The Planet Today

The Planet Today

di Matt Norden and Nick Gennusa

2024’s Atlantic Hurricane Season, “Empty Climate Promises”, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about this year’s projected hurricane season (NOAA predicts above-normal 2024 Atlantic hurricane season), The tragic landslide in Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea landslide: As many as 2,000 people feared buried massive landslide, survivors dig with hands and spades), Florida’s ban on intentionally releasing balloons (Florida Bans Release of Balloons, Citing Harm to Wildlife), The Biden Administration's move to end all new coal leasing in the Powder River Basin (Biden ending new leases in America's top coal region), American say they are using less plastic (1 in 3 Americans say they’ve reduced how much plastic they’re using), And empty climate promises from the global North (Caribbean leader blasts 'empty' climate promises at small islands summit)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link” for 15% off.

Venezuela loses its glaciers, the world’s largest carbon-capture plant, & more!

Matt talks about Venezuela becoming the first nation to lose its glaciers (Climate change: Venezuela may be first nation to lose all its glaciers), The world’s largest carbon capture plant opened in Iceland (‘World’s largest’ plant to suck carbon out of the air and turn it into stone opens in Iceland), Vermont to charge oil and gas companies for their historical damages (Vermont poised to become first US state to charge big oil for climate damage), The Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act (Legislation Supporting Migratory Birds Across the Hemisphere Signed Into Law), And Exxon Mobil suing its shareholders over climate change (US state officials urge votes against directors as Exxon sues climate activists)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link” for 15% off.

Guest Interview: Shubber Ali (Garden for Wildlife)

Matt interviews Shubber Ali, the CEO of Garden for Wildlife. Shubber helped the National Wildlife Federation launch Garden for Wildlife as its own for profit e-commerce company. Garden for Wildlife allows people to make a difference for the environment by shipping plants native to their zip code that support local wildlife. Their team of experts have thoughtfully utilized 50 years of experience, science, and data to curate plant collections that support wildlife and benefit local ecosystems in every season. Click any of the links here to keep up with Garden for Wildlife on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Dr. Doug Tallamy of the University of Delaware is a collaborator of Garden for Wildlife and was a guest on The Planet Today in July 2023. You can find that episode here: The Planet Today Guest Interview with Dr. Doug Tallamy Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link for 15% off. .

Gas Stove emissions, is 1.5°C dead?, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about how harmful gas stoves are in smaller homes (Gas Stove Pollution Risk Is Greatest in Smaller Homes, Study Finds), Synthetic coffee made from date seeds (The synthetic coffee revolution: are ground date seeds really as delicious as the real thing), Environmental Justice in Ithaca, New York (Ithaca, N.Y., adopts new climate justice spending pledge), A ban on lab-grown meat in Florida (Florida Bans Lab-Grown Meat), Most top climate scientists do not believe the 1.5 degree goal is still achievable (World’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C target), And Catan announces a new game - Catan: New Energies (Catan: New Energies challenges players to build — polluting)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link” for 15% off.

COP29’s host country investing in fossil fuels, fossil fuels being banned in U.S. Federal buildings, & more!

Matt talks about Azerbaijan’s continued fossil fuel investments leading up to COP29 (COP29 climate summit host Azerbaijan defends oil and gas investments), The Oriental Pied Hornbill’s recovery in Singapore (Meet the strange-looking bird making a spectacular recovery amid the skyscrapers of Singapore), Fossil fuels being banned in Federal buildings (Fossil fuels will be banned from new and remodeled federal buildings), Polysilicon will soon begin shipping in the US again (Key Solar Panel Ingredient Is Made in the U.S.A. Again), Emissions limits for coal-burning power plants (E.P.A. Severely Limits Pollution From Coal-Burning Power Plants), And expedited permitting for clean energy projects (Biden Administration Moves to Speed Up Permits for Clean Energy)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link” for 15% off.

