Sea Change Radio

Alex Wise
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Sea Change Radio

Sea Change Radio covers the transformations to social, environmental, and economic sustainability. Change is accelerating in positive and negative directions: the clock is ticking in the race to see which will tip first—the problems or the solutions. Join Sea Change's Host, Alex Wise, as he provides in-depth analysis to help our audience understand possible remedies and potential pitfalls. Sea Change interviews sustainability experts including Paul Hawken, Stewart Brand, Bill McKibben, Van Jones, Lester Brown, and many others. Sea Change airs on over 30 radio stations around the country.

  1. 3 DAYS AGO

    SF Chronicle Meteorologist Anthony Edwards on the LA Fires

    California kicked off 2025 with some of the most devastating wildfires in the state’s history. Thousands have already lost their homes, dozens have been killed, and as of today the largest of the Los Angeles area fires is only 14% contained. This week on Sea Change Radio we speak with meteorologist Anthony Edwards of the San Francisco Chronicle to learn more about what caused the fires, how climate change is making events like these more commonplace and inevitable than ever, and what we can all do to better prepare for them. Then, we take a few minutes to look at the burgeoning industry of amateur meteorology in the ski industry and the impact that the growth in untrained meteorological professionals is having on Edwards's job, and on the field in general. Narrator | 00:02 - This is Sea Change Radio covering the shift to sustainability. I'm Alex Wise. Anthony Edwards (AE) | 00:23 - In California, we just had two of the four most destructive wildfires in state history occur on the same day in January. I mean, these extremes are occurring all over the world, and we're seeing destructive events accelerating. Narrator | 00:38 - California kicked off 2025 with some of the most devastating wildfires in the state's history. Thousands have already lost their homes, dozens have been killed. And as of today, the largest of the Los Angeles area Fires is only 14% contained this week on Sea Change Radio. We speak with meteorologist Anthony Edwards of the San Francisco Chronicle to learn more about what caused the fires, how climate change is, making events like these more commonplace and inevitable than ever, and what we can all do to better prepare for them. Then we take a few minutes to look at the burgeoning industry of amateur meteorology in the ski industry and the impact that the growth in untrained meteorological professionals is having on Edwards' job and on the field in general. Alex Wise (AW) | 01:44 - I am joined now on Sea Change Radio by my friend Anthony Edwards, who's a meteorologist and journalist at the San Francisco Chronicle. Anthony, welcome to Sea Change Radio. Anthony Edwards (AE) | 01:52 - Thank you, Alex. It's good to be here.  Alex Wise (AW) | 01:54 - So you're not just a meteorologist, you're a journalist, which adds a little context to what consumers of weather news are trying to, consumers are always trying to connect the dots from seeing these scientific models of wind patterns and weather patterns, but then the real life effects of climate change and, and extreme weather like we're seeing down in Los Angeles. Why don't you first talk about some of the challenges that you have as a journalist and meteorologist trying to connect those dots, and then I want to dive a little bit more into the details of what's going on in Los Angeles. Anthony Edwards (AE) | 02:32 - Sure, yeah. Well, that's a great question. I mean, in California here, typically, uh, I feel like sometimes we're laughed at by other parts of the country, you know, and people in tornado alley, you know, they, they see these crazy thunderstorms and whatnot. But for a large portion of the year here in California, you know, we generally have pretty nice weather and to raise the alarm bells when things are really getting real. That's the big challenge, right? Because when we do have extremes, I mean, we, we've seen this the past few years in California. Now we have crazy fires. We had the fourth largest wildfire in state history this summer up in Northern California, and now two of the four most destructive wildfires in state history are burning in Southern California right now. And, you know, we've seen flooding, extreme heat waves here too. So I think the challenging part is to tell people, you know, hey, things are getting real. Like it's time to, to be ready to go if you need to evacuate your house, because a lot of people move to the state thinking, you know, oh, we're all good. Like, this is heaven.

