Possibly Podcast

Today, we’re talking about a new study from the University of Rhode Island about microplastics in the Narragansett Bay. We look into what the findings mean for Rhode Islanders and the Bay. The post Should I be worried about microplastics in Narragansett Bay? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

We got to talk to one of the youth plaintiffs from the constitutional climate case in Montana, to hear about her experience with the case, how our generation can keep fighting the climate crisis, and how it feels to have that responsibility on our shoulders. The post Meet one of the students who sued Montana to address climate change and won appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

A group of young people in Montana sued the state for violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment. They brought in all sorts of climate science and policy experts to help prove their case, but most of these young people also testified at the trial. What did they have to say? The post What did the young people who testified in the Montana climate lawsuit have to say? app...

I’ve been hearing about this landmark climate case in Montana, where a group of young people sued the state, and won. How did they do it? The post A group of young people in Montana sued the state for not taking climate change seriously. What happened at the trial? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

In another episode we talked about a state agency that can play a big role in helping us get more of our energy from renewable sources. Here in Rhode Island, it’s called the Public Utilities Commission. But how do everyday people influence how these commissions work? The post How can I get involved with Public Utilities Commissions? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

If we want to avoid the worst of climate change, it’s pretty clear that we need to start getting our energy from sources that don’t create greenhouse gasses, like solar and wind power. But how do we get there? One powerful partner is a state agency you’ve probably never heard of. The post What does a Public Utilities Commission have to do with climate change? appeared first on TPR: The Public&#039...

Lahaina, Maui has experienced the deadliest wildfire the country has seen in the last century. Reporter Emily Tom spoke with a survivor about the challenges ahead — and hopes for the future. The post After the wildfires, what has life been like on Maui? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Today, we’re talking about how the green spaces along our roadsides could be used to help pollinators. The post Could green spaces next to our roads help bees and other pollinators? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

The Possibly team noticed that beaches have been closed more than they're used to. The post Why did we see so many beach closures this year? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Today, we have a question from one of our reporters, Kolya Shields. They keep seeing time-lapse photos showing ice sheets shrinking faster and faster. That made them curious about the impacts of this melting, and what we might be able to do about it. The post What’s happening to the world’s glaciers? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Everybody is talking about ChatGPT, the new machine-learning tool for answering questions. These giant computer models need a whole lot of computing power to run, so we were curious about just how much energy they use. The post How much energy does it take to run ChatGPT? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Today, we’re talking about oil spills. You might remember big spills like Exxon Valdez in 1989 and Deepwater Horizon in 2010, but even today, oil spills still happen. That makes us wonder: what have we learned from them over time? The post How will we deal with oil spills in the future? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

We talk a lot about climate change and what we can do to slow down or prevent the worst outcomes at a global scale. But the impacts of climate change can be completely different from state to state or even neighborhood to neighborhood. Why? Naomi Deokule and Ashley Junger from our Possibly team looked into one explanation: racism. The post Why are some neighborhoods more vulnerable to climate chan...

We did it. My family finally bought an electric car. What’s it like? Should you get one too? Here to help me explain is my husband, Ryan T Conaty. The post What’s it like to own an electric car? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

When people talk about climate change, it’s often described as something that might happen in the future. But, we’ve been breaking records for the hottest day on earth all summer. Here to explain what all of this means is our founder and the provost for sustainability at Brown University, Stephen Porder. The post Why are we breaking records for the hottest day on record? appeared first on TPR: The...

In this episode, we’re going to be looking at what it really means for something to be “better” for the environment. To find out, we’re going to talk about an instance where it’s not so clear. The post What makes something ‘better’ for the environment? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

The other day our reporter Iman Khanbhai was heading to the mall to buy some jeans and I wondered- what would create more emissions- taking an electric scooter or getting an Uber? So, she and reporter Malia Honda decided to look into it. The post Should I take an e-scooter or an Uber? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Ever wanted to be a pirate and sail the high seas? Well, you can, but it's about to get a little harder. Here to tell us more are Anna Amha and Riley Stevenson from our Possibly Team. The post What’s the big deal about the high seas? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

he other day while I was shaving in the shower, I wondered- what’s the environmental impact of keeping my legs hair free? To find out, we had Malia Honda and Iman Khanbhai from our Possibly Team look into this question. The post What’s the environmental impact of shaving? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Earlier this year, one of our Possibly reporters, Will Malloy, visited a maple syrup farm. And he was surprised to learn that those farmers weren’t harvesting as much maple syrup as they have in the past. He was curious if climate change had anything to do with it, so he joined up with reporter Grace Samaha to find out. The post Why is it getting harder to harvest local maple syrup? appeared first...

In the last few weeks, we’ve talked about towns that are creating plans to prepare for rising waters. Today, we’re taking a look at an example of what can happen when that planning is too slow. What should cities do when people want to leave because of climate-related disasters? The post How are other cities responding to rising waters? Part 2 appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Today, we’re talking about how cities and towns are preparing for rising waters. Right here in Rhode Island, the town of Warren is developing a plan to relocate residents who live in an area that’s prone to flooding. But Warren isn’t the only place that is threatened by rising sea levels. In order to get some perspective, we looked at other communities that are grappling with the same issue. The p...

If you’re a coffee drinker like me, you might feel a little guilty about all those paper cups you end up tossing out when you visit a café. But now that the pandemic is winding down, coffee shops like Starbucks are starting to let customers use their own cups again. So is it time for all of us to make the switch over to reusable coffee cups? The post Should I bring a reusable mug to the coffee sho...

There are a lot of ways to make your morning coffee. You could use a french press, a drip machine, a machine with coffee pods…the list goes on and on. But which way creates the fewest greenhouse gas emissions? The post What’s the most energy efficient way to make my coffee? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

We’ve used the Earth’s heat as an industrial energy source for over a century, but geothermal power only plays a minor role in our energy grid. Why? And is that about to change? The post How can we get more energy from heat in the ground? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .