In This Climate

We voted, and we hope you did, too! On this election night Air Check, we only prognosticate a little bit. We otherwise discuss climate ghost towns, climate refuges or "havens," and the columns on Emily's future home spreadsheet.

Access to fresh, affordable produce varies widely across the U.S., with some of us enjoying yards with soil safe for gardening and others miles from a grocery store. But one thing remains consistent: every tomato, chickpea, and grain of rice carries with it a full lifecycle of environmental impacts. In this Air Check, we talk about food from seed to landfill (or compost) and where we can look to improve the ways we engage with agriculture on micro and macro levels.

Where strong Alabama activist roots meet inadequate wastewater infrastructure, you find the work of Catherine Coleman Flowers. What began as a fight for improved environmental health in Lowndes County has stretched to connect those fighting for environmental justice across the nation with necessary resources. In this episode, Catherine talks with host Janet McCabe about the pervasive issue of wastewater, how it intersects with climate change, and what it's going to take to solve these problems. Check out her new book, Waste: One Woman's Fight Against America's Dirty Secret If you have any thoughts or questions about the show, you can tweet at us or send an email to itcpod@iu.edu.

In this week's Air Check, we talk about a couple of ballot propositions (Nevada energy and Colorado wolves), why Apple isn't packaging charging adapters with the iPhone 12, and the derecho that swept through Iowa. If you have any thoughts or questions about the show, you can tweet at us or send an email to itcpod@iu.edu.

Merav Ben-David is a wildlife ecologist at the University of Wyoming. Her specialty? The effects of global environmental change on animals and their ecosystems. Her next move? A run for the U.S. Senate. In this episode, host Janet McCabe talks with Dr. Ben-David about what it means for a climate scientist to run for office in a state whose economy has long relied on coal. If you have any thoughts or questions about the show, you can tweet at us or send an email to itcpod@iu.edu.

Does this U.S. election season have your head spinning? In this episode, Grist reporter Zoya Teirstein and LA Times reporter Sammy Roth take us from the national to the local on what's important in terms of the environment. If you have any thoughts or questions about the show, you can tweet at us or send an email to itcpod@iu.edu.

In this week's Air Check, special guest James Bruggers talks with us about U.S. Senate races in Kentucky, South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia. If you have any thoughts or questions about the show, you can tweet at us or send an email to itcpod@iu.edu.

In this bonus episode, we talk with organizers and participants from the award-winning Educating for Environmental Change program. Kirstin Milks, Adam Scribner, Michael Hamburger, LaStelshia Speaks, and Catherine Boileau explain how they've adapted their practices for the challenges we face today. If you have any thoughts or questions about the show, you can tweet at us or send an email to itcpod@iu.edu.

In this week's Air Check, we talk about propane's cold-weather demand spike, other COVID-environmental backslides, the Affordable Clean Energy Rule, and prolonged Midwestern dryness. If you have any thoughts or questions about the show, you can tweet at us or send an email to itcpod@iu.edu.

With early voting opening around the U.S. and Election Day just about a month away, we want to dive into the races and issues to watch this season. In the first episode of our pre-election series, we go live with policy expert Julian Brave NoiseCat and energy/politics reporter Ben Geman to discuss what this year's elections could mean for climate, resilience, and environmental justice.  If you have any thoughts or questions about the show, you can tweet at us or send an email to itcpod@iu.edu. Not yet registered to vote? If you can, please do that!