Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe says we should start conversations from the heart, not the head, in order to drive action on climate change. By talking about climate, we can help ourselves and others understand why it matters — and what we can do about it.

How can we prepare for a future wholly unlike the past we’ve known? Like COVID-19, climate disruption is a threat multiplier that will disrupt our lives in myriad ways. This week we discuss what changes we can make now to better prepare for future risks and climate disasters.

Fifty years ago, Frances Moore Lappé challenged people to think about the larger systems underpinning the food on their plates, particularly meat. Since then, the industrial food systems in America have only grown bigger and more consolidated. This week we discuss the intersections between democracy, environment, food, and justice.

“Modern water infrastructure has replumbed the planet,” says Giulio Boccaletti, author of Water: A Biography. But the story of water is not technological, it is political. What can 10,000 years of human history with water teach us about how we should handle this essential element in a climate-disrupted future?

Why have oil pipelines become such a flash point in the environmental movement? And what can all sides agree on to work toward the same less-carbon-reliant future? We talk about Line 3 and other pipelines on this week’s show.

Climate disruption features in the headlines nearly every day, penetrating deeper into our personal lives. In these uncertain times, how do we weigh the decision of whether or not to bring more children into the world?

Swing voters can have an outsized impact on elections. But many of those voters don’t know much about our climate emergency. We talk with Rich Thau of the Swing Voter Project about how these voters engage with climate news, like the most recent IPCC report.

President Biden has set a goal of conserving 30% of our land and waters in the next decade to sustain essential biodiversity and counteract the damaging impacts of climate change. About one million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction. Some private landowners are concerned about where those lands will come from.

This year, Washington became the second state to place a price on carbon across most of its economy ― with the surprise support of oil company BP. Governor Jay Inslee says he welcomes the change of stance because there’s no time to waste. “We don’t have the luxury of sort of dividing the world into two camps.”

Indian eco-feminist Vandana Shiva has spent much of her career fighting against industrial agriculture. She advocates against corporate, industrialized agriculture and for small-scale, biodiverse farms--a sea change that she believes has the potential to heal our bodies and the planet.

Good public transit can solve for pollution, congestion, mobility and even the mental and physical health of urban dwellers. But most Americans get around by car, and changing that model can be expensive and difficult. How can we make good public transit the default mode of transportation?

What does a feminist climate renaissance look like? Authors Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson advocate for resolving the climate crisis by first addressing the systemic imbalances that have fueled it – racism, capitalism and patriarchy.

The world is currently on track to double the emission goals set during the Paris Climate Agreement. Can the combined powers of government, industry and the market still get us on a path to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and avoid the worst impacts of climate change?

Extreme heat events may be less visibly destructive than hurricanes or wildfires, yet they silently kill far more people and cause vast economic harm. Some cities have started appointing “chief heat officers” to better respond to a hotter world.

A song, poster or mural can be a powerful tool to spark conversation and reflection. So how can the arts advance the climate conversation? We explore the power of art with renowned graphic artist Shepard Fairey and hip hop artist Mystic.

Reservoirs on the Colorado River are at historic lows as extreme drought continues across the region. As water managers gear up for another round of negotiations, tribes and climate advocates hope to get a bigger say this time.

Talking about climate disruption can be difficult no matter your background. Simply delivering information is rarely enough; communicating hard truths may depend on first forming heartfelt human connections.

Western law generally treats the natural environment as property, with all rights held by its owners. But more jurisdictions are making the argument that natural systems – from rivers to forests to glaciers – are entitled to their own legal rights to exist and thrive.

Data and maps can be powerful tools in the effort to understand and combat the effects of climate change. From GIS mapping to satellite imagery to a human-sized mobile weather station, researchers are finding new approaches to the climate emergency.

Grassroots activism sometimes gets short shrift compared to the more powerful, national players in climate and environmental movements. Yet many community-based advocates have achieved major successes. What can we learn from grassroots activists?

What stories do we tell ourselves to cope with a changing climate? Author Nathaniel Rich and journalist Meera Subramanian discuss the power of listening and how our identities and values shape the way we understand how others experience climate.

In the US, a zero-sum mentality has taken hold on climate and other issues whereby progress for “them” comes at the expense of “us.” Are racism and other false dichotomies distorting our ability to respond to big problems and advance collective solutions?

We’ve been living with the impacts of a changing climate for years, but those impacts don’t all hit the same way. With dramatic events like wildfires, the ramifications are immediate. But the slower effects of climate disruption can lead to anxiety and emotional distress. How do we live alongside these changes?

Some wealthy Americans visit nature via a private jet, glossing over the history of native peoples who inhabited these lands. Billionaires give generously to preserve wilderness, even while access to nature is out of reach for many. How much is access to nature tied to wealth?