    29 min

  2. JAN 7

    John Platt: In Search of The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker (re-broadcast)

    When you visit the World Wildlife Fund’s list of critically endangered species, the first animals named are large, beloved mammals like the African Forest Elephant and the Eastern Lowland Gorilla. While these majestic creatures tug at our heartstrings, there are also a lot of smaller, more unsung organisms that are in grave risk of extinction, like the lowly freshwater mussel. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak to environmental writer, John Platt, the editor of The Revelator to talk about some of the less glamorous animals that have recently been declared extinct or are on the brink of extinction. First, we take a deep dive into the plight of the ivory-billed woodpecker, a regal swamp-dwelling bird whose demise may or may not have been premature. Then we discuss why Hawaii is referred to by some naturalists as the extinction capital of the world, and look at the ethical quandaries presented by the emerging field of resurrection biology, also known as de-extinction.

    29 min

  3. JAN 1

    Paralysis by Pyrolysis: Lisa Song on Plastics Reduction Efforts (Re-Broadcast)

    This week on Sea Change Radio we speak to Lisa Song of ProPublica about her recent work spotlighting efforts by the plastics industry to make its fossil fuel-based products seem benign. We examine how plastic recycling falls short in many areas, look at the problems surrounding a relatively new plastic recycling process called pyrolysis, and then discuss her trip to Ottawa, Canada where she attended a UN conference which purported to be plastic-free.

    29 min

  4. 12/25/2024

    Peter Slovinsky: Protecting Maine’s Coastlines

    This week on Sea Change Radio, a conversation about the vast and varied coastline of the great state of Maine with Peter Slovinsky, a marine geologist with the Maine Geological Survey. We learn about living coastlines, efforts to protect Maine's coast from rising seas and more frequent storms - and get a bit of a geography lesson at the same time.

    29 min

  5. 12/17/2024

    Matt Simon: Long-Duration Energy Storage

    When we think about the transition to renewable energy sources, many of us imagine rooftop solar panels and wind turbine-dotted hills. But it's not just about capturing energy, it's also about keeping it. This week on Sea Change Radio we speak with Matt Simon, a Grist senior staff writer, to discuss long-duration energy storage. The transition to renewables for utilities is still very much evolving -- efficiency, intermittency, and storage are among the issues scientists have yet to perfect. Simon shares some ideas for how we can build upon existing technologies to store solar and wind power, with longer capacity than lithium-ion batteries, ranging from reservoirs and caverns to our existing fleet of electric vehicles. Narrator | 00:02 - This is Sea Change Radio covering the shift to sustainability. I'm Alex Wise. Matt Simon (MS) | 00:23 - We're actually in this really fascinating time where we are better understanding that the Earth is a resource not for extracting the fossil fuels out of it. That's stupid and done. We need to stop doing that now. We're turning more to the energy that is naturally produced by the earth, but also the energy that we can pump underground, for instance, and store down there as a battery. It's a fascinating frontier. Narrator | 00:48 - When we think about the transition to renewable energy sources, many of us imagine rooftop solar panels and wind turbine-dotted hills. But it's not just about capturing energy, it's also about keeping it. This week on Sea Change Radio we speak with Matt Simon, a Grist senior staff writer, to discuss long-duration energy storage. The transition to renewables for utilities is still very much evolving -- efficiency, intermittency, and storage are among the issues scientists have yet to perfect. Simon shares some ideas for how we can build upon existing technologies to store solar and wind power, with longer capacity than lithium-ion batteries, ranging from reservoirs and caverns to our existing fleet of electric vehicles. Alex Wise (AW) | 01:50 - I'm joined now on Sea Change Radio by Matt Simon. Matt is a senior staff writer at Grist. Matt, welcome to Sea Change Radio. Matt Simon (MS) | 01:58 - And thank you for having me.  Alex Wise (AW) | 02:00 - It's good to have you back. You have left wired after a dozen or so years there, and congratulations on joining Grist covering climate. How's the transition been so far for you? Matt Simon (MS) | 02:13 - Thanks. Yeah, it's been fantastic. It's, um, it's amazing to be here with a truly phenomenally talented group of people that are laser focused on climate stuff. So I'm, I'm here covering climate solutions, which I feel like, um, is the most optimistic way, um, for my mental health to be approaching climate coverage this day and age. Um, so I'm feeling surprisingly good.  Alex Wise (AW) | 02:37 - I wanted to discuss a piece you've written for Grist recently, which delves into long duration energy storage. We often think of just energy storage as battery storage, and that's a very short-lived type of energy. If you can define long duration energy storage, how the people who run electric grids look at this piece of the puzzle, that would be terrific. MS | 03:03 - Sure. So the core of the issue here is that as we are deploying more renewables like wind and solar, we need ways to store that energy. So when the wind isn't blowing or the sun isn't shining, we need electricity to flow to people's homes. Um, so the idea here that a lot of people have probably heard about by now is that you have these giant banks of lithium ion batteries on the grid. We have, uh, some of these in California already. They have these also in Texas, wherever you're seeing the proliferation of renewables, you're seeing these battery banks pop up. Um, so the idea here is that you, uh, have the sun go down. You're not generating any solar energy. You draw from those battery banks to give people electricity. Uh,

