Nature Breaking

World Wildlife Fund
  • 5.0 (23)
  • NATURE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY
Nature Breaking

Join host Seth Larson as he interviews experts on some of the biggest environmental issues affecting people and our planet, including climate change, habitat loss, endangered species, and more. Learn something new about nature in every episode. This show is produced by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    Plastic Pollution: UN treaty talks and corporate action

    A major UN conference to negotiate a global treaty on plastic pollution just ended without an agreement. But efforts may resume in 2025 to get a treaty over the finish line. In this two-part episode, you’ll hear first from Erin Simon, WWF’s vice president for plastic waste and business, about what happened at that conference in Korea (known as INC-5) and what comes next for the global fight against plastic pollution. Then, in Part 2, you’ll hear from Sheila Bonini, WWF’s senior vice president for private-sector engagement; and Kevin Keane, president and CEO of American Beverage (ABA) – the trade association representing the nation’s non-alcoholic beverage industry. Sheila and Kevin’s teams have been working together for the last five years to find different ways to achieve material circularity – which means that all the plastic, as well as other materials like aluminum, that get used are collected and remade into new products. Sheila and Kevin will tell us about what’s working, what hurdles still remain, and how they plan to advance their mission regardless of whether a global plastics treaty gets adopted. Links for More Info: Erin Simon Bio Sheila Bonini Bio  Kevin Keane Bio  WWF Plastics Page WWF-ABA Partnership  Sustainability Works Blog: “Five Years of Progress: WWF and ABA’s Partnership for Practical Solutions”  WWF Statement on INC-5 Outcome  Chapters: 0:00 Preview 0:24 Intro 2:22 Refresher on UN treaty process 5:39 Consensus as a weapon 8:52 What happened at INC-5 11:55 WWF’s 4 “must-haves” in a final treaty 13:53 Stumbling blocks in negotiations 17:26 Conclusion of negotiations 23:05 What happens next? 26:27 Role for companies 31:28 Interlude, Part 2 begins 33:07 Explaining the American Beverage Association 34:41 Why does ABA want to address plastic pollution? 38:08 WWF-ABA partnership 41:41 Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies 46:54 Consumer awareness 48:39 ABA’s EPR principles 54:39 Building consumer confidence about recycling 56:30 Lessons for other industries 59:17 Plastic pollution is a bipartisan policy issue 01:02:41 WWF-ABA Lessons Learned 01:07:12 Outro

    1h 8m

  2. NOV 26

    Avoiding food waste on Thanksgiving (2022)

    Ahead of this year's Thanksgiving holiday, today's episode revisits a conversation we originally recorded in 2022 about avoiding food waste when you get together to cook those turkeys and side dishes. This topic matters because some 316 million pounds of food is expected to go to waste this Thanksgiving alone. And when we waste food, we also waste all the water, land, and energy that went into producing it. Alex Nichols-Vinueza, WWF's director of food loss & waste, joins this episode to explain how our food system ends up wasting an estimated 40% of food produced globally (1:20). He then talks about how this problem manifests on Thanksgiving (8:07), and shares some simple steps that people can take to prevent food from going to waste during the holidays (9:04). Last, Alex talks about how schools and businesses can be partners in limiting food waste (11:52), and how changes in federal policies could drive nationwide improvements (15:30). Links for More Info: Alex Nichols-Vinueza bio BLOG: Serving Up Tips for a Waste Free Thanksgiving How schools can become Food Waste Warriors Industry Coalition Supports the Food Date Labeling Act

    22 min

  3. NOV 12

    COP29 and the state of climate finance

    This week marks the start of the annual UN climate conference, known as COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan. COP29 is being dubbed the “finance COP” because one of the main focuses of this year’s conference will be to set a new goal for global climate finance and to lay out a plan for achieving it. The last time countries set a climate finance goal was 2009, at COP15 in Copenhagen, where wealthy nations committed to provide $100 billion annually to help developing nations deal with climate change. 15 years after the $100 billion target was established, we now know a lot more about the effects of climate change and how much it costs to address. Estimates vary on how much funding is now needed, but suffice to say that it’s a lot higher than we thought it was back in 2009. So, where will this funding come from? And what’s a reasonable new goal for countries to work toward in the years ahead? Joining me today to talk through these and other questions is Tim Juliani, WWF’s director of US corporate climate engagement. Tim is a veteran of previous climate COPs and he’ll tell us what he’s keeping an eye on heading into Baku. Links for more info: Tim Juliani bio: https://www.worldwildlife.org/experts/tim-juliani WWF’s COP29 Expectations Paper: https://wwfint.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/cop29_expectations_24oct24.pdf Tim Juliani’s Substack, “Yet Another Climate Substack”: https://timjuliani.substack.com/   Chapters: 0:00 Program note 1:07 Intro 3:00 COP29 context in global process 4:59 COP15 in Copenhagen story 7:02 Definition of NDCs and stocktake 7:43 COP29 is the “finance COP” 10:17 Climate finance challenges 14:04 Finance goals at COP29 16:55 Role of companies 24:53 Goals for NDCs at COP29 28:07 Closing call to action 29:46 Outro