A global plastic pollution treaty, Europe’s accelerated warming trend, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about a progress report for a plastic pollution treaty (During plastic pollution treaty, the U.S. faces calls to do more), There is officially 50% more carbon in the atmosphere than pre-industrial times (Carbon Dioxide Levels Have Passed a New Milestone), Expanded protections for national monuments established by President Obama (Biden plans to expand two national monuments in California), Protections for coal miners (Coal miners have long faced risk of black lung disease. Now they're getting new protections), A new rule requiring higher fees for oil and gas companies to drill on federal land (Oil and gas companies must pay more to drill on federal lands under new Biden administration rule), Europe warming faster than the rest of the world (Climate change means deadly heat for Europe), And bamboo farming in Uganda (Bamboo farming is on the rise in Uganda)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link” for 15% off.

Guest Interview: Sam Schutte (Snythica Energy)

Matt interviews Sam Schutte of Synthica Energy. Snythica Energy is a company that is developing anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities designed to convert organic waste into renewable gas. Their ambitious goal is to divert one million tons per year of organic waste from landfills and generate enough energy to power the equivalent of 30,000 homes. Sam Schutte is a renowned expert in the fields of anaerobic digestion commercialization and organics-to-energy platform development. You can keep up with Snythica Energy on Facebook and Youtube. Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link for 15% off.

Switzerland’s lack of fighting climate change, the EPA’s rules for chemical manufacturers, three rainforest updates, & more!

Matt and Nick have a massive episode today and start by talking about Switzerland being held liable for human rights violations (Switzerland’s Climate Shortfalls Violate Human Rights, European Court Rules), The EPA strengthening its regulations on chemical manufacturers (New EPA rules for about 200 US chemical manufacturers take aim at ‘cancer alleys’), The EPA tightening its requirements for removing PFAS from drinking water (EPA sets new limits for 'forever chemicals' in drinking water), The U.S. still funding and expanding highways (As some countries spurn cars, the U.S. continues to embrace highways), Sand dams in Kenya to retain water (Kenyans build sand dams on seasonal rivers to retain water for dry seasons), Expanding natural farming practices in India (Farmers in India are hit hard by extreme weather. Some say expanding natural farming is the answer), Angola’s push for more solar (Angola makes a huge investment in solar), Deforestation impacting rainforests globally (Global rainforest loss continues at rate of 10 football pitches a minute | Deforestation), An effort to restore swathes of rainforests in Peru (Amazon rainforest in Peru, ravaged by gold mining, is being restored), And deforestation down in Colombia's Amazon (Colombia Amazon deforestation forecast down 25% to 35% last year, ministry says)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link” for 15% off.

The secondhand clothing industry, climate change putting cheese at risk, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about the rise of secondhand clothing (Secondhand clothing on track to take 10% of global fashion sales | Retail industry), Climate change has endangered certain types of cheese (Camembert and Brie 'could disappear,' scientists in France warn), Restored wildlife protections by the Biden Administration (Biden restores endangered species protections rolled back by Trump), And New England’s last coal-fired power plants are closing (The Last Coal-Fired Power Plants in New England Are to Close)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link” for 15% off.

Fossil fuel subsidies, the first large off-shore wind farm in the U.S., & more!

Matt and Nick talk about fossil fuel subsidies (The Zombies of the U.S. Tax Code: Why Fossil Fuels Subsidies Seem Impossible to Kill), The first large offshore wind farm in the U.S. (First large offshore U.S. wind farm delivers power to local grid), Protections for the Sage Grouse (Conservationists slam federal proposal for greater sage-grouse protection), U.S. vehicle standards set to phase out most new gas cars by 2032 (New EPA vehicle standards would cut US emissions, ramp up pressure for more EVs), California’s plan to protect indoor workers from heat in jeopardy (California wants to protect indoor workers from heat. Why that may not happen), Breeding coral in labs to restore coral reefs (Thai scientists breed coral in labs to restore degraded reefs), And climate change’s impact on Easter eggs (Easter eggs costs rise as climate change hits crops)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link” for 15% off.

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