The Climate Pod The Climate Pod
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The Climate Pod is a wide-ranging conversation with leading experts on the politics, economics, activism, culture, science, and social justice issues at the heart of the climate crisis. Hear from guests like Jane Goodall, Bill McKibben, Al Roker, David Wallace-Wells, Katharine Hayhoe, Adam McKay, Bill Nye, Robert Bullard, Catherine Coleman Flowers, Ted Danson, Gina McCarthy, Paul Krugman, and many more. Hosted by brothers Ty and Brock Benefiel.
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Degrowth, Malthus, and the Climate Crisis (w/ Giorgos Kallis)
Over the last century, economic growth, as measured by increases in countries' Gross Domestic Product, has been the key indicator of success. And while GDP has skyrocketed in many countries, so has fossil fuel use, deforestation, and the destruction of natural ecosystems. On top of that, inequality has actually gotten worse in many countries and incomes, adjusted for inflation, have stagnated for many parts of these "growing" economies. It seems this relentless focus on growth has not created the kind of world that most people want to live in.
Professor Giorgos Kallis is an ecological economist, political ecologist, and Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies Professor at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology in Barcelona. He's also the author of several books about degrowth economics - the field of economics that questions the insatiable need for growth and seeks an alternative societal structure that supports everyone, regardless of a country's ability to grow GDP. Professor Kallis joins the show to talk about degrowth economics and why it is critical to achieve the degrowth goals if we want to reduce the negative impacts of the climate crisis.
We also discuss the role that 18th century philosopher and theologian Thomas Malthus had on modern economics, why he was so wrong about inequality and limits, and some of the ideas that get attributed to him that weren't actually his.
Check out these two books by Professor Kallis:
"The Case for Degrowth"
"Limits: Why Malthus Was Wrong and Why Environmentalists Should Care"
As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group.
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The Adventurers Behind A Thrilling New Climate Documentary (w/ Dr. Lonnie Thompson, Danny O'Malley, and Dr. Alex Rivest)
It's incredible how dramatic climate science can be. That was my first thought after I watched the new documentary, Canary, which chronicles the life and career of Dr. Lonnie Thompson. This week, the subject behind the film, Dr. Thompson, and the co-directors of the documentary, Danny O'Malley and Dr. Alex Rivest, explain how the film came together and the thrilling story behind its development. We discuss how to tell compelling climate stories, what motivates their work, and what decades of glacier science can teach us about the climate crisis.
Lonnie G. Thompson, a Distinguished University Professor at The Ohio State University, and senior research scientist, specializes in paleoclimatology, ice cores, and climate change.
Alex Rivest is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology-trained PhD Neuroscientist. Having worked alongside Nobel Prize winner Dr. Susumu Tonegawa, his research has been published in two of the most highly renowned scientific journals, Science and Nature Neuroscience.
Danny O'Malley is a Grammy nominated and James Beard nominated film director. Best known for his work on Netflix's Chef's Table, where he serves as co-executive producer and a director.
As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group.
Rent Canary -
How Can The Climate Movement Build Real Power? (w/ Dana Fisher)
Who can the climate movement turn to for real change? Politicians? Business leaders? International negotiators? The reality, as Professor Dana Fisher argues, is that despite major gains for climate action in recent years, none of our leaders are adequately advancing solutions at the speed and scale neccessary to meet the actual crisis we face. And because we need change to happen much faster, the climate movement needs to build its own power in order to help solve the biggest problems in ever sector of society. So how do we actually do that?
We explore that on today's show and discuss Professor Fisher's new book Saving Ourselves - From Climate Shocks to Climate Action. We discuss what the climate movement can learn from international efforts like the Paris Agreement and the Kyoto Protocal, how the successes of the Civil Rights Movement and other social movements can guide climate activists, and how climate activism is changing as we approach major elections in 2024.
Dana R. Fisher is the director of the Center for Environment, Community, and Equity and a professor at the School of International Service at American University.
Read Saving Ourselves - From Climate Shocks to Climate Action
As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group. -
What's Keeping Nuclear Energy From Playing a Larger Role in Decarbonization? (w/ Dr. Matt Bowen)
The International Energy Agency, among other prominent modelers of our energy future, projects that nuclear energy's current global capacity must double by 2050 in order for the world to hit its decarbonization goals. The annual investments needed to reach this doubling far exceed anything that's being invested today in new nuclear facilities. Just one new nuclear reactor has been successfully built in the United States in the last 30 years, and the United States hasn't financed new reactors in other countries for decades.
