The Planet Today

Matt interviews Jeffrey Rissman, Senior Director of Industry at Energy Innovation. His new book “ Zero-Carbon Industry: Transformative Technologies and Policies to Achieve Sustainable Prosperity ” is available for pre-order now before its February 27, 2024 release date. Zero-Carbon Industry unpacks the complex challenges presented by climate change and offers clear, actionable insights on how we c...

Episode 200! Matt and Nick talk about The Guardian’s biodiversity issues list for 2024 ( Printable DNA to bird-bashing towers: 15 looming issues for biodiversity in 2024 ), Air pollution in Pakistan causes schools to close ( Pakistan’s air pollution rivals India’s, so authorities try seeding clouds ), Carbon capture wells in Louisiana ( Biden administration grants Louisiana power to approve carbon...

Matt kicks off 2024 with 3 more snippets of guest interviews from 2023! July 14, 2023: Martha Hunt Handler (Wolf Conservation Center) October 20, 2023: Tom Blue Wolf (EarthKeepers) July 21, 2023: Sean B. Carroll (Wild Hope)

Matt closes out 2023 with snippets from 3 guest interviews! January 16, 2023: Samantha Zwicker (Hoja Nueva) May 15, 2023: Carlton Ward, Jr. (National Geographic: Path of the Panther) July 7, 2023: Doug Tallamy (Nature’s Best Hope)

Matt and Nick talk about Christmas trees supporting wildlife ( In Real vs. Fake Christmas Tree Debate: Consider the Wildlife ), Reducing carbon emissions for airlines by rethinking contrails ( Airlines are trying to curb the climate warming impact of contrails ), Protecting salmon in the PNW ( Tribes are celebrating a White House deal that could save Northwest salmon ), Europe fighting packaging w...

Matt and Nick talk about this year’s UN Climate Negotiations held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The 28th annual Conference of the Parties (COP28) was scheduled to take place from November 30 to December 12, but went into overtime before a deal was agreed upon on December 13. Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta using this link” for 15% off.

Matt is joined by Dan Walsh and CJ Bonifati to talk about 2023 likely being the hottest year on record ( Red hot October almost guarantees 2023 will be the hottest year on record ), Worsening climate issues in the US ( Effects of climate change worsening in every part of the US, report says ), Wolverines receiving protections under the Endangered Species Act ( Wolverines now considered threatened...

Matt and Nick talk about the impact of climate change on human health ( Lancet Countdown Report Shows Climate Change’s Impact on Health ) Microplastics are impacting everything - even weather ( Microplastics may affect the weather, new study finds ) Arizona set to install solar panels over its canals ( Arizona's Canal Solar Project: A blueprint for sustainable energy ) The price of solar could dra...

Matt discusses the show’s success in 2023, some things TPT is looking to improve on, the schedule for the rest of the year, and what the team has planned in 2024.

Special episode today where Matt talks about some of the major environmental agreements in the past 50 years. He then dives intoa few of the recent UN Climate Change Conferences (COP21, COP 26, and COP27) before discussing the goals of COP28. Sources for today’s show: Montreal Protocol Kyoto Protocol COP1: downtoearth.org.in/climate-change/cop-01 Paris (COP21): Key aspects of the Paris Agreement |...

Matt and Nick talk about how Bison and other large herbivores improve their ecosystems ( Why grazing bison could be good for the planet ), The earthquake in Nepal ( Nepal earthquake kills at least 128, toll could rise, officials say ), School closures due to pollution in India ( Delhi primary schools to close amidst high pollution levels ), Potomac river clean up near Washington, D.C. ( Alexandria...

Matt and Nick talk about how companies like Poland Springs influence water rights in the U.S. ( Inside Poland Spring's Fight for Access to Freshwater Nationwide ) And the World Energy Outlook 2023 report ( World Energy Outlook 2023 – Analysis )! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Kitcaster with a special offer for friends of our show to become guests on other podcasts.

Matt and Nick talk about Hurricane Otis and its fallout ( Much of Acapulco Still Without Power as Hurricane Otis Death Toll Rises ), Mountains in Nepal losing their ice ( Nepal's mountains have lost one-third of their ice, UN chief say ), Stronger lead protection in US drinking waters ( EPA to strengthen lead protections in drinking water after multiple crises, including Flint ), Energy price hike...