    30 min

  4. OCT 29

    Hurricanes, Nature Funding, & Pygmy Hippos

    Today, rather than interviewing a WWF expert in-dept on a specific topic, we’re trying something new. Seth will be joined by Hayley Lawton from WWF’s social media team for something we’re calling: Headlines & Trendlines. You’ll hear Seth and Hayley briefly summarize some recent news articles and talk about what they mean for climate and nature. This week they discuss two big issues that are driving headlines: this year’s devastating hurricane season, and the ongoing UN biodiversity conference. They also touch on the recent pygmy hippo craze that had everyone on Earth talking about baby Moo Deng. Links for More Info: New York Times, A Tale of Two Hurricanes Finds More That Differs Than Is the Same: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/13/us/hurricane-milton-helene-florida-north-carolina.html  Vox, We need $700 billion to save nature: https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/378249/cop16-biodiversity-finance-gap-seven-hundred-billion WWF pygmy hippo facts: https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/why-are-pygmy-hippos-so-small-and-6-other-pygmy-hippo-facts  Chapters: 0:00 Preview 0:27 Intro 2:25 Hayley introduces herself 4:10 NY Times hurricane article 5:56 Hayley & Seth react to recent hurricanes 9:28 Vox nature finance article 10:36 $700b is a lot of money 12:28: COP16 outcomes 13:25 Moo Deng and pygmy hippo facts 15:23 Outro

    16 min

  5. OCT 15

    Could CBD COP16 be a turning point for nature?

    Next week global leaders will convene in Cali, Colombia for an important meeting: the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16). You’re probably more familiar with the climate COP that happens every year, but the biodiversity COP is a critical forum for addressing the loss of nature. Two years ago, at COP15 in Montreal, the nations of the world agreed to a new Global Biodiversity Framework, which set a goal to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. Next week’s meeting in Colombia is the first opportunity to take stock of progress and commit to implementation at scale. Joining the show today to tell us more about COP16 and what’s at stake is Lucía Ruiz, WWF’s director for conservation areas. Lucía will be attending the conference in Colombia next week and is going to help us understand what needs to happen, and what success looks like, at this important meeting. Links for More Info: Lucía Ruiz bio: https://www.worldwildlife.org/experts/lucia-ruiz-bustos  CBD COP16 explainer: https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/the-convention-on-biological-diversity-cop16-and-the-grand-plan-for-life-on-earth  Chapters: 0:00 Preview 0:29 Intro 2:17 Lucía’s background and personal story 6:54 History of the Convention on Biological Diversity 12:10 Importance of CBD COPs 13:59 Context for CBD COP16 17:20 What happened at CBD COP15 in 2022? 22:22 Explaining the 30x30 target 27:36 Role of PFPs 28:27 State of play heading into COP16 33:26 What does success look like? 36:11 Fun facts about Colombia 39:28 Outro

