Fahrenheit 140 The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment

Carrie Thompson and Robert Mace bring you into the Texas climate conversation. Join us for climate news and education.

Welcome to Season 2 of Fahrenheit 140! We are kicking off this season with a bang by bringing you with us to celebrate Earth Day 2024! Join us for engaging conversations with a few of our key partners, including BlueTriton Brands and the Texas State University Office of Sustainability alongside our very own Deputy Director of Spring Lake Education, Miranda Wait – all recorded live at the 11th Annual Earth Day San Marcos Festival! Get an inside look at their current and future climate resilience projects and get tips on what daily choices we can all make to bring the spirit of Earth Day to every day. 

In this episode, our co-hosts bring you the latest climate news covering several topics: 


Warming temperatures mean a prolonged kitten season – giving you a purr-fect excuse to adopt another cat. (02:05) 


Insurance companies are pulling out of states due to unpredictable and more severe weather – learn how this could affect you in Texas (05:39) 


Learn how Border, a town in Texas, was saved from the recent historic Smokehouse Creek wildfire by fighting fire with fire – how controlled burns may be an important adaptation in the face of severe drought (08:27) 


Snake Farms: Could Burmese pythons be the climate-friendly alternative to cattle ranching? (10:43)



Interviews with our esteemed partners, BlueTriton Brands and the Office of Sustainability, along with the Deputy Director of Spring Lake Education, Miranda Wait unpack: 


From apprehension to excitement, how views on climate education may be shifting with the rise of mindfulness and outdoor recreation (20:32)
From “drop to drink” the sustainability and stewardship practices of BlueTriton Brands and the “Every Drop Counts” scholarship (26:37)
How to protect the sensitive areas around Texas State University campus (35:10)

Robert Mace ties it all in a bow by reading Flower Song, a beautiful poem by Francisco X. Alarcón, a Chicano poet and educator. (40:33)

Episode Links and Resources: 


Kitten season is out of control. Are warmer winters to blame? (Grist)
Climate change is fueling the US insurance problem (BBC)


Texas Map Shows Where State Will Become Underwater From Sea Level Rise (News Week) 
As climate change intensifies wildfire risk, prescribed burns prove their worth in the heat-stressed Panhandle (Texas Tribune)
Pythons are eating the Everglades. Could eating them instead help fight climate change? (Miami Herald) 


Our History (EarthDay.org) 


Carl B. Stokes and the 1969 River Fire (National Park Service)


Flower Song / Flor y Canto / In Xochitl In Cuicatl (poets.org) 



Learn more about our partners: 


BlueTriton Brands 


Texas State University Office of Sustainability 



Theme song: 

 Syzygy by Robert E. Mace 

 

Songs Used: 


Snake Farm by Wylie Hubbard 


White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane 



 

We would like to thank pixabay.com for providing our sound effects, and Desiree Jackson for gathering candid interviews with Earth Day enthusiasts. 

For more information about the Meadows Center, visit meadowscenter.txst.edu. 

 

Climate change is one of the greatest environmental challenges the world has ever faced. What can you do? A whole lot, as it turns out. Hosts Robert Mace and Carrie Thompson speak with Dr. Thomas Ptak, an Assistant Geography Professor at Texas State University, about the daily choices the average person can take to make a big difference in fighting climate change. In this episode, our hosts cover several topics:


Armadillos are invading Illinois to take advantage of the wetter climate (3:29)
Texas is in an energy revolution and we are adapting in cost-effective ways, there are days when wind power accounts for 50% of the state’s energy source (7:02)
New Zealand is looking to tax cow and sheep burps – nearly half of the country’s emissions are methane from agriculture (and cow and sheep burps) (10:28)
A study that tracked 7 million sleep records found that where the temperatures are higher, people are losing hours of sleep (13:04)
There's been a fivefold increase in burned acres from 2 million in 1985 to 10 million in 2020 (14:46)
Texas ranked as the most natural disaster-prone state in the country, with 368 disasters since 1953 (20:01)

An interview with Dr. Thomas Ptak:


Get involved in local issues – most cities have a climate initiative (26:23)
Food has an impact on carbon emissions – we can make choices based on the carbon intensity of various foods (27:02)
Be conscious about energy practices like passive heating or cooling, closing your blinds, and turning up the thermostat can have a major impact on the energy grid (27:31)
We can all ride a bike, walk, and not use single-use plastics – collectively they have a huge impact, but we have to feel empowered about our contributions (28:54)
Disinformation plays a huge role in people feeling that they're not really connected to the problem of climate change (30:11)
Climate change is complex and the reporting about skepticism is very sophisticated, so people not working in this space can have a hard time making the distinction between human-induced climate change and what is naturally occurring (31:13)
If you want to feel empowered about climate change, look at cities across the U.S. who have made pledges to go 100% carbon neutral as a result of bringing concerns to their local representatives (39:48)
Fighting climate change will take everyone's skills, whatever they are, to develop holistic solutions (43:41)

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


Austin Water unveiled OSCAR and CLARA, which is expected to reduce the building's potable water use by up to 75%
UK started piloting a 32-hour work week, which is estimated to cut emissions by 20%

Articles Mentioned in this Episode:


Armadillos have arrived in downstate Illinois and are heading north Chicago Tribune
The Temp Is the Least Surprising Part of the Texas Heat Wave Bloomberg
New Zealand proposes to tax farmers for livestock burps Down To Earth
The average person’s daily choices can still make a big difference in fighting climate change – and getting governments and utilities to tackle it, too The Conversation

Farmers, ranchers, and landowners increasingly experience the impacts of climate change as severe storms, floods, drought, and wildfire damage their operations and impact their livelihoods. Hosts Robert Mace and Carrie Thompson speak with Kristy Oates, State Conservationist for the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), about working with private landowners to develop conservation (and climate) solutions that support rural Texans.