Matt and Nick talk about Exxon’s purchase of Pioneer and Chevron’s purchase of Hess ( ExxonMobil agrees to buy shale rival Pioneer in $60 billion deal and Chevron to buy Hess Corp for $53 billion in all-stock deal ),West Antarctica’s ice shelf melting ( Sea-level rise: West Antarctic ice shelf melt 'unavoidable' ),Clean Hydrogen Hubs in the US ( Biden-Harris Administration Announces $7 Billion For...

Matt interviews Tom Blue Wolf , the founder of Earthkeepers - a non-profit that promotes honoring tradition, preserving the earth, and fostering global peace. Earthkeepers and Company ’s mission is to empower individuals to take daily environmental action through education on sustainable lifestyle choices and reconnection to the natural world, in order to promote a healthy relationship between hum...

Matt and Nick talk about gene editing to fight bird flu ( Bird flu: Scientists see gene editing hope for immune chickens ),How expensive the climate crisis has become ( Climate crisis costing $16m an hour in extreme weather damage, study estimates )A ban on gas-powered cars in Stockholm’s city center ( Stockholm to ban petrol, diesel cars from city centre ),Cruise ships using shore power in New Yo...

Matt and Nick talk about the harmful impact of slowly transitioning to net-zero ( Slow route to net zero will worsen global climate crisis, IPCC chief warns ),Increased power bills over the summer ( Survey: Over 70 percent of Americans paid higher power bill due to summer’s extreme heat ),Arizona stopping its water leases to farms owned by Saudi Arabia ( Arizona to End Water Leases to Saudi-Owned...

Matt and Nick talk about Lego abandoning its recycled brick plan ( Lego axes plan to make bricks from recycled bottles ) And more Americans view climate change as the cause for extreme weather ( After summer’s extreme weather, more Americans see climate change as a culprit, poll shows )! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Kitcaster with a special offer for friends of our sho...

Matt and Nick talk about President Biden’s Climate Corps ( Biden launches American Climate Corps to train the green workforce ), Antarctic winter sea ice has hit a record low ( Antarctic winter sea ice hits 'extreme' record low ), President Biden’s climate pledge to Pacific Island Nations ( Biden tells Pacific islands leaders he'll act on warnings about climate change ), The UK delaying many of it...

Matt interviews Rod Matthews , the Co-Founder and CEO of Brevian Energy , a renewable energy technology company based in California. Rod is an experienced business technology consultant and Micro Grid Solution Provider with a background in aligning energy and technology initiatives with core business objectives. He is passionate about slowing down the impacts of climate change and believes the dep...

Matt and Nick talk about the tragic flooding in Libya ( Libya floods: 10,000 people are missing and thousands are feared dead ), A devastating 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Morocco ( Morocco earthquake updates: Rescuers dig for survivors with their hands ), President Biden canceling arctic oil drilling leases ( Biden cancels Arctic oil drilling leases issued under Trump. Why it matters for the envir...

Matt and Nick talk about Hurricane Idalia ( Flamingo fallout: Iconic pink birds showing up all over the East Coast after Idalia ), US geothermal energy capacity ( Tools Born From Fracking Fuel Geothermal Rush ),How much groundwater is being used in the US ( America Is Draining Its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow )A heat wave in Europe is causing wildfires in France and Spain ( Europe broils i...

Matt talks about how Maui’s first wildfire broke out ( Hawaii power utility takes responsibility for first fire on Maui, but faults county firefighters ),Clean-air zones in London ( London Ulez expansion: Do clean-air zones reduce air pollution? ),Releasing radioactive wastewater from Fukushima ( Science behind the Fukushima Daiichi radioactive water release ),ExxonMobil’s prediction that the worl...

Matt and Nick talk about the wildfires in Maui, Canada's Northwest Territories, and Greece ( 850 people are still missing after Maui wildfires, mayor says ), Hurricane Hilary hitting the Pacific Coast of the US and Mexico ( Hilary moves into Southern California after making landfall in Mexico's Baja California peninsula ), Montana’s youth movement to fight climate change ( Montana climate trial: J...

Matt interviews Corey Tyree, the President and CEO of Trillium Renewable Chemicals . Trillium is revolutionizing the way chemicals are produced through their innovative, sustainable approach, while leading the charge in the bioeconomy and creating renewable, eco-friendly chemicals. Their approach includes using renewable feedstocks, such as waste biomass, to produce high-quality, environmentally f...