    29 min

  6. 12/11/2024

    Saluting Pioneers: Warren Washington + Hattie Carwell

    Since 1973, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement has been bestowed upon people who have made a significant impact in the fight for a sustainable planet. In 2019, we spoke with that year's Tyler Prize Laureate, Warren Washington, to learn about the beginnings of his groundbreaking career as an atmospheric scientist. This week on Sea Change Radio, we pay tribute to Dr. Washington, who recently passed away at the age of 88. He was the second African American to receive a PhD in meteorology, a former chair of the National Science Board, and a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. Then, we revisit part of our conversation with physicist Hattie Carwell to learn about her long, illustrious career in the atomic energy space as well as her work at the Museum of African American Technology.

    29 min

  7. 12/04/2024

    The Insect World and Climate Change

    In the wake of the recent U.S. election which was beyond disappointing to those of us who care about the planet, Sea Change Radio will not be closely covering political issues and the machinations of the incoming administration simply because it will be too depressing. Instead, we will continue to cover the shift to sustainability. Rather than focusing on humans this week on Sea Change Radio, we dig into the archives and turn our gaze to the insect world. First, we speak to two scientists, Dylan Gaeta and Scot Miller, from Johns Hopkins University, who share their research on the effects that termite pesticides are having on the climate. Then, we hear from Anne Carlson, the CEO of Jiminy's, who talks about the benefits of her company's insect-based dog food.

    29 min

  8. 11/26/2024

    Lloyd Alter on Sufficiency

    It seems fitting this week, as millions of Americans sit down to an enormous feast, that we discuss the topic of over-indulgence -- and we are not just talking about turkey and pie. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with Canadian environmental journalist Lloyd Alter about sufficiency. We discuss the need to develop sufficiency measures in the sustainability space, talk about examples of sufficiency from the corporate world, and look at Paul Brannen's recent book "Timber!" which makes the case that wood is a more sustainable building material as compared to mined or manufactured compounds.

    29 min
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4.9
out of 5
51 Ratings

About

Sea Change Radio covers the transformations to social, environmental, and economic sustainability. Change is accelerating in positive and negative directions: the clock is ticking in the race to see which will tip first—the problems or the solutions. Join Sea Change's Host, Alex Wise, as he provides in-depth analysis to help our audience understand possible remedies and potential pitfalls. Sea Change interviews sustainability experts including Paul Hawken, Stewart Brand, Bill McKibben, Van Jones, Lester Brown, and many others. Sea Change airs on over 30 radio stations around the country.

Information

  • Creator
    Alex Wise
  • Years Active
    2009 - 2025
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2007-2023
  • Show Website
    Sea Change Radio

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