The Planet Today

The Planet Today

by Matt Norden and Nick Gennusa

Hurricane Idalia, a deforestation update for the Brazilian Amazon, more!

Matt and Nick talk about Hurricane Idalia (Flamingo fallout: Iconic pink birds showing up all over the East Coast after Idalia), US geothermal energy capacity (Tools Born From Fracking Fuel Geothermal Rush),How much groundwater is being used in the US (America Is Draining Its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow)A heat wave in Europe is causing wildfires in France and Spain (Europe broils in heat wave that fuels fires in France, Spain),And another positive Brazilian Amazon deforestation update (Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon falls 66% in August)!Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta and use promo code “TPT” for 15% off.

Fukushima’s wastewater, clean-air zones in London, more!

Matt talks about how Maui’s first wildfire broke out (Hawaii power utility takes responsibility for first fire on Maui, but faults county firefighters),Clean-air zones in London (London Ulez expansion: Do clean-air zones reduce air pollution?),Releasing radioactive wastewater from Fukushima (Science behind the Fukushima Daiichi radioactive water release),ExxonMobil’s prediction that the world will miss climate targets and why it matters (Exxon says world set to fail two degrees global warming cap by 2050),And new ecosystems developing as glaciers melt As glaciers melt, a new study seeks protection of ecosystems that emerge in their place)!Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta and use promo code “TPT” for 15% off.

Wildfires in Maui, Greece, and Canada; Hurricane Hilary; & more!

Matt and Nick talk about the wildfires in Maui, Canada's Northwest Territories, and Greece (850 people are still missing after Maui wildfires, mayor says), Hurricane Hilary hitting the Pacific Coast of the US and Mexico (Hilary moves into Southern California after making landfall in Mexico's Baja California peninsula), Montana’s youth movement to fight climate change (Montana climate trial: Judge sides with young activists in first-of-its-kind trial), How a new ruling could impact the US solar industry (A new ruling could make solar panels more expensive in the United States), How worsening air pollution is decreasing the efficacy of some antibiotics (Air pollution linked to antibiotic resistance, new study suggests) And the US clean energy movement is trending faster than expected (The Clean Energy Future Is Arriving Faster Than You Think)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta and use promo code “TPT” for 15% off.

Guest Interview: Corey Tyree (Trillium Renewable Chemicals)

Matt interviews Corey Tyree, the President and CEO of Trillium Renewable Chemicals. Trillium is revolutionizing the way chemicals are produced through their innovative, sustainable approach, while leading the charge in the bioeconomy and creating renewable, eco-friendly chemicals. Their approach includes using renewable feedstocks, such as waste biomass, to produce high-quality, environmentally friendly, and cost-competitive chemicals that are not petroleum-based. Check them out on Twitter and LinkedIn for more. 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.

Rising Ocean Temperatures, A New National Monument in the US, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about (Ocean Temperatures Are Hotter Than Ever. What Does It Mean for Earth?), President Biden designating a new national monument (Biden creates a new national monument near the Grand Canyon), A prediction for a 2024 election strategy (A Republican 2024 Climate Strategy: More Drilling, Less Clean Energy), Carbon recycling (Biden admin seeks to jumpstart carbon recycling with $100 million in grants), Air conditioning in public housing (As U.S. bakes, public housing residents struggle to get AC), And (Cheetahs in Kuno: Is India's effort to reintroduce the big cat facing a crisis?)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta and use promo code “TPT” for 15% off.

Monday Mini-sode: El Niño and African wildlife conservation!

Matt and Nick talk about the current El Niño lasting into next year (El Niño will likely last into 2024, and more heat is coming : NPR)And conservation efforts in Africa’s wildlife parks (Africa’s wildlife parks managers meet to boost conservation | AP News)! 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.

Catching up on July: the hottest month on record & more!

Matt and Nick talk about July being the hottest month on record (This Looks Like Earth’s Warmest Month. Hotter Ones Appear to Be in Store),Cacti struggling with global heat waves (Even cacti struggle under extreme weather),The Biden Administration’s response to high temperatures (Biden announces new actions to help people deal with extreme heat),Germany’s increased fossil fuel will be temporary according to Olaf Scholz (Scholz: Germany's increased coal, oil use will be temporary),How a ban on 5 items could reduce plastic waste (Banning these five things would reduce plastic waste by 1.4M tons each year: report),And a proposed tax on private jets (Democratic senator wants new taxes on private jet travel)!Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta and use promo code “TPT” for 15% off.

Guest Interview: Tucker Perkins (PERC)

Matt interviews Tucker Perkins, the president and chief executive officer of the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) and host of the Path to Zero podcast. Tucker believes climate change is both real and man-made, and his goal is to meet the world’s energy demands while reducing carbon in the atmosphere through the use of cleaner liquid fuels, such as propane. 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.

Guest Interview: Sean B. Carroll (Wild Hope)

Matt interviews Sean B. Carroll, the head of HHMI Tangled Bank Studios. His studio has partnered with PBS Nature on a new eight-part series called Wild Hope, which began airing on pbs.org and on the PBS App on June 15. You can watch the Series Trailer here. Sean’s team highlights stories of change makers who are restoring and protecting our planet through hyper-local initiatives. More Wild Hope stories will be rolling out this Fall. 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.

Guest Interview: Martha Hunt Handler (Wolf Conservation Center)

Matt interviews Martha Hunt Handler, the Board President of the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC), a New York-based non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the survival of wolves by inspiring a global community through education, advocacy, research and recovery. They're also playing a leading role in increasing the numbers of two critically endangered wolf species, the Mexican Gray wolf and the Red wolf, both of whom were declared extinct in the wild due to human depredation. The WCC has been a critical partner in creating genetic diversity in the captive populations and rewilding them. Martha has been an environmentalist and wolf activist for 40+ years. She is also an award-winning author of Winter of the Wolf. Check out the WCC on Instagram here. 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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