What On Earth

And Beth Gardiner says industry hopes you won’t notice. So what does it take to fight back? That’s the number one question the journalist asks in her new book, Plastic Inc.: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil’s Biggest Bet. She traces the history of how and why the industry has ramped up plastic production, and how we can ditch all but the most essential plastic in our lives.

“What’s there to worry about?” That’s what Alberta rancher Teresa Patry thought when her family agreed to oil wells on their property. But that changed when she, her family and her animals started experiencing a variety of health issues. And she says the province’s energy regulator is not doing enough to address her concerns. We hear about the potential links between health problems and oil and ga...

From the Best of What On Earth – Don’t have a garden? Adopt a roundabout and plant things for the bees! We meet a TikToker who’s done just that. And then we travel from coast to coast to hear about a push to let sections of city parks grow a little wild. We head to one of these meadows to hear how they attract pollinators, and hear why creating “pollinator pockets” for busy bees and “hairy” moths...

Canada faces a climate conundrum when it comes to the military. To maintain northern sovereignty, defence needs to adapt quickly to the warming Arctic. But even before the recent boost in investment, the military was already the single largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the federal government. So how can Canada defend the North and stick to its climate goals at the same time? Then, we hear abo...

Flying emits a ton of greenhouse gases. So what's a climate-conscious traveler to do? What On Earth's climate justice columnist Chúk Odenigbo tells us about his sustainable beach vacation and shares some tips on how to plan your next getaway with the climate in mind.

Pop quiz! Who were the world's very first treehuggers? Story producer Jennifer Wilson hated history class, but she’s giving it another chance. She has been studying up on the people and events that paved the way for today’s climate movement and sits down with host Laura Lynch to discuss what lessons these stories hold for people taking climate action today. NOTE: This podcast has been edited to co...

Seafarers of old saw kelp as a danger, marking it on maps to avoid it. Today those maps are helping to restore kelp as a friend of the climate. Kelp sucks in carbon so the Tseshat First Nation is working hard to bring it back around the Broken Group Islands in BC. 

Methane gas is the shortest lived, but most potent greenhouse gas. We hear from those who say reining in methane is needed to protect the climate and the health of Albertans. And we hear how a looming agreement on methane emissions in that province could make a big difference to Canada's climate goals.

A 3,700-year-old buried log still holding the carbon it had pulled from the air sparked a radical idea: bury dead trees before they release their stored CO2. Guest host Johanna Wagstaffe wades into the wonder with the scientist who made the ancient find – in Canada. Then, we hear from a company aiming to bury trees in a sort of carbon bunker, creating carbon credits to pay for reforestation. And w...

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil trade, rattling global markets. Prices could remain high the longer the U.S. and Israel-led conflict with the Islamic Republic rages on. As countries scramble to shore up energy supplies, we're looking at whether it’s time to ramp up the transition to renewables — for the sake of national security and the climate. 

A coffee farmer shares the raw reality: climate change is shifting the world’s "bean belt". CBC’s Anand Ram and Inayat Singh introduce us to 5th generation farmer Chalo Fernandez who’s using social media to let people know how increasing heat is affecting his beans. We’ll break down what the science says and why these farmers are the most resilient innovators in the game. 

Is it too late to stop climate change? Not according to data scientist Hannah Ritchie. We dive into her new book, “Clearing the Air,” where Ritchie answers all the tough questions – the ones she gets all the time and the ones you’ve probably asked yourself.

From the Best of What On Earth - Canada's oil and gas companies are hoping carbon capture and storage will be a big part of the country’s net zero plans. But shipping CO2 through pipelines to storage facilities can come with risks. We go to rural Mississippi to hear about a rare carbon dioxide pipeline breach that was nearly deadly – and find out what Canada can learn from the incident

Country star Corb Lund should be rehearsing for back-to-back tours. Instead, he’s wading deeper into the debate over coal exploration and development in the Rockies. It’s been more than five years since the singer-songwriter first set aside his decades-long commitment to an apolitical public image in order to campaign against coal mining in Alberta’s eastern slopes. He has lost fans and received p...

Nature gives us joy, wonder, and beauty. It also brings big bucks. Trillions of dollars, according to the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. It says in a new analysis that tens of thousands of jobs are among the benefits when Canada's wilderness is protected. Plus, we do the climate a solid. But there are worries that Ottawa may not keep up the stable funding needed to protect enough of Canada...

Clues to Earth’s climate future lie buried in the ancient ice sheet covering Greenland. Climate scientists have been working for decades to uncover answers that can help us understand what’s coming. But as the U.S. government continues to push for more control over the island, some are worried that a Greenland controlled by Donald Trump would put their access to the ice in jeopardy. Security exper...

Canada recently switched its approach to electric vehicles. But what impact do EVs really have on the world around us? Cleaner air? Less noise? CBC’s Anand Ram walks us through the evidence and explains how satellite data is being used to measure air pollution in Los Angeles neighbourhoods. 

Immigration raids and protests have dominated U.S. news lately. And one L.A.-based environmentalist says migration, climate and the federal crackdown are all linked. Many of those targeted come from countries that suffer disproportionately from the impacts of climate change, connecting the movement for migrant justice to movements for climate justice.

Penguins are tougher than you think — and they’re adapting to climate change in ways you may not expect. Researchers are keeping a close eye on Antarctic colonies to see what we humans can learn from the tuxedoed birds, as we learn to cope with the effects of a warming planet.

Nearly 100 per cent of Norway’s new car sales last year were electric. That was achieved without a ban on gas-powered vehicles. As Canada scraps its EV mandate, it may want to bolster incentives and policy to be more like Norway. Plus, Chinese brand EVs are coming to Canada and potentially shifting the market into a different gear. 

We hear you. Plastic is “upsetting, confusing, enraging.” But Judith Enck says there’s hope. The Beyond Plastics founder says people and policy makers are finally clueing in to the toxins in these products. We hear about efforts to hammer out an international treaty to curb plastics production and pollution. And, there’s been a key Canadian court ruling on banning single-use plastics.

Mark Carney’s plan to shrink the civil service means slashing more than 800 jobs at Environment and Climate Change Canada. A retired scientist says this includes her colleagues who study the impact of microplastics, toxic chemicals and oil on wildlife. And a union president says the cuts could gut human expertise in weather forecasting, too, leaving Canadians more vulnerable to climate extremes.

Since January 2025, it’s cost about nine bucks USD to drive in downtown New York City during peak times. A year later, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is heralding the policy as a success, with fewer cars downtown, a drop in pollution and even less honking. Alexa Sledge with Transportation Alternatives tells us about the policy’s progress to date. Then – we check in with Mychal Johnson o...

Skier Marion Thénault wants Winter Olympic gold. She also wants a cooler planet. That means training hard but doing it in a way that cuts her own emissions. And calling on sports federations to do their part. We discover what else needs to change to ensure the winter games survive in a warming world – including keeping the competition to a select few cities – including Calgary. 

As Hurricane Irma approached, doula Esther Louis helped a nine-months-pregnant client flee Florida to find safety in Georgia. At the time, she thought she was just being a “compassionate human being.” But that experience back in 2017 helped her recognize how people in her profession can help expectant families stay safe as the impacts of climate change accelerate. Esther tells us about a new progr...