The Planet Today

The Planet Today

por Matt Norden and Nick Gennusa

Noticias Naturaleza

More wind power in Europe, Amazon’s plastic problem, & more with Dan Walsh!

Matt makes his producing debut and is joined by recurring guest co-host Dan Walsh to talk about the EU increasing wind power in the North Sea (4 EU countries pledge tenfold rise in North Sea wind power | News | DW), Will Amazon be cutting back on its plastic use? (Amazon shareholders vote on resolution to require the company to address its colossal plastic problem (apnews.com)), Electric vehicle battery costs projected to increase from 2023-2026 before declining again (EV battery costs set to spike as raw material shortages drags on (cnbc.com)), Soil damage from heavy farm equipment ((Modern Farm Vehicles Heavier Than Dinosaurs Can Damage Soil for Decades, Study Finds - EcoWatch), And great news for the California Condor (Absent for More Than a Century, California Condors Soar Above the Redwoods Again | Audubon)!

Guest Interview: James Leitner (Mission Clean Water)

Matt interviews James Leitner, the Founder and Executive Director of Mission Clean Water (MCW). MCW aims to address a major issue with clean water projects in Africa: 60% of them fail within the first two years, according to the World Health Organization. MCW says this is because projects are implemented too quickly, and without proper consultation and coordination with local communities. Their focus on community involvement treats clean water as the beginning of the process, and not just a photo-op and plaque next to a well that will not function properly in a few years. Their team of technical and community teams maintain communication, training, and long-term involvement so that their wells will continue to provide clean water to arid regions that have been underserved for generations. Learn more at www.missioncleanwater.org and follow them on Instagram and Twitter @missioncleanh2o!

The Lone Star Tick, canceled offshore oil drilling leases, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about the Lone Star Tick spreading alpha-gal syndrome in the U.S. (The Tick That Causes a Meat Allergy Is on the Move - The New York Times (nytimes.com)), A California coastal panel rejecting a proposal to build a seawater desalination plant (Agency unanimously rejects California desalination project | AP News), Oil refineries spreading benzene, a carcinogen, into communities in Texas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and the US Virgin Islands (US oil refineries spewing cancer-causing benzene into communities, report finds | Pollution | The Guardian), And the Biden Administration’s decision not to move forward with three leases in Alaska’s Cook Inlet and the Gulf of Mexico (Biden Cancels Offshore Drilling in Alaska and Gulf of Mexico (gizmodo.com))!

Section 3 of the IPCC’s 2022 report: Mitigation of Climate Change!

Matt and Nick talk about the latest section of this year’s report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The IPCC website describes this section by saying “The Working Group III report provides an updated global assessment of climate change mitigation progress and pledges, and examines the sources of global emissions. It explains developments in emission reduction and mitigation efforts, assessing the impact of national climate pledges in relation to long-term emissions goals.” Matt and Nick break down some of the highlights from this report, discuss what other experts are saying, and talk about how they’re honestly feeling about this report and what it means moving forward. Check out the entire report, the summary for policymakers, or the technical summary here: Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change (ipcc.ch) Additional source material for this week’s show: UN calls for ‘substantial reduction’ in fossil fuels to limit climate change | The Hill Major climate report zeroes in on individual choice | Popular Science (popsci.com) Opinion | What You Really Need to Know About the Latest IPCC Climate Report | Kaisa Kosonen (commondreams.org) We have the tools to slow warming - The New York Times (nytimes.com) Climate change: Key UN finding widely misinterpreted - BBC News

Forever Chemicals in US cropland, beef and deforestation, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about forever chemicals impacting vast amount of US Cropland (‘Forever chemicals’ may have polluted 20m acres of US cropland, study says | PFAS | The Guardian), One of the largest mangrove forests in Puerto Rico impacted by development (Builders hurt protected areas in climate-weary Puerto Rico | AP News), The Great Pacific Garbage Patch supporting life (The Ocean’s Biggest Garbage Pile Is Full of Floating Life - The New York Times (nytimes.com)), A groundwater system discovered underneath Antarctica (Vast amount of water discovered hidden beneath Antarctica - CNN), And lessening deforestation by lowering our beef consumption (Eating one-fifth less beef could halve deforestation (nature.com))!

