The Sweaty Penguin

Weeks of unprecedented wildfires across Canada have scorched millions of hectares, displaced over 100,000 people, and pushed the nation into a crisis as crews fight hundreds of blazes. Smoke from the fires also crossed the U.S. border into cities such as New York City and Detroit, and on June 7, New York City registered the worst air quality in the world. While orange skies and unbreathable air ap...

For the first time, Ethan welcomes to the show our Associate Producer Madeleine Salman, Social Media Manager Sabrina Rollings, and Researcher Emma Jones. They’ll discuss what they do behind the scenes, share some details on our new projects around TikTok and creating educational resources for classrooms, and then face off in a Sweaty Penguin Kahoot recapping season 6. See how much you remember fro...

In 2022, climate activists around the world engaged in a string of protests throwing food at famous artworks such as Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers,” Monet’s “Grainstacks,” and da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa.” The protests received their fair share of criticism for failing to engage new people in the climate movement, but what may have been overshadowed was the actual environmental messages hidden in these pieces...

On April 12, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced vehicle emissions standards that would require auto companies to lower the average carbon dioxide emissions from their tailpipes to 82 grams per mile by 2032. Then, on May 11, the EPA announced emissions standards for coal and natural gas power plants, requiring that natural gas plants capture 90 percent of their emissions by 2035 and...

A few months ago, The Guardian did a five-month investigation into  “carbon bombs,”  or fossil fuel projects that would, over the course of their life, emit over one billion tons of carbon. They found that there are 195 planned oil and gas carbon bombs around the world, and if they proceed as planned, these projects alone would blow past internationally agreed upon climate targets. For our tenth d...

It may not be the flashiest environmental issue, but it appears that permitting reform could be the hot topic of the summer, with both Republican and Democratic legislators putting forth proposals. The concern is clear: while it’s important to determine whether or not new energy projects will harm the environment, it’s also detrimental to climate progress if clean energy projects are held up for s...

As climate change has driven increasing sea level rise, hurricanes, and floods, coastal communities have had to come up with new, innovative ways to adapt to their changing environments. One such idea has been around for millennia: stilt houses, or houses build on elevated platformed raised by pillared scaffolding. Stilt houses can reduce flood risk, and even offer better ventilation, local touris...

On April 4th, Global Witness published the results of a survey of 468 climate scientists, and found 183 (39%) said they have experienced online harassment or abuse. For scientists who have published over ten academic papers, that number goes up to 49%. And out of the harassed scientists, 51% reported feeling anxiety, 48% reported a loss in productivity, and 21% reported experiencing depression. Jo...

On March 20, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion for a preliminary injunction under the Clean Air Act requesting that Denka Performance Elastomer LLC — the only chloroprene plant in the United States — impose significantly greater pollution controls. Chloroprene is a chemical used in the production of neoprene, which is used to create wetsuits, beer cozies, laptop sleeves, orthopedic bra...

On March 20, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Arizona v. Navajo Nation, wherein the Navajo Nation argued that the United States government breached its legal responsibility to ensure access to water on the Navajo reservation. The American Southwest is currently experiencing its worst drought in 1,200 hitting the Navajo Nation harder than anyone. Navajos use 8-10 gallons of water per day...

In February, Ethan had the opportunity to travel to Israel and participate in the Jerusalem Press Club’s Climate Innovation Press Tour, meet several clean tech CEOs, and learn about Israel’s cutting edge climate solutions. But despite all these clean energy ideas, shockingly few have actually been implemented in Israel. Instead, Israel’s big energy project has been the Leviathan Gas Field: an offs...

The release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Synthesis Report summary last week prompted a barrage of doom-and-gloom headlines invoking phrases like “final warning,” “survival guide for humanity,” and “act now or it’s too late.” But the summary said none of this. Of its 33 pages, 12 covered issues, 4 covered past progress, and 17 covered solutions we can implement and the many be...

