Whiskey is for drinkin’& water is for fightin’ over
Expert in natural resources law and policy Buzz Thompson starts with a story of how his grandfather was tricked into selling his farm to the city of Los Angeles so they could get access to water on his...
View ArticleAnthropocene Borders
Geographer Reece Jones discusses his recent book “Border Walls,” examining the history of how and why societies have chosen to literally wall themselves apart. He gives a brief history of political...
View Article[ESSAY] How am I supposed to answer “Are we screwed?”
This essay was written by Mike Osborne. If you wish to hear Mike read it, click play below. Download Episode As a climate scientist in training, the most common question I get from my non-science...
View Article[VIDEO] Everything we’ve learned in 15 minutes or less
Audio is nice. No cameras, no spotlight. And here’s what we hope we didn’t do… (but kind of secretly wanted to)
View ArticleLand Use Change: a Hallmark of the Anthropocene
Humans have always been changing the earth’s surface, but the study of land use change has been greatly aided by satellite imaging since the 1970s. Professor Eric Lambin started his career working with...
View ArticleFungi, a cedar, a Kau, oh my!
Invertebrates. Gutless, spineless– but perhaps underappreciated invertebrates. We probably don’t spend enough time thinking about that other category of organisms on earth, so on this episode we’re...
View ArticleHistory is a Mess
The very idea of an Anthropocene suggests that the world is changing faster than ever before. And a growing number of historians, archeologists, and geologists are looking at our modern world in the...
View ArticleHidden Water
Most of the changes scientists see on our planet are either visible to the naked eye or directly measurable. But changes to our water systems are among the most difficult to see. In this episode, we...
View ArticleWhat Went Wrong in Rondônia
In the late 1970′s, tens of thousands of Brazilian agricultural workers found themselves out of work due to technological advances on farms. To combat the problem, the government, with help from the...
View ArticleScars of the past
Beneath Cambodia’s troubled history with the Khmer Rouge lies a complex agricultural legacy that reaches back centuries. Once the symbol of a thriving region, we see how a prolonged El Nino brought...
View ArticleRare Earth Elements
“Oil is the blood; steel is the body; but rare earth elements are the vitamins of a modern society.” While many of us can’t even pronounce elements such as praseodymium, yttrium, or gadolinium, these...
View ArticleLivelihoods, Poverty, and Climate Risk
Perhaps you’ve noticed recently that there’s been a shift in way experts are approaching climate change. While much of the focus (rightly) continues to be on “bending the CO2 curve downward,” there’s...
View ArticleNo Ordinary Garbage
Trash. Garbage. Refuse. Waste. Call it whatever you like, this is the stuff we deal with everyday that we no longer want in our lives. It’s not that it has no value; it actually has negative value....
View ArticlePeak Phosphorous
Five things you may not know about phosphorus (but probably should): 1) It’s an essential element to all life on Earth – so it’s a critical ingredient for industrial fertilizers. 2) The vast majority...
View ArticleEnvironmental Icon David Suzuki
This week we bring you an intergenerational conversation featuring David Suzuki, who is a Canadian scientist, activist, and media figure. Since the 1970s, Suzuki has hosted both radio and television...
View ArticleA Tale of Two Grains
Food security may be the most important issue we’ll face in the coming decades. With global population on the rise and a changing climate, the future of food is greatly uncertain. These realities have...
View ArticleThe (slow) rise of sustainable energy
Sally Benson talks about the goals and recent accomplishments of Stanford’s Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP), the need to partner with industry, the hopeful signs of alternative energy...
View ArticleAustralian anthropology and how humans control their environment
Anthropologist Doug Bird discusses his work with the native Martu peoples of Australia, their perceptions of environment, the history of landscape modification in the remote and harsh Western dessert,...
View ArticleHeading to Hell in a handbasket
Paul Ehrlich returns to his seminal work “The Population Bomb” to discuss cultural v. technological evolution, discusses his recent work with the Millennium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere...
View ArticleF**cking science: the science of shale gas
Geophysicist and shale gas expert Mark Zoback speaks to the science of hydro-fracking to free shale gas. He addresses many misconceptions he feels the public weigh too heavily and offers his view on...
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