NUMBER ONE cause of death in US children. Yet our laws are getting more and more lax and MAGA extremist judges have ripped the Constitution into pieces to eliminate all gun safety laws. This podcast explains what our own government does to prop up this insane arsenal of guns. We need to learn what we can do—must do—to fight back.
Unfortunate

Apr 9

Top song!

As an ethnic minority and liberal gun owner, I’ve known since the beginning of my “gun journey” that the 2nd Amendment was not originally meant for non-whites. That doesn’t mean that “gun rights” can’t be for EVERYBODY today. I’m really trying to get through these episodes, but the unnecessarily dramatic voice acting is really off putting. This series could have been a good primer for those less savvy about the history of firearms and firearms regulation in America, but it seems the reporters and producers have decided to simply preach to the choir and further polarize people on this important issue.
A must-listen show!

Feb 24

MPW1964

The Gun Machine is fantastic. Incredibly informative and enlightening. A great new show from our local NPR affiliate, WBUR.