Possibly Podcast

Today, we’re traveling to the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, the second largest rainforest in Brazil— behind the Amazon Rainforest. Today it stands at just 10% of its original size, but hopefully that’s changing. Governments and nonprofits are working to replant trees to return it to its former size. The post Why are we replanting the Atlantic Forest? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Red meat creates a lot of greenhouse gas emissions. But, if you haven’t given up hamburgers, you’re not alone. So scientists are trying another approach - lab-grown meat. The post Is cultivated meat coming to your plate? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Lead paint and leaded gasoline haven’t been used in American homes or cars in nearly 30 years. But the impact of using these pollutants can still be felt today. The post Why are we still worried about lead? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Oyster shells can be more than just a waste product! States up and down the East Coast have begun to develop programs to recycle oyster shells, putting them back into the water to develop sustainable wild reefs. The post How can oyster shells be recycled? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Recently, I’ve had a lot of people knocking on my door, trying to sell me solar panels. It happened just last week! I wanted to find out if they are legit. The post Can I trust the solar panel companies that knock on my door? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Today, we’re taking a look at Rhode Island’s new energy program, community choice aggregation, and unpacking what it means for consumers. The post How does Rhode Island’s new community choice aggregation program work? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

I’ve learned so many great sustainability tips during my time at Possibly! But often I find it hard to convince my friends to change their habits, and even I sometimes end up forgetting to unplug my electronics or leaving my reusable grocery bags at home. So I was wondering, are there research-based ways to boost sustainable behaviors? The post How do we convince people to make climate-conscious d...

Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall. As we head into a new year, our Possibly team decided to think about all of our episodes, and how they might inspire our resolutions […] The post Our resolutions for 2024 appeared first on TPR: The Public's R...

At the beach, we’re supposed to watch out for strong tides. Our oceans are powerful places. Could they also be power sources? The post Can we use the ocean as an energy source? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Today, we have a question from a listener named Susan. She wants to know about gift wrapping: “Is it better for the environment to wrap Christmas gifts in fabric you can use over again rather than paper?” The post Should I wrap my presents in fabric or paper? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.  Today, we’re continuing our coverage of the future of energy in Rhode Island. Since the state burns too much natural gas to reach net-zero by […] The post What does the future of natural gas look like in Rhode Island?...

It’s getting colder, and a lot of people are turning on their furnaces. Many of those run on “natural” gas, which is basically methane, a potent greenhouse gas. So, what do we do about these emissions? The post What does the Future of Natural Gas Look Like in Rhode Island? Part 1 appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

The world’s largest annual climate conference will be happening for the 28th time in Dubai from the end of November to mid December. We break down what the conference has accomplished thus far, some issues it often faces, and what’s on the docket for this winter. The post What’s happening at the world’s largest climate conference this year? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

What happens when a car racing fan and the host of Possibly try to find an event that appeals to both of them? Enter Formula E. The post What’s it like at an electric car race? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio .

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 .