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.

Tree planting campaigns have taken root around the world.  But has the secret to curbing climate change really been in our backyards all along? Join Kait for a chat with Dr. Tom Crowther of the United Nations Trillion Tree initiative as he uncovers the power trees hold as a weapon against warming.

The hit series Chernobyl is sparking conversations about nuclear energy. Disasters like Chernobyl, Fukushima and Three Mile Island also make it one of the most controversial sources of energy.  Join Kait for a chat with Dr. Todd Allen, Chair of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Services at the University of Michigan, as she demystifies nuclear energy, and the role it could play in curbing the climate crisis.

With hurricanes like Michael, Harvey, Irma and Maria in recent memory it may seem like cyclones are becoming more devastating. But is a warming world really making hurricanes worse? Join Kait for a chat with Dr. Brenda Ekwurzel, director of climate science of the Union of Concerned Scientists, to find out.

Mothers go out of their way to give their children every advantage in life. But emerging research suggests a factor beyond any mother’s control could put her baby at risk. This week Kait speaks to Dr. Ashley Ward, senior policy associate at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, about how a warming world is boosting the odds more babies will be born too soon.

What if after a natural disaster you could return to a home rather than to a pile of rubble? Stricter building codes could help stop disrupting lives, displacing families and cut the huge cost of storms. But are we up for the challenge to implement them for a warming climate? Join Kait as she learns how you can ready your home for a disaster from Roy Wright, CEO of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety.

Hurricane season began Saturday.  For some, it marked the start of 183 days of fear and anxiety. Natural disasters can leave survivors dealing with life-changing trauma. This week Kait talks to mental health professionals about how much stress is  normal and how to tell if your fear has gone too far.

Gender equality is a basic human right, and it might just be our best bet for saving the planet. This week’s episode is all about equality. Join Kait for a chat with Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, author of Project Drawdown, and find out why we need women if we want the world to stop warming.

Kait Parker profiles two television meteorologists who've stepped away from daily forecasting to take on the complicated issue of climate change. Hear how their work is helping to bring the science of climate change into local newsrooms.

The Environmental Protection Agency under President Trump has rolled back regulations that protect the environment and our health. How much should we be concerned? Join Kait for a chat with Gina McCarthy, who led the EPA under President Obama, and offers her take on the agency’s direction and whether she thinks her legacy is being undermined.

Hurricane Michael ripped through the Southeast U.S. six months ago. The damage at the coast was unreal, but inland, another astounding loss: pecan, timber and row crops. While row crops can be planted again this year, it’ll be a decade before farmers can grow pecans and earn an income. Join Kait as she goes on a journey through the hard-hit farmland of the South to find out if it’s not just hurricanes, but climate, that’s making it even more difficult to farm.

Switching to reusable bags probably wouldn’t be a huge deal for most of us. But how about ditching bottled shampoo and switching to cloth diapers? In honor of Earth Day, we asked a colleague to try a zero-waste lifestyle. Join Kait and Pam Wright as they uncover the challenges of going waste-free, and get some tips on how to reduce the garbage in your life.

Are Earth’s resources ours to exploit, or is it our duty to protect them? Join Kait for a chat with the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, head of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., and Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, author of Between God and Green: How Evangelicals are Cultivating a Middle Ground on Climate Change, and find out why more and more church leaders are bringing politics into the pulpit.

Join Kait for a chat with Rob Moore, Senior Policy Analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council, and find out how flood insurance has left so many homeowners underwater long after the inundation is gone.

Yes, the sun provides our heat. But no, it’s not causing climate change.  Join Kait for a talk with Dr. Phil Plait. You may know him as The Bad Astronomer, but he’s really good at breaking down the actual relationship between the sun and our climate.

America is under attack from an unseen enemy. Climate change isn’t just threatening our national security – it’s contributing to conflicts across the globe. Join Kait for a chat with Sherri Goodman, Senior Strategist at the Center for Climate and Security, about why a warming world is a warring world.

The consequences of climate change are hitting some communities in the South hard. But, as author Rick Van Noy discovered, they’re far from waving the white flag. Join meteorologist Kait Parker for a discussion about his book Sudden Spring and discover the unique challenges facing a climate changed South.

Why are El Niños still so mysterious and what's it like to testify before Congress? Join Kait for a chat with Dr. Kim Cobb, who's technically the director of Georgia Tech’s Global Change program, but more like the Oprah of El Niños, as they cover the climate phenomenon and a research trip fit for a Hollywood script.

Australia is still reeling from a brutal, deadly summer in which intense heat waves killed bats by the thousands. But they’re not the only animals living on the brink of disaster, and a warming world could push some species over the edge. Join Kait and Dr. Bill Laurance, a biologist and expert on Australian wildlife, to find out why two degrees can mean the difference between life and death for some species.

Our oceans are under threat. From pollution to climate change, life underwater has gotten much harder. Join Kait and marine biologist Matt Savoca as they chat about the world’s largest whales and the insights they can give us about the health of our oceans and our impact on the marine environment.

As recently as 2008, Democrats and Republicans agreed climate change is a threat that needs to be addressed.  Now, it’s one of the most divisive issues in politics. So why did the Republican party reverse its stance? Join Kait for a chat with former Republican congressman Bob Inglis about the politics of climate change, and why it should be on the Republican agenda.

Silence in the Serengeti. Barren rainforests in Brazil. Some say this is the future Earth faces if we don’t reverse course. We’re losing animal species at an unprecedented rate, but are we really in the midst of a sixth mass extinction? Join Kait and guests Dr. Paul Ehrlich, President of the Stanford Center for Conservation Biology, and Mike Gunton, Creative Director of Natural History for the BBC, as they weigh the case for the sixth great mass extinction and uncover the causes.

This first episode is your complete guide to navigating the misinformation surrounding climate change and a warming world. Join meteorologist Kait Parker and Dr. Michael Mann, one of the world’s leading experts on the subject, as they answer questions like: What is climate change? Is it climate change or global warming? And is it really our fault?

The evidence of climate change is all around us. But unfortunately, so is the misinformation.  That’s why meteorologist Kait Parker decided to follow her passion for scientific exploration with this venture into purpose-filled podcasting. Warming Signs will apply sound science to the issues facing our ailing Earth. But this podcast is anything but stodgy and stiff. Join Kait each Tuesday at noon and let her become your new favorite lunch date.