What do flying squirrels, acid rain, and violins have in common? They are all connected to the Red Spruce — a coniferous tree found in northeastern North America that provides a habitat for many animals, stores carbon very effectively, and is used for a variety of important products, most notably to create the soundboards of string instruments. But between droughts, cold waves, pests, and the ling...

This week, the United States blocked all future oil and gas exploration in our Arctic Ocean, and blocked leases on more than half of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, a massive step in reducing potential future carbon emissions from the world’s second-highest emitting country. But unfortunately, that huge news has been all but ignored, as it was accompanied by a scaled-down approval of Wil...

The European green crab is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as one of the world’s 100 worst invaders. Between their ability to eat 40 juvenile soft-shell clams per day, their practice of ripping up seagrass when burrowing, and their potential to produce 160,000 eggs at a time, green crab populations are exploding and decimating salt marshes, seagrass meadows, and ot...

On February 3, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Over 100,000 gallons of hazardous chemicals were dumped in the community, contaminating water, soil, and storm drains and potentially killing more than 43,000 fish, crustaceans, amphibians, and other marine animals. In the aftermath of the incident, many used it as an opportunity to assig...

A few months ago, The Guardian did a five-month investigation into  “carbon bombs,”  or fossil fuel projects that would, over the course of their life, emit over one billion tons of carbon. They found that there are 195 planned oil and gas carbon bombs around the world, and if they proceed as planned, these projects alone would blow past internationally agreed upon climate targets. For o...

In the early morning of February 6th, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit just east of Nurdagi, Turkey, followed by over 125 aftershocks including ones clocking in at 6.5 and 7.5 on the Richter scale. The earthquake led to over 5,700 building collapses in Turkey, more than 75,000 injuries, and more than 20,000 deaths. Earthquakes are not caused by climate change or particularly worsened by them, but in...

For the first time, Ethan welcomes to the show our Associate Producer Owen Reith, Journalist Melina Nguyen, and Sound Editor Megan Antone. They’ll share what they do behind the scenes, some takeaways from their first 6-8 months on the team, and then face off in a Sweaty Penguin Kahoot recapping season 5. See how much you remember from the program and find out who will be the next Sweaty Penguin Ka...

Yesterday was World Wetlands Day, and salt marshes are some of the most important wetlands in the world. Found along the entire U.S. coastline (and every continent except Antarctica), salt marshes absorb carbon, protect coastlines from erosion, filter pollutants, provide many economic benefits, and provide habitats for many important fish and shellfish species we eat. They also act as natural buff...

In December, the National Ignition Facility announced a breakthrough in nuclear fusion technology: for the first time, a nuclear fusion reaction created a net gain of energy, and since that reaction doesn’t emit carbon or other pollutants, a lot of people have proclaimed that we are one step closer to achieving “the holy grail of clean energy.” But as exciting as this breakthrough is from a scient...

Drought is one of the most commonly cited impacts of climate change, leading to water shortages, crop failures, wildfires, and social inequalities. But why do droughts happen? And how does climate change play in? Today, we’ve got a “Drought 101” as it were — we’ll explore the science behind droughts, a variety of their consequences, and some possible solutions. With special guest Dr. Karletta Chie...

The United States saw a slew of extreme weather in the last few weeks, including a winter storm around Christmas time and extreme rains and flooding in California in early January. Why did these storms happen? How did climate change play in? Ethan breaks down what we know and what we still need to learn in this week’s “Tip of the Iceberg.” The Sweaty Penguin is presented by Peril and Promise: a pu...

A few months ago, The Guardian did a five-month investigation into  “carbon bombs,”  or fossil fuel projects that would, over the course of their life, emit over one billion tons of carbon. They found that there are 195 planned oil and gas carbon bombs around the world, and if they proceed as planned, these projects alone would blow past internationally agreed upon climate targets. For o...

Surprise! We're back! To finish off the year, Ethan responds to a selection of some more skeptical questions and comments from our listeners, breaking down how we know humans cause climate change, how today’s climate change differs from recent Ice Ages, and where we can be excited versus cynical with regard to climate solutions such as solar energy and carbon capture. Send in your questions anytim...