Big Picture Science (Series)
Produced by Big Picture Science
Most recent piece in this series:
Make Space For Animals
From Big Picture Science | Part of the Big Picture Science series | 54:00
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- Make Space For Animals
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- Big Picture Science
Long before Yuri Gagarin became the first human to go into space, Laika, a stray dog, crossed the final frontier. Find out what other surprising species were drafted into the astronaut corps.
They may be our best friends, but we still balk at giving other creatures moral standing. And why are humans so reluctant to accept the fact that we too are animals?
Guests:
- Jo Wimpenny - Zoologist and writer. Author of “Aesop’s Animals”
- Taylor Maggiacomo - Associate Graphic Editor at National Geographic
- Alexander Stegmaier - Freelance Graphic Editor at National Geographic
- Melanie Challenger - An author who writes on nature, environment and human history. Her latest book: “How to be Animal: A New History of What it Means to be Human”
Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake
Originally aired January 24, 2022
Sidedoor (Series)
Produced by Smithsonian
Most recent piece in this series:
Wild Orchid Mystery
From Smithsonian | Part of the Sidedoor series | 22:47
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- Wild Orchid Mystery
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- Smithsonian
You probably know orchids as the big, colorful flowers found in grocery stores and given as housewarming gifts. But those tropical beauties represent only a fraction of the estimated 25,000 orchid species worldwide. While their showy relatives fly off the shelves, North America’s more understated native orchids are disappearing in the wild. Scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center are working to protect these orchids and their habitats, but first they need solve a surprisingly difficult problem: how to grow one.
Planetary Radio (Series)
Produced by Mat Kaplan
Most recent piece in this series:
Volcanic Venus? New insights from vintage data
From Mat Kaplan | Part of the Planetary Radio series | 28:50
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- Volcanic Venus? New insights from vintage data
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- Mat Kaplan
Is Venus hiding volcanic secrets beneath its shroud of clouds? Robbie Herrick and Scott Hensley, the minds behind a new paper on recent potential volcanic activity on Venus, join Planetary Radio to discuss their discovery and what it means for the future of Venusian exploration. Then we turn to the night sky with our resident stargazer, Bruce Betts, for What's Up and our space trivia contest.
Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-volcanic-venus
Climate One (Series)
Produced by Climate One
Most recent piece in this series:
2023-03-31 White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi on Willow & Biden’s Climate Agenda
From Climate One | Part of the Climate One series | 58:59
The Biden administration has recently passed more climate policy than many thought possible. A combination of rebates and incentives are aimed at helping Americans get off fossil fuels, whether it's switching to an electric stove, swapping out that HVAC system for a heat pump that runs on electricity instead of natural gas, or getting an electric vehicle.
The policies span agriculture, new technology, research and development, biofuels, transportation and more. Woven through those areas is a commitment to environmental and social justice.
“We have a relentless focus on getting greenhouse gas emissions down, but we have such a bigger opportunity right now, and that opportunity is to restore that American dream,” says White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. “Folks … feel impatient about flipping the switch going to clean, but we gotta bring everybody along if we believe the values that we espouse.”
Biden’s policy wins have secured vast amounts of funding, and that money is just beginning to flow, with new programs becoming available to everyday Americans. With hundreds of billions tagged for chip and battery plants, climate smart agriculture, rail, modernizing the electric grid, and tax incentives for citizens to run their homes and cars on electricity, ensuring these dollars and programs have real impact is now the name of the game. But it’s not a straight line.
As a candidate for president, Biden promised no more drilling on federal lands, yet he recently approved the Willow Project, an $8 billion plan to pump an estimated 600 million barrels of oil from federal lands on the north slope of Alaska. The International Energy Agency states that developing such new oil and gas fields will push global heating to dangerous levels and jeopardize net zero goals.
Zaidi says the project is an example of the administration needing to work through inherited decisions, and he understands the ire from many environmentalists and climate activists.
