Climate Hour

Marine mammals are the planet’s canary in a coalmine. For as the ocean goes, so goes the land and all that dwell upon it. Climate change is causing the world’s oceans to become warmer and more acidic, while a constant stream of petrochemicals and microplastics turn then into a toxic wasteland. The study and preservation of marine mammals can provide an early warning system that helps us understand...

A little community orchard provides an amazing number of benefits. First there’s basic carbon sequestration. Trees take carbon out of the air and reduce global warming. Then there’s food sovereignty. Trees give you control of your own food sources. In today’s corporate farming system, genetically modified foods are picked green, irradiated to prevent spoilage, then shipped half way around the worl...

We’ve talked about climate education before. We’ve discussed how to teach children about climate, and we’ve talked about climate programs in higher education. But all of these programs need teachers who understand and are willing to add climate to their curriculum. How do we go about teaching teachers to teach climate change and how do we form the professional networks needed to support both forma...

When was the last time you talked about climate issues with a friend or family member? Studies find that the majority of people are concerned about climate but don’t talk about it. Why has something as universal as the climate conversation become such a political football that it’s a forbidden topic at family holiday gatherings? In 2002, a prominent republican pollster circulated a strategy guide...

How do we prepare our college and university graduates to understand, survive and even prosper in this age of climate change? Some of this is expanding science degrees to address climate-related issues. But most of it is incorporating climate-related issues into ALL subjects; cross-cutting education to address the climate change we’re experiencing today and the climate reality that our graduates w...

We know that deforestation, commercial farming, urban sprawl and other forms of defoliation contribute to climate change. But what about the other way around. What is climate change doing to trees and other plants? Destruction of plants reduce our planet’s ability to sequestor greenhouse gases and increase global warming. But what if global warming itself is effecting world forest growth and other...

For most of the world, food security – having enough to eat – is one of today’s greatest challenges. As climate change continues to disrupt today’s industrial farming systems, world leaders are reevaluating traditional regenerative farming practices which are more resistant to climate change. Practices which work with the environment instead of killing it the way today’s monocrop farming does. Agr...

Oceans cover 70% of our planet’s surface. Oceans absorb 90% of the heat from global warming. They absorb 30% of the carbon dioxide produced by burning fossile fuels. Oceans drive our planet’s weather and oceans feed much of the world. Ocean warming threatens the survival of the world’s largest ecosystem. The importance of oceans cannot be over stressed. As go the oceans, so goes civilization. Join...

India has now surpassed China as the world’s most populous nation. That’s almost one-and-a-half billion people living in an area three times smaller than the United States. To put that in perspective, a person living in the U.S. has on average 12 times more space than a person living in India. To put that in GLOBAL perspective, 17% of the entire world’s population lives in India. India’s perspecti...

Nuclear supporters think that nuclear energy is a safe, sustainable option with zero greenhouse gas emissions, that plays an important role in fighting climate change. The anti-nuclear movement thinks that nuclear power’s radioactivity creates too many risks; and that nuclear is too expensive and too slow to deploy when compared to modern renewable energy sources, like wind and solar. Is nuclear a...

The Climate movement is predominantly white. Many climate activists raise up Climate Equity and the importance of engaging with communities of color, but then what do we do? How do we actually engage with black communities and other communities of color to fight climate change? Join host, Bob Grove, and guests to discuss engaging with Black Communities on climate. Guests Nicolette & Darrian Da...

Science has now demonstrated that there’s enough wind energy globally to supply the energy needs of the entire planet. Combine this with all of the renewable solar and water energy, and there’s more energy available than we can ever use. Detailed plans and grid-studies are in place for all 50 U.S. States, hundreds of cities worldwide, 145+ countries and over 400 international corporations to all t...

If you’ve tuned in to the Climate Hour before, you’ve heard us explain that the burning of fossil fuels has led to an increase in greenhouse gases that have trapped the heat from the sun and increased the average of our planet’s surface temperature; that this global warming is causing the planet’s climate patterns to change, and that this climate change is leading to an increase in the frequency a...

Young people across the world are forming networks to take positive action on climate change. Many act locally, but increasing numbers are coming together to form national and continental coalitions that are collectively mobilizing a generational movement. Young people know that they will bear the brunt of climate change and they’re taking to the streets, to public forums and to political office t...

Food is a pretty fundamental part of life. The history of the world is often defined by its farming systems, and today’s world seems defined by expensive, un-nutritious monocrops; often genetically modified to require the very chemicals that have destroyed their nutritional value. Increasingly, people are turning to urban farming, to once again grow their own food in a effort to save money, and pr...

Making sustainable choices in our personal lives is our first responsibility if we want to live a healthy life and give that option to our children. But what comes next? How do we promote sustainable choices to our communities and beyond? Citizen lobbying provides ordinary people with the opportunity to make a profound difference on big issues. Whether writing letters to editors, calling your elec...

The Carbon Almanac is both a book and a global community; an easily understood source of climate knowledge and an amazing example of collective action. The book itself is a compilation of reliable information, resources, charts, graphs and illustrations on the science, impacts, and solutions to climate change contributed by 300 writers, researchers, and illustrators from 41 different countries. Th...

The industrial sector accounts for 21% of greenhouse gas emissions, and a single industry – the fashion industry – accounts for 39% of all industrial emissions and an even larger amount of industrial pollution. Join host, Bob Grove, and guests to learn how fast fashions are devastating our environment, our workforce, and how you can make simple choices to protect the environment and your pocketboo...

How do we prepare our children to live in a world filled with extreme temperatures, life-threatening storms, and collapsing food systems? How do we provide the skills our children will need to create the next generation of built environments that can withstand new temperature and weather extremes, and new food systems that can survive a world of constant flooding and drought? Join host, Bob Grove,...

Plastics are made out of crude oil and natural gas, the same fossil fuels used in our homes and cars. And, because plastics can never fully disintegrate, they overflow our landfills, rivers and oceans. Plastics are now found in every step of our food chain and throughout our bodies. While climate activists focus on reducing fossil fuel usage in the power and transportation sectors, big oil is quie...

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is the successor to the House-passed Build Back Better Act and is the largest piece of federal climate legislation ever to be enacted in the United States. Is it climate salvation, better than nothing or a fossil fuel lifeline? Join host, Bob Grove, and guests to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act. Guests Winston Apple – Author and former member of the Democrat...

Over the past few months, we’ve seen a massive realignment of global alliances and supply chains caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. How is this impacting the U.S. labor movement and how does it effect the movement’s ability to focus on climate issues? Join host, Bob Grove, and guests as they discuss Labor’s Climate Movement and the impacts of the Russo-Ukranian War. Guests Larry Williams Jr....

Food systems are responsible for 24% of global greenhouse gas emissions and is the world’s largest consumer of land and fresh water. Personal food choices impact our health & longevity, our pocket books and the planet. Join host, Bob Grove, and guests as they discuss sustainable food choices and the environmental impact of what we eat. Guests include: Mark Gawron, Metro Farms & Food System...

The clothing you are wearing right now has a surprisingly large impact on our environment and climate systems. The fashion industry is responsible for 8.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Today’s combination of petroleum-based textiles and cheap, abusive labor practices has given rise to what is called Fast Fashion, an industry of poorly-made, throw-away clothing, that in turn has led to a mas...

The New Deal enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt pulled the U.S. out of the Great Depression and led to decades of American prosperity. That New Deal combined economic reforms with lots of new jobs in emerging sectors. And 90 years later we’re still reaping the benefits; from our interstate highway system to our monthly Social Security checks. Roosevelt’s New Deal led to what is a...