Your Planet, Your Health

In this episode, Ralph and Luc take a respite from the US' current denialist frenzy and step back to celebrate recent global victories in the fight to preserve our environment. Since the climate does not follow national borders, we spotlight some news from around the world that gives us hope: the popular clamor for governments to tackle climate change, the newly favourable economics of renewable e...

In this episode, Ralph and Luc unpack how Americans got so obsessed with maintaining square green carpets on their front yards. We dive into the history to trace back the origins and dissemination of this artificial aesthetic. We also look into solutions, ranging from bans on gas leaf blowers to cash schemes to encourage people to quit their lawn. We read a poem about the lunacy of leaf blowers, a...

In this episode, Ralph and Luc spotlight an environmental success story: the Montreal Protocol's role in healing the ozone layer. We draw comparisons to the pitfalls of the IPCC's COP process and try to derive a diplomatic blueprint for climate policy.  We look into the science of how ozone and chlorine works in the stratosphere, the history of the activist scientists (Sherwood Roland and Mario Mo...

In this episode, Ralph and Luc chat with Michael Jefferies, Regional Conservative Outreach Coordinator for the Citizens' Climate Lobby. Together, we get out of our filter bubbles and find some common ground. We discuss Michael's faith-based journey on climate issues, bipartisan proposals on issues ranging from a carbon tax ("Carbon Fees and Dividends") and import tariffs, along with strategies to...

In this episode, Ralph and Luc spotlight what the oil companies knew about CO2’s impact on the climate, and how they lied to you to sustain their fossilized business model – even if it risks drilling us into oblivion… This argument will soon be heard in court as part of a series of lawsuits against Big Oil. We start by looking into the history of scholarship on this issue, dating back to the 19th...

In this episode, Ralph and Luc venture into the thorny discussions of what to do about the rainforest’s impact on the globe. In the aftermath of Lula's conference in Belem, Brazil, in August 2023, we spotlight some good news: great strides are being made against deforestation, and South American leaders are keen to protect the Amazonian rainforest. We also unpack criticisms and highlight pragmatic...

In this episode, Ralph and Luc listen to a stand-up routine by comedian George Carlin about environmentalists. We engage with Carlin’s pontifications and his ingenious framing by providing context from a scientific perspective. We also gesture at disarming some of his cynicism while steering clear of fully explaining away what made his take comedic in the first place. This episode contains 4 brief...

On this inaugural episode, Ralph and Luc briefly describe the practice of greenwashing, with examples ranging from: BP's popularisation of the carbon footprint, to  the labels on water bottles, to  Volkswagen evading emissions tests, and  the practice of carbon offsets…