    40 min

  6. OCT 10

    Living Planet Report reveals catastrophic wildlife decline

    In today’s special bonus episode of Nature Breaking you’ll hear all about WWF’s 2024 Living Planet Report. This bi-annual report functions as a check-up on the health of the Earth. Underpinning the report is the Living Planet Index, which monitors populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish around the world. This year the report found that monitored wildlife populations declined by an average of 73% since 1970. Importantly, this year’s report also reveals that the Earth stands on the verge of tipping points for tropical forests and coral reefs that could have severe consequences for people and nature everywhere.  Joining the show to explain the Living Planet Report is Dr. Rebecca Shaw, WWF’s chief scientist. Rebecca will walk us through the methodology of the report, what its key findings really mean for wildlife and ecosystems, and what we all can do together to put our planet on a more sustainable pathway. Links for More Info: Rebecca Shaw bio: https://www.worldwildlife.org/experts/rebecca-shaw 2024 Living Planet Report: worldwildlife.org/livingplanetreport Chapters: 0:00 Preview 0:23 Intro 2:09 LPR basics & key findings 4:42 Reasons for wildlife decline 5:51 Why should we care? 7:55 Tipping points explainer 10:21 Amazon rain forest tipping point 12:22 Rebecca’s story about living in the Amazon 13:49 Amazon tipping point continued 14:54 LPR species example: parrotfish 18:09 History of the LPR 20:56 How to reverse the loss of wildlife and nature 28:12 Message to leaders at CBD COP16 32:58 Outro

    34 min

  7. OCT 1

    A plan for more sustainable food

    Global food production is a key driver behind both climate change and the loss of species and ecosystems. In fact, it’s responsible for roughly one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions and over two-thirds of global habitat and biodiversity losses. That’s because unsustainable food production too often leads to the destruction of forests, grasslands, and other ecosystems in order to produce more food. So how do we create a more sustainable food system? Joining the show today is Dr. Jason Clay, Executive Director of WWF’s Markets Institute. Jason has decades of experience working with companies to find innovative ways to make their supply chains more sustainable, and today he’ll be explaining his latest initiative: Codex Planetarius. In short, Codex Planetarius aims to establish global environmental standards to limit the harm caused by the production of globally traded food. The idea draws inspiration from Codex Alimentarius, the international code of health and safety standards for food established in the mid-20th century. It makes sense: If the world can adopt standards to protect human health and safety, why can't we do the same for the health and safety of the planet? In this interview, Jason explains how his career journey evolved from human rights to conservation (with help from the Grateful Dead and Ben & Jerry’s along the way), and how Codex Planetarius could establish new global norms for food production that help us feed the world without destroying it.  Links for More Info: Jason Clay bio: https://www.worldwildlife.org/experts/jason-clay Codex Planetarius homepage: https://codexplanetarius.org/  WEB STORY: Codex Planetarius: Increasing Global Food Sustainability and Resilience: https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/codex-planetarius-increasing-global-food-sustainability-and-resilience  Chapters: 0:00 Preview 0:21 Intro 2:09 Jason’s childhood 4:13 Saving the rain forest with the Grateful Dead and Ben & Jerry’s 8:08 Tracy Chapman story 9:13 How the global food system works 12:06 Sustainable vs. unsustainable food production 15:16 Codex Planetarius basics 17:56 Growth of the global food trade 21:05 Limits of voluntary standards 24:08 How to pay for Codex Planetarius 28:59 How to implement Codex Planetarius 35:58 Addressing cost concerns 38:49 What comes next? 40:51 Outro

    42 min

  8. SEP 10

    Why We Should Care About The Amazon Rain Forest (2023)

    Note: This interview was originally published on September 5, 2023. It's being re-released with a new intro for Amazon Day 2024. To our new subscribers: thanks and welcome! September 5 is World Amazon Day, and we’re celebrating with an episode about the many things that make the Amazon rain forest so special. For example, did you know that the Amazon is the largest rain forest in the world? It covers an area nearly the size of the entire continental United States, and it’s home to about one in 10 known species on Earth. It also helps stabilize the local and global climate. But it also faces challenges from deforestation, climate change, and more. In this episode, you’ll hear from Dr. Meg Symington, WWF’s vice president for the Amazon. Meg talks about how she first fell in love with the rain forest (3:11), why the Amazon matters so much to both local communities and the world at large (4:59), the many threats it faces (7:40), and what solutions are needed to keep it intact for future generations (14:08). Later, for our Supporters Sound Off segment, you’ll hear from Marianne Spindel, a WWF Hero from Florida, about what inspires her passion for nature (25:40). Links for More Info: WWF Amazon Page Meg Symington Bio Become a WWF Hero 2023 Thomas Lovejoy Science for Nature Symposium

    29 min
See All (69)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
23 Ratings

About

Join host Seth Larson as he interviews experts on some of the biggest environmental issues affecting people and our planet, including climate change, habitat loss, endangered species, and more. Learn something new about nature in every episode. This show is produced by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Information

  • Creator
    World Wildlife Fund
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2024
  • Episodes
    69
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2022
  • Show Website
    Nature Breaking

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada