Operation Climate

Producing waste is convenient. Many of the systems that produce the resources we consume use materials that eventually become landfilled. Grocery stores and their plastic bags. Restaurants and their styrofoam takeout containers. Fast fashion clothing stores and their garments that only last for a few months. It’s convenient for these places to use disposable materials. They can get it in bulk and...

As part of Duke University's Climate Commitment Weekend, OC hosted our first LIVE podcast recording! Tune in as we talk to Claire Wang - Senior Policy Advisor to US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, Rhodes Scholar, and Duke Alum - about her journey in the climate movement, how she stays motivated, and exciting things that are currently happening in the world of climate policy!...

Global south countries, like countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, etc. experience the worst effects of climate change . Flooding devastating cities’ infrastructure, sweltering heat destroying crop yields that the local community relies on – in these countries, resources for dealing with these climate disasters are more limited than in the Global North. Even though most people in the Global North t...

In this episode of In Conversation, In Community, we explore the concept of food deserts, inadequate access to healthy food, and community gardening as it relates to environmental justice with members of Black Millennials 4 Flint. Schanaque Watson, Aramis Jones, and Terrence Brown, organizers from the BM4F Memphis chapter, share their personal environmental justice journeys and what BM4F is doing...

We have a media problem. Not just in the echo-chamber of social media but in the mainstream media world as well. So how do we fix it? As our guest for this episode, Elson Bankoff, puts it, “Imagine a world where there aren’t simply IPCC reports, but after each clause, a demand. Imagine a world where after each local broadcast, there are four events to attend to address the issue.”-- wow, imagine t...

Welcome to Season 6 of Operation Climate! This season takes the creative liberty to explore topics our podcasters are passionate about. From individuals to communities impacting the climate landscape, take a listen to the episodes that speak to you! There are 2 men CONTROLLING YOUR LIFE. No, not Harry Styles or Timothee Chalamet. They’re actually much older (and actually one of them’s dead). They...

When you think of biodiversity loss, your first thought might be related to our waterways -- plastic pollution killing fish and turtles, coral reef bleaching, ocean acidification -- the list goes on. For all communities, water is life. But the health of our waterways is under attack due to climate change and unsustainable human practices. What does this mean and what can we do about it? In this ep...

Images and news of wildfires and smoke-filled skies are becoming a common occurrence in the news and on social media. Why is this happening? What can we do to stop this dangerous trend? In the second episode of our Threats to Nature series, we cover these questions and more, investigating the history of fire mitigation as well as emerging tools brought about by research and technological innovatio...

Biodiversity. What is it and why is it important? In the first episode of our Threats to Nature series, we introduce the topic of biodiversity and then take a deep dive into palm oil in the Amazon. You’ve probably heard that palm oil is bad and the Amazon is in danger, so what happens when these issues collide? In this episode, we hear from Dr. Stuart Pimm, a world leader in conservation ecology f...

Running a divestment movement on your campus doesn’t have to be super complicated. In this episode, we break down the steps to running a divestment campaign, from how to do research on the financials of your school, to how to assemble an effective team, and more. We also hear tips from divestment organizers from colleges around the U.S., including Harvard University, De Anza College, and The Bette...

Duke University has a long history of students fighting for fossil fuel divestment, but it hasn't happened yet. Why is this? What do we need to do to get Duke to divest? If you're a student, alumni, or faculty member of Duke University, this episode is directly related to your community. If you don't have ties to Duke, this episode is STILL relevant for you because Duke's position on divestment is...

In this episode, we cover the basics of fossil fuel divestment: the money lingo you need to know, the impact that divestment can make, the history and origins of the divestment movement, and more. We also break down some common arguments against the push for divestment so that you can be prepared to advocate for divestment at your school/institution. If you're new to divestment, this is the perfec...

Catching up with climate news, it’s impossible not to hear about Greta Thunberg. She who started her climate strike as a 15 year old is sometimes described as a “teenager who should work on her anger management” by people like Former President Trump. These types of statements stem from the belief that young people aren’t politically active or that we shouldn’t be because of the idea that we lack s...

We all have different roles in our lives -- you could be a sibling, parent, student, educator, someone at some kind of decision making table... All these roles are interconnected and we all have our own specific ways that we can contribute to the climate movement. So what's yours? In this episode, we'll be exploring the roles and responsibilities that different stakeholders hold in the fight again...

A clean energy transition is an essential part of combatting the climate crisis, and the clean energy revolution is already here. But it may not be happening at the speed that we need. In this episode, we'll delve into why we need a clean energy transition, why we’re not seeing it at the scale that we need, what role the government plays, and how we can ensure that this transition is socially just...

Being a sustainable consumer is hard. What's with all these products claiming to be "all natural" and "100% sustainable"? Who do we even believe? With sustainability being a more important factor that consumers take into consideration when shopping, companies are engaging in greenwashing . In 2007, Terrachoice published a report titled "The Six Sins of Greenwashing", in which Scot Case was a lead...

To amplify COP26, we've teamed up with the UN Foundation and the Innovating for Social Impact class at Duke University to bring you a special episode all about bringing climate change to the center of attention and combatting climate misinformation through having impactful conversations . Why do we need to talk about climate change? How do we go about having those conversations? How can we combat...

In the Season 4 finale of Operation Climate, we continue our deep dive into Duke Energy, a company that controls much of the energy that we use at Duke University. How much power does Duke Energy really have? How can we make sure that they commit to a clean energy shift? Jillian Riley has been an environmental justice activist for over a decade. Some of her activism efforts include leading protest...

In this episode, we explore Duke Energy’s carbon neutrality plan and whether they are on the right path with experts William Powers and Randy Willis weighing in with their differing views on the topic. William Powers is an engineering consultant with over 30 years of experience in electric power generation. In his career, he has advised state and federal governments, nonprofits such as NC WARN, an...

Stefan Schäfer is a researcher at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies at Potsdam, Germany. He also holds fellowships at Harvard University and Oxford University. His research draws on approaches from Science and Technology Studies to develop new questions about the intersection of democratic politics, sustainability science, and global governance. In this episode, we'll be discussing...

Shannon "Parker" Parker is a young sustainability professional focused on supply chain sustainability and environmental entrepreneurship. She is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of carbIN, a carbon accounting tool that translates spending behavior into a carbon footprint score and provides best courses of action for carbon footprint reduction. She is also completing her dual-degree Maste...

Adam Met is the A in AJR, the Founder and Executive Director of Sustainable Partners Inc., host of Planet Reimagined podcast, and a PhD candidate at the University of Birmingham, where he is studying the intersection of sustainability and human rights. With more than 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Adam uses his platform to advocate for excitement, positivity, and action in the climate mo...

Dr. Drew Shindell is a faculty member at the Nicholas School of the Environment and at Tel Aviv University. His area of interest is focused broadly on the societal impact of climate change and action needed against climate change, including the link to air pollution. He has testified in front of Congress and has helped lead two IPCC reports. In this episode, we cover an overview of international c...

Jillian Johnson is the Mayor Pro Tempore of the City of Durham, and a long-time community organizer and activist. She was first elected to the Durham City Council in 2015 on a platform of racial, economic, and environmental justice, police accountability, equitable development, broadening democracy, and centering the voices of those who are most impacted by the issues facing Durham. In this episod...

Rebecca Hoeffler is the Communications Coordinator for Sustainable Duke, whose mission is to educate and empower the Duke community to create a more sustainable future . She works with student groups and employee workshops to further this mission. In this episode, we get the details of Duke's 2024 Climate Action Plan. Plus, how do the impacts of individual vs. institutional change differ? And how...