What On Earth

Electric bikes are surging in popularity. Sure, they create fewer emissions than cars, but how climate friendly are they when you factor in their whole life cycle? A What on Earth listener asked, and we went looking for the answers.

Roishetta Ozane saw first-hand the effects of climate change on her community, and started organizing. Her group The Vessel Project of Louisiana has become a hub for sharing community resources – as well as an opponent to the fossil fuel companies polluting their home. Then – Bob McDonald from Quirks & Quarks and Dr. Brian Goldman from White Coat, Black Art join Laura Lynch to talk about the c...

The world’s soil is in trouble, and in America’s agricultural heartland, a small group of Maya farmers are advocating for an ancient solution. Can the “milpa” system of agriculture help modern farming respond to a looming crisis?  Learn more in this special bonus episode from Feet In 2 Worlds, the latest in our summer series of podcasts we think you’ll love. This episode is part of Home, Inte...

Canada’s environment sector is overwhelmingly white. But our columnist Chúk Odenigbo says every non-profit has a responsibility to make sure everyone, regardless of race, feels at home in the outdoors. He tells us about a course he's been teaching to environmental NGOs to help them be more inclusive in their work and their workplace. Then, we hear how Canada's parliament is vowing to study environ...

The Maasai don’t surrender. They adapt. So says Dorcas Naishorua, the world’s first Miss Climate. In a special bonus episode from TED Talks Daily, she explains how climate change has disrupted the melody of the Maasai way of life, and how girls are bearing the brunt of that disruption. In her talk, she advocates for a different vision for her people — one that includes Maasai girls laughing. ...

Jack Thiessen wanted to take fighting wildfires into his own hands after a couple of close calls on his family ranch in northeastern B.C. Now, the community has installed a mobile trailer full of hoses, pumps, sprinklers and other equipment to help protect homes and fight wildfires in this rural region. Wildland firefighter Sonja Leverkus trained 150 people in the region, including Jack, on B.C. W...

Jane Goodall believes we’re living through very dark times indeed, but the renowned primatologist continues to see hope as a basic survival strategy.  In a special bonus episode from The Current with Matt Galloway, she explains why. Goodall offers her perspective as someone born during the Great Depression, who lived through World War II, and who sees the events happening around us today with...

Not everyone is hungry for climate content in the crowded social media landscape, but some Canadian content creators are determined to get Tik Tok, Youtube and Instagram users engaged in the climate conversation. Karishma Porwal (a.k.a. @karishmaclimategirl), Hazel Thayer (a.k.a. @hazelisonline), and Aaron Hagey-MacKay (a.k.a. @the_goose_media) share their strategies – from connecting climate to t...

After decades of scientific study and political wrangling the world has agreed—at least on paper—that 1.5C of heating must be the upper limit of our impact on the climate system. How could something that sounds so small matter so much? Our friends at Threshold have thoughtfully explored these questions. They are a Peabody Award-winning podcast about what it means to be alive at a time of extraordi...

Air purifiers can cost a lot, so why not make your own for less money? We meet a group of seniors in Vancouver’s Chinatown learning to build their own air cleaners – and hear why the workshop they’re attending does more than support physical health. Then – a historian unearths lessons about handling heat across centuries in the Middle East. He argues we need to make sweating sexy again.

From “packs of wolves” spreading disinformation online, to death threats, these women have paid a high cost for their climate advocacy work. As a family physician, Dr. Melissa Lem knew she could not stay silent on the dangers of climate change once she started to learn more. Climate advocate Tzeporah Berman waded into Alberta politics and got more than she bargained for. When Judy Wilson, former c...

As the fires rage on in Jasper National Park, we check in on a former firefighter about the battle beyond the flames. Meanwhile, Olympic organizers may have had green dreams for the 2024 Paris Games. But will those dreams melt away under the threat of extreme heat? Journalist and New York Times bestselling author, Jeff Goodell, says it’s a pivotal moment as the city adapts to a warming planet.

The Shíshálh Nation is transporting family homes from Vancouver to B.C.’s Sunshine Coast by barge with the help of a sustainable development company as a lower-emissions way to address its housing crisis. We find out how diverting houses from demolition and retrofitting them into duplexes can be a climate-friendly approach to building a subdivision. Next, we continue our search for greener ways to...

Come along to “La Chicanerie” – or The Conflict Cafe – in Montreal where What On Earth guest host Falen Johnson finds out why we need to get comfortable with uncomfortable discussions about climate change. And climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe shares some of her most awkward climate conversations and offers advice on how to talk to people in ways that lead to collaboration instead of division.

When Eli Milton started working on farms in Nova Scotia almost a decade ago, heat wasn’t an issue in the summer. Now, hot and humid conditions are just one of the climate impacts farm workers like her contend with. And – extreme weather has put safety and livelihoods at risk for migrant workers, from out in the fields to inside greenhouses. We hear from an advocate on what policies could improve c...

This summer, we’re curating a few other climate podcasts that we think our listeners would love.  Living Planet from DW News is a show that wants to help you reconnect with nature and make better decisions, every day. Today we’re sharing their eye-opening episode “The hidden toll of roadkill”. For some species, being hit by a car is the number one cause of death — even above hunting and disea...

It's on rooftops. It's on top of old landfills. It's floating on lakes. The Dutch are all in on solar energy. CBC’s international climate correspondent Susan Ormiston takes us there to find out what’s behind the country’s strong solar adoption.

Caribbean coastlines might be taking a beating from Beryl, but coral reefs are fighting back. We speak to a NOAA representative on how these reefs act as natural defensive mechanisms against storms and how we can protect these ecosystems. And we hear from Caribbean leaders about the toll of this record-breaking hurricane.

Drought is on the rise in Canada. And science is looking to the sky for solutions. Join producer Molly Segal as she takes you on a journey to explore the history, ethics and future of cloud seeding in Canada.

You don't have to be a scientist, engineer or conservation officer to hold a climate job. Our columnist Aishwarya Puttur dishes on her recent gig with the United Nations, helping young people redefine what a green job actually is. Then a member of the first class of the new American Climate Corps shares why she thinks a career in fighting climate change will pay off -- even in this tough economy.

Picnics, parties and patio get-togethers. Summer fun can lead to lots of throwaway stuff that ends up in landfills. One listener wants some help to fix that by nudging people to bring their own place settings. We’ve got some ideas.

Temperatures soared above 30 degrees in some Ontario schools recently, prompting some parents to pull their kids out of the classroom – and urge for cooling systems to be installed everywhere. With climate change leading to more hot days during the school year, we hear how educators are turning to everything from misting stations to adding more greenery to help kids cope with the sweltering condit...

What is nature saying when a lake drained a century ago keeps flooding farmland? First Nations leaders say the message is to make room for the water. Then, why the story of Sumas Lake is just one example of how Indigenous connections to the land must inform climate action.

They search for life on other planets. Now they’re focussing on Earth’s future. We hear how the group Astronomers for Planet Earth is on a mission to curb emissions from space exploration.

Thinking about climate change like it's your job? Maybe it could be. Winnipeg career counsellor Trevor Lehmann shares practical advice from his free online resource “An Imperfect Guide to Career and Climate.” He wants to help more of us roll up our sleeves and close the "hope gap." Plus, listeners have their say on lowering the voting age.