If the United States is truly committed to reducing emissions, why aren't we seeing more investment in nuclear energy, a base fuel that could replace coal and natural gas? How do other countries compare to the United States when it comes to investments in new nuclear energy, the costs and project timelines of new nuclear construction, and the regulations and incentives? Dr. Matt Bowen from the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA joins the podcast today to answer these questions and to provide a detailed look at the current nuclear energy landscape around the world.
Further Reading:
The Uncertain Costs of New Nuclear Reactors
A Critical Disconnect
Improving the Efficiency of NRC Power Reactor Licensing
Comparing Government Financing of Reactor Exports
And check out the upcoming Columbia webinar: https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/events/reactor-costs-and-decarbonization-efforts/
As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group. -
Why Is 'New Climate Denial' So Popular On Social Media? (w/ Imran Ahmed)
"It is vital that those advocating for action to avert climate disaster take note of this substantial shift from denial of anthropogenic climate change to undermining trust in both solutions and science itself, and shift our focus, our resources and our counternarratives accordingly."
In the introduction to a new report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate US/UK, founder and CEO Imran Ahmed makes the case that it's a new kind of climate denialism that is spreading so quickly on social platforms. Why? Not only is it due to the lack of content moderation from Big Tech companies and a willingness of cynical media personalities on these platforms to take up the denier mantle, but also an economic incentive structure for content creators that supports misinformation. Imran Ahmed joins the show this week to discuss The New Climate Denial: How social media platforms and content producers profit by spreading new forms of climate denial? and how social media platforms and legislators can help stop the dominance of misinformation online and what could happen if we don't.
Read The New Climate Denial
As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group.
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2024 is Forecasted to Pass 1.5 Degrees - What Does That Mean? (w/ Dr. Nick Dunstone and Dr. Richard Betts)
In 2015, representatives from all countries attending COP21 agreed to limit global average temperature rise to well below 2.0 degrees Celsius above pre-Industrial levels and to aim for a 1.5 degree rise. Flash forward less than a decade, and the United Kingdom Meteorological Office is forecasting the average annual temperature for 2024 to likely be more than 1.5 degrees warmer than pre-Industrial levels. As the world continues to break annual, monthly, and daily temperature records, what does it mean that we're now exceeding the 1.5 degree threshold so soon after the Paris Agreement?
To help us understand the importance of this forecast, Dr. Nick Dunstone, leader of the Climate Dynamics Group at the Met Office and one of the scientists that conducted the forecast, joins the show to discuss what it means that 2024 may exceed the 1.5 degree threshold, the factors causing the record-breaking temperature, and what people and policymakers should take away from this historic milestone. Dr. Richard Betts, Head of the Climate Impacts Strategic Area at the Met Office, is also on today's episode to discuss his team's recent forecast of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. As CO2 emissions continue to rise, it's no surprise that temperatures continue to rise as well. Dr. Betts helps explain the factors that contribute to 2024's record increase in CO2 concentration and provide context to this year's forecast.
Read The Met's 2024 Temperature Forecast
Read The Met's 2024 CO2 Concentration Forecast
As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group.
Customer Reviews
refreshing and true takes on our world right now
I am teaching adults to teach young children (ages 3-6) about our environment and our human impact on it. Some call it environmental literacy or climate education, but I like to think of it as the curriculum as the foundations of learning to understand and love our planet and all life on it. I very much enjoy this podcast as it keeps me connected to a wide range of adult discussions in the world, full of curiosity, real experiences, timely information, and differing opinions. We need all of this to shift our world into a healthier happier paradigm for all, so keep these conversations going with adults and I’ll be listening!
I particularly enjoyed a recent episode, a brave take on the anti-capitalism, for two reasons: it was a fresh opinion that I think many can noodle on, AND I am currently reading “A Pirate Looks At Fifty” by Jimmy Buffett and his adventures and intrigue with Cuba and Key West in the 70s. So, that last CTA for reviews got to the parrothead in me! Here are a well-earned 5 ⭐️ + a Jimmy Buffett quote, from “Jimmy Dreams” on Barometer Soup because we all need to look for what we love on this beautiful Earth and dream bigger together. Keep it up, Climate Pod and RIP James William Buffett.
“ IT'S THE SOUND OF THE LOW TIDE,
THE SMELL OF THE RAIN
TRAVELIN' ALONE
ON MY BOAT AND MY PLANE
TAKE IT ALL IN IT'S AS BIG AS IT SEEMS
COUNT ALL YOUR BLESSINGS
REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS”
Excellent podcast
There are many climate podcasts to listen to, and IMHO this is one of the best. Kudos to these brothers who tackle difficult subjects that are critically important. Thank you!
The Climate Pod is great!
This podcast is awesome. It really gets down to the facts and I feel really informed. I’m also learning lots of interesting things along the way.