The Planet Today

The Planet Today

by Matt Norden and Nick Gennusa

Guest Interview: Wendy Baker (Dynapower)

Matt interviews Wendy Baker of Dynapower. Dynapower is powering the world’s leading brands and institutions with reliable solutions in energy storage systems and other electrical components for renewable energy. Wendy is an award-winning business development professional who is passionate about developing sustainable power options. If you like today’s episode, follow Dynapower on LinkedIn. Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Kitcaster with a special offer for friends of our show to become guests on other podcasts.

Climate change impacting maple syrup, the earliest fossilized forest, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about climate change impacting the US maple syrup industry (Maple syrup season came weeks early in the Midwest. Producers are doing their best to adapt), Colorado River water rights (Colorado River drought climate change), Record high ocean temperatures in February (Ocean temperature hit record high in February 2024, EU scientists say), The Biden administration delaying climate regulations (Biden backtracks on climate plans and ‘walks tightrope’ to court both young voters and moderates), A fossilized forest found in the UK (World's earliest fossilised forest discovered in Minehead, Somerset), And rehabilitated manatees brought home to Florida (Orphaned Manatees Return to the Wild After 3 Years of Rehab)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link” for 15% off.

More Nuclear Power in the U.S., Exxon’s CEO blames consumers for climate change, & more!

Matt is flying solo for this episode to talk about support for Nuclear Power growing in US federal government (Nuclear Power Bill Passed by House, Support Grows in Congress), Using artificial intelligence to track humpback whale movements (How AI is already helping scientists track threatened humpback whales), France debating whether to fine fast fashion brands (France mulls penalties to rein in ultra-fast fashion brands), The EU preparing for COP29 with a draft calling for fossil fuel companies to pay their fair share (Exclusive: EU wants fossil fuel sector to help pay to combat climate change, draft shows), And Exxon’s CEO says consumers are the ones delaying the clean energy transition (Fury after Exxon chief says public to blame for climate failures)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link” for 15% off.

Climate change’s impact on winter sports & protections for the Asian Elephant in Bangladesh!

Matt and Nick talk about how climate change could impact winter sports (Climate change clouds future of winter sports), Environmental disasters displaced 2.5 million Americans in 2023 (Disasters Forced 2.5 Million Americans From Their Homes Last Year),  A 2016 moratorium on new coal leasing has been lifted (Federal appeals court revokes Obama-era ban on coal leasing), And Bangladesh has banned the adoption of Asian Elephants (Bangladesh's critically endangered Asian elephants get court protection)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link” for 15% off.

The U.S. East Coast sinking, Medical Marijuana for animals, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about the environmental impacts of solar energy (Can We Invest in Solar Power Without Harming Nature?), Cities on the U.S. east coast are sinking (As Aquifers Are Depleted, Areas Along The East Coast Of The US Are Sinking), The EPA tightening its fine particulate matter regulations (Biden Administration Toughens Limits on Deadly Air Pollution),  The EPA loosening its vehicle emissions limits (US to soften tailpipe rules, slow EV transition through 2030),  Coral bleaching is worse than we thought (NOAA Coral Reef Watch extends alert scale following extreme coral heat stress in 2023), And medical marijuana for sick mammals (Curing Pets With Cannabis as Veterinarians Try CBD and THC)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link” for 15% off.

Guest Interview: Matthew Krayton (Publitics)

Matt interviews Matthew Krayton, the founder and Principal of Publitics. Publitics is a political consulting, strategy, and media company that focuses on strategy, communications, public relations, and public affairs. Their blog can be found on InfluenceIQ and you can follow them on Instagram and TikTok with these links. Matthew has been working on projects on the political side of the clean energy space, specifically the political risk that clean energy faces today. Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Kitcaster with a special offer for friends of our show to become guests on other podcasts.

Category 6 hurricanes, John Podesta named U.S. Climate Envoy, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about just how powerful hurricanes are becoming due to climate change (Dial it up to Category 6? As warming stokes storms, some want a bigger hurricane category), Tragic forest fires in Chile (At least 112 dead in as Chile’s deadliest ever forest fire rages on), John Podesta named new U.S. Climate Envoy (John Podesta: Biden’s new top climate diplomat is ‘uniquely qualified’),  Planting trees to restore a lost rainforest in the UK (Devon tree planting: Work to recreate lost rainforest), The fight over whether to pave a road through a forest in Kenya (Kenya's leader wants a paved road to cut through a forest, a key water source. Scientists don’t), Pandora moving to using only recycled metals for its jewelry (Pandora Now Only Sources Recycled Metals for Its Jewelry), And a prototype sun-shield for use in outer space could be ready in the next few years (Could a Giant Parasol in Outer Space Help Solve the Climate Crisis?)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link” for 15% off.

IVF as a conservation tool, the benefits of sustainable food systems, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about how in vitro fertilization could save the northern white rhino (World first IVF rhino pregnancy could save northern white rhinos from extinction, scientists say), The benefits of sustainable food systems (Move to sustainable food systems could bring $10tn benefits a year, study finds), Protections for whales near offshore wind farms (U.S. sets plans to protect endangered whales near offshore wind farms; firms swap wind leases), Hawaii’s aggressive clean energy push (How one state is quickly becoming America's clean energy paradise), And President Biden pausing liquified natural gas exports (Biden pauses LNG export approvals after pressure from climate activists)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link” for 15% off.

Fines for excess methane, a new Colombian national park, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about the Biden Administration imposing fines on oil and gas companies over their methane production (Biden Administration to Fine Oil and Gas Companies for Excess Methane), Greenland losing ice much faster than previously understood (The more scientists study Greenland, the worse its ice melt looks), John Kerry stepping down as U.S. Climate Envoy (John Kerry to step down as Biden's climate envoy), Canada formally giving Nunavut control over its precious metal reserves (Canada gives mineral-rich Arctic region of Nunavut control over its resources), Refugees restoring forests in Uganda (In Uganda, refugees' need for wood ravaged the forest. Now, they work to restore it), Mark Zuckerberg’s Hawaiian cattle ranch and its environmental harm Zuckerberg derided for his ‘high quality beef’ ranch where cows are fed macadamia nuts and beer), And a new national park in Colombia (A New National Park is Born in Colombia) (In Colombia, a Park for Anacondas and Anteaters, Where Ranchers Are Now Rangers)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link” for 15% off.

Guest Interview: Jeffrey Rissman (Zero-Carbon Industry)

Matt interviews Jeffrey Rissman, Senior Director of Industry at Energy Innovation. His new book “Zero-Carbon Industry: Transformative Technologies and Policies to Achieve Sustainable Prosperity” is available for pre-order now before its February 27, 2024 release date. Zero-Carbon Industry unpacks the complex challenges presented by climate change and offers clear, actionable insights on how we can revamp the industrial world’s heaviest emitters using cutting-edge technologies and intelligent policy. Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Kitcaster with a special offer for friends of our show to become guests on other podcasts.

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