The Planet Today

Matt and Nick talk about Spain’s plan to save the Doñana wetlands ( Spain pledges 350M euros to save Doñana wetlands | AP News ), Why fixing methane leaks is not just good for the planet; it is a smart move for the global economy ( Why fixing methane leaks from the oil and gas industry can be a climate game-changer – one that pays for itself ( theconversation.com ) ), A new website that aims to ke...

We 100% stole Lil' Wayne's intro for the first 5 seconds of this episode. Matt and Nick discuss the FDA’s declaration that lab-grown meat is safe for human consumption ( US declares lab-grown meat safe to eat in ‘groundbreaking’ move | Food | The Guardian ) And four dams on California’s Klamath River to be demolished to open up salmon habitats ( Dam demolitions set for Klamath River in Western U.S...

Disclaimer: Matt has the flu and sounds bad but the show goes on. Matt and Nick talk about a “second summer” of coral bleaching in 2022 for the Great Barrier Reef ( Record heat over Great Barrier Reef raises fears of second summer of coral bleaching | Great Barrier Reef | The Guardian ), How border walls impact wildlife globally ( Fenced In: How the Global Rise of Border Walls Is Stifling Wildlife...

Matt interviews Marshall Conley, the Co-Founder of SLØ. Marshall began working with startups and small businesses after dropping out of university in 2017, which focuses mostly on growth and sales. He took the leap of starting his own startup in 2021 by joining MNTN Co. Eventually, he started SLØ with MNTN Co. founder Kristian Hansen to focus on the sustainable fashion industry. Slojeans.co and fa...

Matt and Nick drop in for a quick update for the listeners on what to expect next month and some changes to the show in 2023. They close the show with what another year of TPT has meant to them, what they’re looking forward to in 2023, and express some genuine gratitude for the listeners of TPT. Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate - we'll be back on Monday!

Matt talks about what went down at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt this year. Topics include whether or not COP27 was a success, The Amazon and Lula’s involvement, India’s call to phase down all fossil fuels, loss and damages, and more. Sources for today’s episode: Key takeaways from the COP27 climate summit | Reuters COP27 live updates: Nations agree to historic fund to help vulnerable nations wi...

Matt and Nick talk about what can we expect from the end of COP27 today ( COP27 Climate Talks Inch Toward 'Loss And Damage' Showdown | Barron's ( barrons.com ) ), 2022’s record-breaking pace for global carbon emissions ( Data Shows Carbon Dioxide Emissions Likely to Reach Record High in 2022 - The New York Times ( nytimes.com ) ), A new Washington state law for heat pumps instead of furnaces in al...

Matt interviews Bahruz Mammadov, the CEO and co-Founder of Berkm , which aims to create change in the plastics industry at the manufacturing level. 74 billion pounds of plastic end up in the environment each year, largely because of our overdependence on single use plastics. While many programs tend to focus on consumers of plastic packaged goods, Bahruz and Berkm look to change the way that plast...

Matt, Nick and Giselle talk about Coal’s impact on groundwater ( Report: 90% of all U.S. coal plants are contaminating groundwater | Grist ), A seaweed farm helping to curb climate change ( Climate change: Can an enormous seaweed farm help curb it? - BBC News ), An illegal ivory deal getting life imprisonment in Uganda ( Uganda gives ivory dealer life imprisonment in “landmark” case - WildAid ), A...

Matt and Nick discuss the European Union banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035 ( EU reaches deal to ban new combustion engine cars by 2035 – DW – 10/27/2022 ) And why we should stop raking our leaves into bags when they fall off trees ( Why experts say you shouldn't bag your leaves this fall : NPR )! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Kitcaster with a special offe...

Matt and Nick talk about the US Environmental Protection Agency’s lawsuit over not regulating polluted waters due to factory farming ( EPA sued over lack of plan to regulate water pollution from factory farms | Environment | The Guardian ), Three United Nations reports stating that the world is falling short in its plans to fight climate change ( "Untold human suffering" is in the near future as U...

Matt and Nick talk about Halloween! Which candies are more sustainable than some of the common ones we probably buy for trick-or-treaters? How much waste is generated from “fun-sized” candy? How unsustainable is the costume industry? The guys also have some fun with this and talk about their favorite Halloween movies, traditions, costumes, and more! Today’s sources: Halloween generates frightening...

