TILclimate

We all want to live full, healthy lives. But climate change is threatening a growing number of people’s lives and well-being. Amruta Nori-Sarma, assistant professor of environmental health at Boston University School of Public Health, joins the show to help us see climate change not in tons of carbon dioxide, but as a matter of health.For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/e6-public-health-experts-guide-climate-changeFor more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Scriptwriter and Associate ProducerIlana Hirschfeld, Production AssistantSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistMichelle Harris, Fact CheckerMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

We were going to produce an episode on El Niño, and its relationship to climate change. And then we found out that Outside/In, from New Hampshire Public Radio, already did that. And they did a really good job. So please enjoy this episode of Outside/In, where you'll learn what El Niño is, how to tell if extreme weather events are caused by climate change or by El Niño, and what the powerful El Niño event of 2023 can tell us about our climate future.Outside/In is a production of NHPR, New Hampshire Public Radio, a podcast where curiosity and the natural world collide. In addition to their regular program, they have run special limited series covering issues from the offshore wind industry to lawns and gardens to Canadian hydropower. Learn more at outsideinradio.org.

If you live in the U.S. Mountain West, the Pacific Coast of the Americas, or large parts of Australia or southern Europe, there’s a good chance a major wildfire has passed near you in the last five or six years—maybe one more intense than anything you’ve ever heard of in your area. But why exactly are wildfires getting worse? Is climate change entirely to blame? And what should we be preparing for next? Dr. Daniel Swain joins the TILclimate podcast to help break down what is going on with wildfires and climate change.  For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/e5-wildfires-and-how-were-changing-themFor more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Scriptwriter and Associate ProducerIlana Hirschfeld, Production AssistantSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistMichelle Harris, Fact CheckerMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

Today we’re talking about desalination: turning saltwater into freshwater, so we can drink it or use it to grow crops. And we’re talking about this because, in many parts of the world, freshwater is getting harder to come by. So… is converting saltwater a good solution? Our guest Prof. John Leinhard has devoted his whole career to this question—and its relationship with climate change.For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/e4-can-desalination-solve-water-scarcityFor more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Scriptwriter and Associate ProducerIlana Hirschfeld, Production AssistantSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistMichelle Harris, Fact CheckerMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

Refrigerants are in every refrigerator, freezer and air conditioner, and the world is on track to make a lot more of them in the years to come. They’re also powerful greenhouse gases: often thousands of times more warming than carbon dioxide. Prof. Ronald Prinn, an expert in the physics and chemistry of our climate system, joins TILclimate to discuss the past, present and future of how these chemicals affect our planet.For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/e3-dont-throw-away-your-refrigeratorFor more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Scriptwriter and Associate ProducerIlana Hirschfeld, Production AssistantSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistMichelle Harris, Fact CheckerMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

Carbon dioxide—CO2—is the greenhouse gas you’ve probably heard most about, on this podcast and elsewhere. But it turns out, methane is an incredibly important greenhouse gas too. Stopping methane emissions today is a powerful way to dampen climate change in the very near term—to keep the Earth cooler in the next 10 or 20 years. So today, Prof. Desiree Plata returns to TILclimate to tell us—how do we get that done?For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/e2-how-tackling-methane-cools-planet-fastFor more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Scriptwriter and Associate ProducerIlana Hirschfeld, Production AssistantSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistMichelle Harris, Fact CheckerMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

Desiree Plata, an associate professor at MIT, explains how greenhouse gases trap heat and why they are significant. She discusses the role of methane and compares it to CO2. The urgency to address methane emissions and reduce CO2 levels is emphasized.

This is MIT’s climate change podcast, Today I Learned: Climate. If you're looking to get smart quick on climate change – without the jargon and without the politicking – this podcast is for you! In each episode, we work with experts at MIT and beyond to explain climate change science and solutions in fifteen minutes or less.On October 5, TILclimate is returning for our fifth season! We’ll give you the straight answers to things like:What are the two biggest hurdles to getting all our energy from wind and solar – and how do we overcome them?Why are so many people talking about methane gas these days?Can’t we just get all our water from the ocean?What makes some greenhouse gases more concerning than others?And much more. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s to come. 

Dr. Liz Reynolds, former Special Assistant to the President, discusses America's largest investment in climate change. They delve into the importance of investing in infrastructure, US dependency on foreign technologies, challenges in distributing climate-related assistance, and collective responsibility.

On Wednesday, April 19, TILclimate will host its first live event at the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts! Reserve your seat at tilclimate.org to watch a live recording and join the questions as your host Laur Hesse Fisher sits down with MIT lecturer and former Special Assistant to the President for Manufacturing and Economic Development Dr. Elisabeth Reynolds about “America’s big year of climate action” and the course set for U.S. climate policy in 2021-22.