Big Oil's role in plastic recycling misinformation

Matt and Nick break down the news that California’s attorney general has opened an investigation into companies promoting the idea that plastics can be recycled, when in reality, it’s not that simple. They also talk about recycling aluminum, glass, and paper compared to recycling plastic. Source material for today’s show: California Investigating Oil Companies For Alleged Plastic Recycling Deception : NPR Analysis: Big Oil's plastic boom threatens U.N.'s 'historic' pollution pact | Reuters The Best Materials To Recycle for the Environment – Germantown News & Shelby-Sun Times (shelby-news.com) Is Aluminum More Sustainable Than Plastic? (Aluminum vs Plastic Comparison) - Better Meets Reality Glass Vs Plastic: Which one is more eco-friendly? – LastObject Which Plastics Are the Least Recyclable? (msn.com)

Banks financing Fossil Fuels, No Mow May, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about the link between big banks and climate change (Wells Fargo and Citigroup Vote to Keep Financing Fossil Fuels | The New Republic), Drought in the Western U.S. (New government maps show nearly all of the West is in drought and it's not even summer yet: "This is unprecedented" - CBS News), Wildfire in New Mexico (Dangerous New Mexico wildfire forces historic city to evacuate | Reuters), Meme culture meets evolution (Started Out as a Fish. How Did It End Up Like This? - The New York Times (nytimes.com)), And No Mow May in Saratoga, NY (No Mow May: Growing environmental movement now has local roots (with 9 photos) – The Daily Gazette)!

Monday Minisode: Solar Power in the United States!

Matt and Nick talk about rooftop solar in American cities and how far solar has come in the past decade (9 U.S. cities now produce more solar power than the entire U.S. did 10 years ago (yahoo.com)). Full report: Shining Cities 2022 (environmentcalifornia.org)

Thawing permafrost, marine-life on offshore wind turbines, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about inspect populations declining due to climate change and agriculture (Climate change and farming driving insect decline - BBC News), Permafrost thawing in Alaska and what that means for climate change (https://grist.org/science/alaska-permafrost-thawing-ice-climate-change/), Wynn Alan Bruce’s fatal climate protest on Earth Day (Wynn Alan Bruce: Climate activist dies after setting himself on fire outside Supreme Court on Earth Day | The Independent), A new material that encourages marine life to settle on offshore wind turbines (Ecological concrete to reduce the impact of offshore wind energy infrastructures - Renewable Energy Magazine, at the heart of clean energy journalism) And the first wild red wolf litter in four years (Check out this pawesome litter of endangered red wolf pups : NPR)! We mentioned a free climate change course during this episode, which can be found here: Climate Change: The Science and Global Impact | edX

Cryptocurrencies and Environmentalism featuring CJ Bonifati!

Matt and Nick are joined by guest co-host CJ Bonifati to talk about something they last spoke about on June 11, 2021 - cryptocurrencies and their climate impact. This is a longer episode, but there's a lot to cover with this topic. They start off with a refresher on crypto and mining for them, a discussion of the Crypto Climate Accord, then dive into a thought-provoking question posed by the Reveal Podcast: Can our climate survive bitcoin? Finally, the guys bring up the green energy transition and how that can be impacted by an increased popularity for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Grab a glass of your favorite milk or milk-substitute because there are some spicy takes at the end of this episode from Matt and CJ, as you might expect when they get together. Sources: Home - Crypto Climate Accord Can Our Climate Survive Bitcoin? - Reveal (revealnews.org) Can Our Climate Survive Bitcoin? - Reveal | Podcast on Spotify NFT of Jack Dorsey's first tweet struggles to sell - BBC News 8 Best Eco-Friendly, Green Cryptocurrencies to Invest In Today (theimpactinvestor.com)

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