Matt and Nick talk about Alaskan Snow Crabs rapidly dying off this year ( Warming waters cited as "key culprit" in mass die-off of Alaska snow crabs - CBS News ), Drought in British Columbia extending from this summer into the fall ( B.C. news: Low rainfall levels recorded | CTV News ), 2% of the Grevy Zebra have died in the past two years because of drought ( Two per cent of the world's rarest ze...

Matt and Nick cover one topic today: the building sector. The New York Times published a piece (final link below) about recycling office buildings to reduce the building sector’s greenhouse gas emissions. With the building sector accounting for nearly 40% of the world’s carbon emissions, reductions here could - and should - be a major consideration for reducing global emissions. The guys get into...

Matt and Nick talk about the major decline in global wildlife populations over the last 50 years ( Global wildlife populations have sunk 69% since 1970 - WWF report | Reuters ), Protections for the longest-living vertebrates on Earth ( Greenland shark, world’s longest-living vertebrate, gets long-awaited protection ( mongabay.com ) ), Fast evolution happening due to Chernobyl’s nuclear fallout ( C...

Matt interviews Anastasios Arima , the CEO of IperionX , where they are developing low carbon, sustainable critical minerals and metals. IperionX has breakthrough titanium technologies that have demonstrated the potential to produce titanium products that are sustainable, 100% recyclable, low carbon intensity, and at product qualities that exceed current industry standards. Anastasios previously s...

Matt and Nick talk about November’s COP27, presented by… Coca-Cola ( Cop27 climate summit’s sponsorship by Coca-Cola condemned as ‘greenwash’ | Cop27 | The Guardian ), UK Prime Minister Liz Truss opposing agrivoltaics ( Liz Truss opposes placing solar panels on farmland, Downing Street says ( aol.com ) ), A utility scale solar, wind, and battery power plant in the US ( First clean energy plant usi...

Matt and Nick cover one story today: Adetokunbo Abiola’s substack publication about how big oil companies could have changed the course of the climate crisis 63 years ago! The article gets into a few other topics that the guys talk about, including what it will take to break up big oil, what big oil can do next, and how shareholder activism will likely increase with the reality of ongoing climate...

Matt and Nick talk about Hurricane Ian and one community that fared very well throughout the storm ( This 100% solar community endured Hurricane Ian with no loss of power and minimal damage | CNN ), New York following California’s footsteps in banning gas-powered cars by 2035 ( New York to Ban New Gas-Powered Vehicles, Following California's Lead (gizmodo.com) ), Los Angeles county cracking down o...

Matt and Nick discuss some good news for the Earth’s ozone layer ( Scientists predict the hole in the ozone layer will close in the next 50 years | Euronews ) And the tax benefits of offshore wind energy ( Compared to oil and gas, offshore wind is 125 times better for taxpayers | Grist )!

Matt and Nick talk about The Kigali Amendment ( U.S. Senate votes to amend global treaty to curb climate-warming gas | Reuters ), Hurricane Fiona and how solar fared during the storm ( The eco-friendly homes that didn’t lose power after Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico – The Hill ), The controversy over The World Bank’s David Malpass ( Al Gore Calls the World Bank Chief a ‘Climate Denier’ - The New...

Matt and Nick talk about Patagonia’s owner, Yvon Chouinard, announcing that all of the company’s profits will go into two funds dedicated to fighting climate change. You can read Yvon Chouinard’s full letter on Patagonia’s website . Additional sources for today’s episode: Patagonia’s billionaire owner gives away company to fight climate crisis | US news | The Guardian Patagonia Owner Gives Away Co...

Matt and Nick talk about sea level rise in New Zealand ( Rate of sea level rise around New Zealand doubles in past 60 years | New Zealand | The Guardian ), The EU continuing to classify biomass from wood as a renewable energy ( EU votes to keep woody biomass as renewable energy, ignores climate risk (mongabay.com) ), Ethereum’s transition to proof-of-stake and how it impacts energy usage ( Explain...

Exactly 1 year and 6 months since the release of our first trailer and the show has grown a lot since then! We changed our format, I got a better microphone, but we never updated the trailer. To the long-time listeners, share the new trailer with a friend (or a few!). If you're new here, welcome to The Planet Today.

Matt interviews Hal Harvey and Justin Gillis to discuss their new book, The Big Fix: 7 Practical Steps to Save Our Planet , and more! Hal is an acclaimed energy policy advisor and the CEO for Energy Innovation, a company that provides high-quality research and analysis to policymakers around the world and across a range of jurisdictions to help inform their energy policy decisions. Hal has served...