In this episode, our hosts cover several topics:


Drought is causing low flows & high bacteria levels in many spring-fed systems across Texas (1:13)
Texas could face its 3rd year of La Niña weather conditions (03:45)
Meadows Center’s new research project will help prepare Texas for climate change (5:47)
Global warming is causing fewer tropical cyclones (11:49)
Texas co. teams up with a Harvard scientist to combat climate change by reviving the woolly mammoth (16:21)
Nestlé cut greenhouse gases by 4 million tons since 2018 (19:39)

An interview with Kristy Oates: 


Leads conservation services operations within Texas for NRCS (23:59)
NRCS works in every county across Texas to provide private landowners with services to get conservation on the ground (26:15)
Offers science-based solutions & targeted conservation practices to help landowners mitigate climate change (28:14)
Many conservation practices offered by NRCS play an integral role in carbon storage & climate mitigation (30:27)
Dust Bowl was the catalyst for the creation of NRCS (31:07)
Helps landowners build conservation & drought management plans & also offers financial assistance (34:19)
Rural & urban lands are interconnected; urban areas rely on rural areas to meet their demands for food, water, etc. (41:45)
NRCS is voluntary, not regulatory – all management decisions are ultimately up to the landowner (44:34)/li>
Advice for engaging landowners in the “conservation conversation” (48:00)

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


A rare coffee bean species, stenophylla, is resilient to a hot and dry climate (54:34)
Scientists are experimenting with transplanting heat tolerant reef-making species into the Great Barrier Reef (57:26)
Cities are enacting building performance standards to save energy, water, and money (01:00:41)

Articles Mentioned in this Episode: 


Federally funded study will examine how climate change is impacting Texas water (SA Report)
Global Warming Causes Fewer Tropical Cyclones (Scientific American) 
Texas company, Harvard scientist hope to combat climate change by reviving the woolly mammoth (CBS)
Nestlé Has Cut Greenhouse Gases by 4 Million Tons Since 2018. How? (Environmental Leader)
To survive climate change, coffee must embrace new and resilient beans (Washington Post)
Scientists Learning How To Help Coral Reefs (AAAS)

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)

What is carbon capture and sequestration? How can this process help reduce CO2 emissions from fossil fuel energy production? What does this process have in common with mayonnaise sandwiches and Rice Krispies? Hosts Robert Mace and Carrie Thompson speak with Senior Research Scientist Dr. Sue Hovorka from the University of Texas at Austin and learn about her work answering these questions and their application in Texas.

In this episode, our hosts cover several topics:


Robert shares a new word he learned from a meme! [1:15]
China's climate policies track record in meeting climate goals [2:39]
Facing the reality of how most of the world's cumulative greenhouse gas emissions have occurred in just the last ten years [6:22]
The positive effect teleworking and traveling less had on Europe's emissions in 2020 [7:45]
How Texas cattle ranchers can improve carbon sequestration and water quality [11:46]
Study shows climate change has made Texas allergies worse faster than anywhere else in U.S. [15:12]
San Antonio's new pilot project to reduce the urban heat island effect [17:50]
The potential of adding a new label on foods signifying items with lower carbon footprints and a climatarian diet [22:10]

An Interview with Dr. Sue Hovorka:


Her transition into working on climate change mitigation [27:06]
Defining carbon capture and storage and what CO2 sequestration is [30:06]
The process of capturing “stack gas” to prevent it going into the atmosphere [31:12]
More detail about the transportation and injection of carbon into sedimentary rock layers [35:53]
How captured carbon will be stored for 1,000s of years to help the climate re-stabilize [39:52]
Clearing up misconceptions about how carbon capture and sequestration is different from fracking [42:20]
Texas is one of the world’s biggest fossil fuel producers but also has the perfect geology for carbon capture [48:24]
How capillary forces trap carbon in microscopic pores within subsurface layers [57:05]
Call your energy companies and ask them if they are decarbonizing [1:00:00]

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


While we will likely fail to meet the 1.5 °C target, we are currently on track to staying below 2.5 °C [1:03:18]
Perfect gifts to give that also fight climate change this holiday season [1:08:33]

Articles Mentioned:


China is doing more than you think for climate change – still not enough -The Conversation
15% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions occurred in the past decade -Washington Post
UN generated 25% fewer greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 -UN News
How cattle ranchers can combat climate change -Express News
Climate change making Texas allergies worse -KXAN
Cooler pavement coming to San Antonio streets -Fox 29
Holiday Gifts To Fight Climate Change -Time