Because podcasting appears to be all the rage these days, it’s no surprise that there is a slew of episodes devoted to the big, vital issue on everyone’s mind: climate change. It’s difficult not to think about it when the world is burning, hurricanes are destroying houses, people are losing their jobs, and, well, you get the picture. But why has podcasting become a popular medium for discussing climate change? Earther spoke with Mary Annase Heglar, one of the co-hosts of the Hot Take podcast, which investigates how the media covers climate change, to get some insight on the subject. Climate change, in Heglar’s opinion, is a large issue that may be discussed in a variety of ways. On the other hand, there are so many ways to communicate about climate one podcast that it might be confusing. And in those circumstances, Heglar says, it’s best to simply hash it out like you’re talking to a buddy, which is a lot simpler to do on a podcast than in writing.
Climate Cash is a three-part audio series produced by the World Wildlife Foundation’s Australian division. Dr. Gilly Llewellyn, the Foundation’s Conservation Director, speaks with public and private sector specialists, local leaders, and government officials on the challenges that pose the greatest to Southeast Asia and the Pacific area. They also talk about what Australia can do to mitigate the harmful effects of climate change. MIT Climate produces a podcast called Climate Conversations. MIT Climate is the central point for all scientific studies on changing climate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The institution hopes to “connect questions to answers, research to solutions, and knowledge to action” via MIT Climate. Climate Conversations make climate science simple and easy to grasp, especially for science n00bz like myself, if you want to know what’s going on from a scientific standpoint. For news on climate change that is succinct and informative, go to the podcast to listen to is NPR climate change podcast. Episodes range in length from five minutes to over an hour, depending on the day and the guests, so you’ll always have something to listen to, whether you’re cleaning your teeth in the morning or driving to work. Costing the Earth is a BBC podcast about climate change that airs on the other side of the Atlantic. The program focuses on “man’s influence on the environment and how [the ecosystem] reacts,” as they put it. They cover a wide range of issues, from golf courses built on dunes to the impacts of climate change on human and animal reproduction. The thing I like best about Costing the Earth is that they question commonly held climate change “trends.” For example, in the episode “Plasticphobia,” host Tom Heap speaks with specialists on whether plastic is as horrible as popular discourse portrays it to be.
If you’re searching for something with a little more personality, No Place like Home is the best environmental podcast about people’s personal decisions in the face of impending environmental disasters. Ashley Ahearn, the show’s host, travels around the United States interviewing individuals about their experiences combating climate cast podcast.