Big Blue Marble Podcast

As global awareness of issues like deforestation, ocean pollution and extreme weather events grows, consumers are looking for more ways to reduce their environmental impact. While businesses are quick to capitalize on the trend, it doesn't necessarily mean their products actually fit the bill.   "Canadians want to find and support genuine eco products, but there are companies that are tricking and...

The world has officially surpassed a feared warming target across an entire year for the first time on record. The threshold of a 1.5 degree Celsius warming is a crucial long-term measure because additional tipping points become more likely beyond this point. "Often climate change will feel like its accelerating because the climate is moving past the range of our experience... so much of what we h...

In today's housing market there is a new dimension to consider beyond price, commute time and schools in the neighbourhood - climate risks. As a homeowner, preparing for future costs amidst increasing storms and extreme weather events is crucial. " Canada  exceeded  $3 billion in insured damages last year, and uninsured values totaled $9-12 billion," says Kathryn Bakos, Managing Director, Finance...

The world's largest greenbelt now has a target squarely on its fertile soil. The Government of Ontario has tabled Bill 23, which will weaken crucial environmental protection and remove public consultation before development. The new law effectively strips taxpayer's rights as community members will no longer be allowed to participate in development decisions that affect their neighborhoods, local...

The biggest and most important annual climate- related conference on the planet will begin this month in Egypt.  "COP 27", unites the world in a collective effort  to negotiate global goals for tackling the biggest challenge of our time: climate change.  "Droughts, floods, storms and wildfires are devastating lives and livelihoods across the globe [and] getting worse by the day. We need climate ac...

Bird migrations are one of nature's great wonders - using ancient routes, migratory birds track thousands of kilometres. Sadly, not all are successful as these tiny winged creatures face unprecedented urban dangers. At peak migration, it is estimated that 4 billion birds must navigate through glass-covered cities and other built-up environments across North America. Glass collisions take a stagger...

Guided by an internal compass, Monarch butterflies can determine the position of the sun and the time of day. With this data, the graceful beauties are guided in an annual migration unlike any other. The Monarch's migration sees some of them travel over 4,000 kilometers, from Southern parts of Canada to Mexico. Researchers have studied these insects for decades and have noted alarming changes in b...

Alone and quiet in an undisclosed location in Tasmania, sits Earth's Black Box. This massive fortified structure is loaded with sophisticated technology that will operate uninterrupted for decades, perhaps centuries. "There is so much data that is going to being recorded, we have set up a list of 500 different measurements that are widely considered to be the most important metrics on the health o...

A new, eye opening study is sharing a dirty little secret about the necessary chore of laundry, revealing a never-ending cycle of microfiber pollution. "Dryers are one of the main sources of microfiber pollution in the atmosphere," says Professor Kenneth Leung, lead author of a study published in the journal, Environmental Science & Technology Letters . Leung describes the findings as "essential"...

Historic, epic, unprecedented, these are just some of the words that were used to describe a heat wave that smothered parts of Western Canada and the US Northwest at the end of June. Trapped within a swath of accompanying heat warnings was the small town of Lytton, north east of British Columbia. The town shot to world infamy when it became one of the hottest places on earth and recorded a high of...

A 40 hectare inlet in Nova Scotia is about to become home for some newly retired inhabitants. As a way to offer a new life to whales that have been rescued from entertainment parks, a nonprofit group is preparing a seaside sanctuary, which will be a North American first.    Worldwide, there are curr ently more than 3,000 whales and dolphins in captivity. "Our focus is on Orcas and Belugas because...

With age comes wisdom - and twelve Finnish grandmothers hope to share some of it! On this episode of The Big Blue Marble we learn how a casual "meet up" for coffee has now grown into a trans-generational movement to help save our planet.  In just a couple of years (including through COVID), Aktivistimummot (Finnish for Activist Grannies) have mastered a unique and endearing connection with the pub...

