Warming Signs

The topic of climate change can often conjure up images of frustrated individuals doing their best to spread the word on science and solutions. However, at Inside the Greenhouse at the University of Colorado, laughter is on the playbill. Join Kait Parker as she interviews Beth Osnes and Maxwell Boykoff about their research on humor and climate change.

There’s no doubt about it, our lifestyles are a huge part of the reason our world is warming at an alarming rate. But are the same actions that are making Earth sick making us ill, too?  Join Kait for a chat with Dr. Jon Foley of Project Drawdown, and see how we created what he calls a “biological storm” that unleashed a pandemic on the planet’s population.

Most of the world is being asked to stay at home to help flatten the curve of COVID-19 infections. And as we’re driven out of public spaces and into isolation, our effect on the environment is being reversed. Areas under stay-at-home orders are enjoying some of the cleanest air in decades.  But what will happen to our planet when life returns to normal? Join me for a conversation with Dr. Jacqueline Klopp, and hear her take on whether these recent environmental gains can become permanent.

As the world takes drastic action to stop a new threat, some are seeing strong parallels between the novel coronavirus and another adversary - climate change. Join Kait for a chat with Dr. Mona Sarfaty. Dr. Sarfaty has made it her mission to make the world aware of the consequences of climate change on our health. This week she and Kait delve into the relationship between infectious disease and climate change, and how the response to COVID-19 can offer lessons to those charged with protecting our planet.

Some school districts across the country have kept climate change off the curriculum, but for one high school in New Orleans, it’s the focus. New Harmony, a first-of-a-kind charter school, teaches coastal ecology and sea level rise as Louisiana races to preserve its coast. Join Kait as she learns how a new generation is stepping up to the challenge.

When glaciers melt, they trigger a domino-effect that could one day end at your dinner plate. Join Kait for a chat with Dr. Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at Earth Science Observation Center. He breaks down the connection between the health of glaciers and our food supply.

Some sections of our population bear more of the burden in a warming world, and it’s not just the folks who live on the coast. Join Kait for a discussion with Catherine Flowers, a senior fellow at the Center for Earth Ethics, who knows first-hand how disproportionately poor communities are affected by climate change.

Could your brew be in jeopardy? Made from hops and barley, beer is at risk of becoming more difficult to make due to changing weather patterns and water scarcity. Can new ideas and innovation save your favorite brand? Join Kait Parker as she speaks to Maisie Devine from Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer.

More than one-third of Americans live in counties directly on a shoreline. In a warming world, that water is creeping closer and closer to their front doors. Join Kait for a chat with Dr. Ayana Johnson. She’s a marine biologist who specializes in helping coastal cities become resilient. What she says about the future of our coastlines might have you thinking twice about buying a beach house.

Who is really behind the push to stop flying in the name of climate change? Or to stop using straws and to stop eating meat? Dr. Michael Mann argues that both individual action and institutional change are needed to tackle a warming world -- however, there are also some nefarious tactics being used in that fight. Join Kait Parker and Dr. Mann on Warming Signs.

Meatless options are popping up everywhere you look. Some are touting them as a game-changer in a warming world. Join Kait for a chat with Dr. Jason Rowntree, an agricultural expert who specializes in resilience farming. You’ll want to hear his insights before you say bye-bye to burgers.

How are disappearing sea ice and changes in the Arctic influencing winter weather in the U.S.? Join Kait for a chat with Dr. Judah Cohen, director of seasonal forecasting at Atmospheric and Environmental Research, a Verisk business, as they break down what a warming world means for winter weather.

Russia’s so-called “whale jail” has no more inmates. All 97 whales held captive there have been released. But what kind of world are they returning to? Join Kait for a chat with Charles Vinick of the Whale Sanctuary Project and oceanographic explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of Jacques Cousteau, for a chat about the future the freed whales face in a warming world.

Lions have always captured our imaginations. They’re depicted as pillars of strength, but the future of the big cats in the wild is uncertain. Join Kait for chat with Dr. Amy Dickman, a conservation biologist at Oxford University, and find out why an animal with no natural predator faces an uphill battle for survival.

New York City is a leader in the global effort to cut carbon emissions. Join Kait for a chat with the man who makes it all possible. Daniel Zarrilli is New York’s Chief Climate Policy Advisor. During the United Nations Climate Summit he explained to Kait how one city can make a big difference, even if the federal government isn’t on board.

When Greta Thunberg, 16, began her climate strike just over a year ago, she inspired young and old to take action on climate. Alexandria Villasenor, 14, of New York has joined the cause and has been striking from school every Friday since last December. Join Kait Parker as she talks to Alexandria, a leader of the Youth Climate Strike last month in New York, about what is driving the movement.

Climatologists, activists and celebrities have converged on New York this week for the United Nations climate summit. Join Kait from one of the events, Mashable’s Social Good Summit, as she interviews Chef Jose Andres, who just returned from feeding Hurricane Dorian survivors and first responders in the Bahamas, and Dr. Maria Neira of the World Health Organization.

The climate is changing and, in most classrooms, science lessons are changing right along with it. A growing number of states have adopted standards that require science curriculums to include climate change. But lots of parents want to know what’s being taught and how. Join Kait for a chat with Dr. Danielle Lawson of NC State. She’s an expert on teaching kids about climate change, and explains why those lessons can make other family members smarter too.

When it comes to denying the devastating effects of climate change, scientists hear the same lines over and over. Join Kait for a chat with weather.com’s own Bob Henson as they uncover the truth behind the most common climate clichés.