“I don't want to gloss over how folks feel about the decision. I don't want to pretend like … this is part of a straight path trajectory to where we hope to go. But you know, this is part of the complexity of where we find ourselves.”
Zaidi says the Biden administration is also engaging with oil and gas companies as well as leaders of hard-to-decarbonize industries like steel, cement and aluminum, having what he described as “the hard conversation,” telling them that they need to be part of the solution.
Throughout all of this, Zaidi says the administration remains focused on economic and environmental justice, repairing the harms of the past and not recreating them. Part of that involves focusing on the labor needed in this transition, keeping workers employed and supporting those in the trade industries as we move away from fossil fuels.
“So, the pipefitters and plumbers that have been building these pipes for decades, well, they're actually front of the line pushing for stronger methane standards because they get to patch those pipes, right? We've got the electrical workers who've been keeping the lights on across the country for as long as we can remember. Those folks are front of the line on electric vehicle chargers because they're the ones that are getting to put the wiring in to make that possible,” Zaidi says. “So we gotta go sector by sector. We gotta look at the literal work that we need to do. And it's gonna turn out that a lot of these workers with amazing skills who've been holding up and expanding middle-class communities across the country, we need them in the clean energy economy.”
Related Links:
CleanEnergy.gov
Sound Ecology (Series)
Produced by Jessica Eden
Most recent piece in this series:
Sound Ecology: Diablotin (Black-capped petrel)
From Jessica Eden | Part of the Sound Ecology series | 01:45
A rare little seabird nests in the rugged mountains between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. We learn about conservation efforts that seek to foster a healthy ecosystem for local communities and for this endangered "Diablotin".
Got Science? (Series)
Produced by Got Science
Most recent piece in this series:
Lean, Clean, Green Machines
From Got Science | Part of the Got Science? series | 29:01
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- Lean, Clean, Green Machines
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- Got Science
Colleen talks to Bridget and Paula about:
- the modeling and analysis that shows how states can reach 100% renewable energy by 2035
- what policies are needed to reach an equitable transition
- what a just and sustainable future could look like
A Moment of Science (Series)
Produced by WFIU
Most recent piece in this series:
AMOS 23.75: A Broken Coffee Cup, 4/14/2023
From WFIU | Part of the A Moment of Science series | 02:00
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- AMOS 23.75: A Broken Coffee Cup, 4/14/2023
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- WFIU
A Broken Coffee Cup
Bioneers - Revolution From the Heart of Nature (Series)
Produced by Bioneers
Most recent piece in this series:
241: Why Equity is Good for Everyone: Changing the Story, Changing the World, 4/5/2023
From Bioneers | Part of the Bioneers - Revolution From the Heart of Nature series | 28:30
How do we change the story of corrosive racial inequity? First, we have to understand the stories we tell ourselves. In this program, racial justice innovators john a. powell and Heather McGhee show how empathy, honesty and the recognition of our common humanity can change the story to bridge the racial divides tearing humanity and the Earth apart.
The 90-Second Naturalist (Series)
Produced by WGUC/ WVXU
Most recent piece in this series:
90 Second Naturalist - April 2023 Modules
From WGUC/ WVXU | Part of the The 90-Second Naturalist series | 30:00
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- 90 Second Naturalist - April 2023 Modules
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- WGUC/ WVXU
90-second modules that celebrate the natural world and bring the wonder of nature into daily life.
This Week in Water (Series)
Produced by H2O Radio
Most recent piece in this series:
This Week in Water for March 26, 2023
From H2O Radio | Part of the This Week in Water series | 05:59
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- This Week in Water for March 26, 2023
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- H2O Radio
The IPCC says their latest report is their final warning on the climate crisis—yet, still offers hope.
The Biden administration has announced land and water protections plus its Ocean Climate Action Plan.
Want to save caterpillars? Here's how.
Instant beer? Yup, just add water.