For almost 15 years, the last Saturday in March goes dark. Millions of people in over 190 countries flip the switch for 60 minutes, to help illuminate one of the largest grass roots movements on the planet. Earth Hour has always drawn its power from the people, and organizers our counting on their support more than ever. "It is a dual crisis, it is climate change and bio- diversity loss and they e...

Humans long thought the depth of the oceans were silent, we now know that there is a symphony of various sounds that sea life depend on for survival.  A first of its kind new report is breaking the silence on the impacts of anthropogenic (human-generated) noise levels in our seas  t hat are increasing at an alarming rate.  "Noise travels very far and very fast in the ocean, so in places we thought...

Winter lovers are feeling the heat and a group of amateur scientists are keeping score.  Climate change is making winters warmer, shorter and less snowy. On this ep i sode of the B ig B lue M arble, Robert McLeman C o- D irector of Rink Watch, explains how a cherished and time-honoured Canadian winter tradition of backyard rink-building is begin n ing to melt away. "W e are seeing a real shri n ka...

With over 70 years of experience, Ontario's conservation authorities are global leaders in watershed management.  As a community-based natural resource management agency, their expertise is essential. Ninety-five per cent of Ontario's population lives in a watershed and should hastily proposed amendments by the Ontario government pass, independent science-based decisions in the interest of communi...

In this episode of the Big Blue Marble, we explore what some of the rewritten codes include, how they will be determined and "if" they are coming to your neighbourhood.

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season has been so intense, it just ran out of storm names – it also means this has been a demanding season for a team of dedicated researchers that get closer to the storms than any others on the planet. Hurricane hunters intentionally fly into the most violent storms on earth - and 2020 has seen a record number of them. "It's like a wooden roller coaster." Says Nick U...

"It seems very unfair that man should have chosen the Gorilla to symbolize everything that is aggressive and violent. When that is the one thing that the Gorilla is not and that we are." Sir Richard Attenborough Gorillas are truly gentle giants, yet have struggled to exist for decades, thanks to human interference. The animals are hunted and injured by traps just as they are forced from their habi...

Is your sunscreen bad for the planet? On this episode of The Big Blue Marble, we slather on the research with Dr. Craig Downs, a forensic ecotoxicologist.  According to Downs, more than 100 million tonnes of sunscreen a year enter coastal areas around the world, and when it does, especially in the coral reef system, "it impacts all the organisms there."  The good news is, toxic chemical bans found...

Ticks are on the move, going to places they have never been recorded before - due to our warming planet. On this episode of the Big Blue Marble, it's all tick talk, including where the tiny creatures will most likely "latch" on to you,  how fast they are spreading and what to do if you've been bitten.

As researchers around the world work to develop a viable stop to the spread of COVID-19, ecologists say it's time they are heard - the pandemic was anticipated. "When we destroy habitats, erode biodiversity because of all the things humans do to the environment we are creating conditions that allow certain species to thrive that are most likely to give us zoonotic diseases." says Felicia Keesing,...

Unwind, connect with nature and improve health with the scientifically proven benefits of forest bathing. The ancient Japanese practice of "Shin Rin Yoku" can help reduce blood pressure, stress levels and pulse rate. In the midst of this unprecedented chaos, this may be just the thing we all need right now.   "We have nurtured ourselves to be in an incessantly low level state of fight or flight. O...

Millions of children and teens around the world have rallied in support of the Climate Strike movement started by Swedish teen, Greta Thunberg. For some, these protests are an opportunity to take control and express feelings of anger, fear and despair as the threat of an uncertain future on earth causes distress in many. These stressors are appearing more pervasive in youths than most adults reali...

You may not see it, but a strong and silent killer is just a breath away. What's worse, millions of people contribute to creating one of the most significant sources of not only air pollution, but also greenhouse gases, daily. Your car ride into work is generating minute particles of poison, and pending your "rush hour'', you are likely strapped into a sea of it. "We look at Bejing or Delhi smog a...