Climate Now Podcast

Climate Now: Nov 16, 2021

Water Strategy and Climate-Induced Drought: How to mitigate and prepare with Will Sarni

A growing population, groundwater depletion, poor water infrastructure, overuse and water waste threaten our global freshwater supply. Throw climate change into the mix, and the water crisis is exacerbated, as precipitation becomes more variable and temperat

Climate Now: Nov 2, 2021

Improving Climate Models with Machine Learning

Most climate models in use today are based upon large-scale, well-understood physical relationships that drive global temperature and precipitation trends. But the effects of complicated interactions that occur on smaller scales, which may still be significant

Climate Now: Oct 25, 2021

Trash to treasure: One man’s journey to make CO2 waste a useful product

What does it take to turn an idea that could help fight climate change into a self-sustaining business? We often hear the glamorous stories of startups that have made it, but little about the struggles, the learning, and the luck required to get there. Pol Kno

Climate Now: Oct 18, 2021

Pricing carbon around the globe: Why it’s so difficult

How do we finance the cost of mitigating climate change, while discouraging continued use of fossil fuels? The largest public statement of economists in history argues for a carbon tax – which would charge a fee for every ton of carbon dioxide emitted. B

Climate Now: Oct 12, 2021

Do you get what you pay for? Monetizing Forests via Carbon Credits

A rapidly expanding list of companies have announced plans to go “carbon neutral” or “net zero”. Often, these plans include at least some offsetting of greenhouse gas emissions by purchasing credits from forest carbon offset programs. B

Climate Now: Sep 24, 2021

Climate impacts profits: How businesses should report climate risk with Emily Wasley

For businesses, a changing climate is not just about worsening weather patterns. Businesses must be prepared for what is likely to be an era of rapidly accelerating change to many dimensions of their operations, including changes in shareholder expectations, s

Climate Now: Sep 17, 2021

Measuring CO2 from space: the science of NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory missions

In the first episode of our two-part series, we learned how NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory made it to space despite overwhelming odds from David Crisp, the mission’s principal investigator. Today, we released the sequel, where we explore the sc

Climate Now: Sep 14, 2021

Measuring CO2 from space: a journey of perseverance, heartbreak, and scientific breakthrough with David Crisp

On the 24th of February, 2009, David Crisp was in the control center at Vandenberg Air Force base counting down the seconds for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory to launch. It was a project he had led for a decade – and it was the first NASA mission that w

Climate Now: Sep 10, 2021

Saving two birds with one stone: tackling biodiversity and climate together with Pete Smith

Many climate change mitigation proposals are land-use intensive. Are these proposals feasible without negatively impacting biodiversity? Can we develop solutions for both the climate and biodiversity crises? There has been an historic lack of collaboration bet

Climate Now: Sep 7, 2021

Calculating Climate Financial Risks with Tory Grieves

The climate crisis has myriad effects on American businesses, from where properties are located and their likelihood of encountering extreme weather, to where materials are sourced and potential supply-chain complications. These effects inevitably carry with t

Climate Now: Sep 3, 2021

Building stars on Earth: the potential of nuclear fusion

Is there such a thing as “perfect” energy? With nuclear fusion, the answer is maybe. Fusion energy would be safe to human health, environmentally clean, and essentially limitless. But, developing a sustainable fusion reaction still faces significan

Climate Now: Aug 27, 2021

Nuclear Energy: What are the real risks? with David Keith

Despite being a reliable, zero-emissions alternative to energy derived from fossil fuels, nuclear energy remains mired in controversy. Opponents often cite four reasons not to include nuclear in the portfolio of alternative energy sources that will replace fos

Climate Now: Aug 20, 2021

Investing in the Energy Transition with Salim Samaha

Transitioning to a sustainable energy economy will require significant input of investment capital. But how do investors decide which companies and technologies to back as society moves toward a carbon neutral future? Salim Samaha heads energy project investme

Climate Now: Aug 16, 2021

Optimizing Reforestation to Mitigate Climate Change with Susan Cook-Patton

Trees are an incredible resource for mitigating climate change, with myriad environmental benefits – not least their ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it for hundreds to thousands of years. Reforestation – the process o

Climate Now: Aug 13, 2021

Will China reach net-zero emissions by 2060?

China currently produces more greenhouse gas emissions than the next three biggest emitters – the United States, European Union, and India – combined, making a commitment from China to decarbonize its economy essential to reaching global carbon neu

Climate Now: Aug 9, 2021

Carbon Dioxide Removal with Roger Aines

How do we reach global net-zero emissions by 2050, when there is almost no chance of completely ending our dependence on fossil fuels by that time? The solution will require Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) – a host of natural and technological techniques for dr

Climate Now: Aug 6, 2021

Carbon Sequestration with Julio Friedmann

In order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, we must (in addition to reducing emissions) capture carbon and permanently store it where it cannot be released, a process known as carbon sequestration. So, what is currently being done to advance carbo

Climate Now: Aug 2, 2021

Clean Aviation Fuel with Steve Csonka

What incentives are needed for airlines to adopt sustainable aviation fuel (#SAF) and decarbonize air travel? How does SAF get tested and approved for use in commercial aviation? Who are the players in this space now and how much SAF is already being used? Ste

Climate Now: Jul 30, 2021

What’s Wrong with Carbon Offsets? with Mark Trexler and Derik Broekhoff

As the climate crisis worsens, more and more companies are committing to go “net-zero”. Most of these commitments include the purchase of carbon offsets or investment in negative emissions projects, designed to offset the emissions resulting from c

Climate Now: Jul 27, 2021

Hydrogen Electrolysis with Ben Wiley

Declining renewable energy costs have sparked a renewed interest in green hydrogen, which has the potential to decarbonize sectors in which electricity cannot. Because hydrogen doesn’t occur by itself on Earth, it must be separated from other elements, s

Climate Now: Jul 19, 2021

Bioenergy Conversion with Jerry Tuskan

How exactly are plants converted into liquid transportation fuel? And what obstacles does bioenergy need to overcome in order to displace fossil fuels in the US energy economy and abroad? Jerry Tuskan is the CEO of the Center for Bioenergy Innovation and Group

Climate Now: Jul 12, 2021

Biomass Availability with Matthew Langholtz

Bioenergy is a renewable energy for its carbon neutrality – plants absorb CO2 during photosynthesis and emit the same amount when combusted for energy. But to significantly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, substantial amounts of biomass, or organic m

Climate Now: Jul 8, 2021

Climate Modeling with Joeri Rogelj

Climate impact assessment models carry significant weight when developing mitigation and adaptation strategies. So, what climate models exist, and what factors do they include? What scenarios are they projecting, and what should we make of these projections? W

Climate Now: Jul 2, 2021

Climate Policy with Danny Richter

National governments are best-suited to provide the bold, swift action required by the climate crisis through policy. But which policies, exactly, should be passed? What are the pros and cons of each, and which are already proven to be effective in other count