Get smart quickly on climate change. This award-winning MIT podcast breaks down the science, technologies, and policies behind climate change, how it’s impacting us, and what our society can do about it. Each quick episode gives you the what, why, and how on climate change — from real scientists — to help us all make informed decisions for our future.
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The United States has a goal to power the country with 100% clean electricity by 2035. Unfortunately, our energy regulations are not set up to make this much change this quickly. Energy economist John Parsons of MIT joins the show to explain how much clean energy infrastructure we need to build, the obstacles to building it, and reform ideas to transform our energy system on the timeline our climate goals demand. For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://...
The large majority of new energy we’re building today comes from clean, renewable wind and solar projects. But to keep building wind and solar at this pace, we need energy storage: technologies that save energy when the weather is favorable, and use it when wind and sun are scarce. Prof. Asegun Henry joins TILclimate to explain how energy storage works, what storage technologies are out there, and how much we need to build to make wind and solar dominant. For a deeper dive and additional resourc...
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-change For more...
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 Hamp...
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 wildfi...
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-...
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: h...
This episode of TILclimate focuses on methane as a potent, short-lived greenhouse gas and strategies to reduce its emissions. Professor Plata discusses methane's sources, from natural processes to human activities like agriculture and fossil fuel extraction. The episode highlights international efforts like the Global Methane Pledge and practical solutions such as capturing methane from landfills and reducing leaks in natural gas systems, emphasizing the significant near-term impact of methane abatement on slowing global warming.
You probably know that today’s climate change is caused by certain gases—what scientists call greenhouse gases—that human activity has been adding to our atmosphere. But—how do these gases actually keep heat from escaping into space? And why these gases in particular? To help answer these questions, we invited Desiree Plata , an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT and the director of the MIT Methane Network. For a deeper dive and additional resourc...
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 fr...
On August 16, 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). It was the largest of three bills signed over the course of 10 months that together make up the United States’ largest investment in addressing climate change… well, ever. Dr. Liz Reynolds , lecturer in MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning and former Special Assistant to the President for Manufacturing and Economic Development at the National Economic Council at the White House, joins the TILclim...
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....
We often hear about recycling as a way to make an impact on climate change right in your own home. But how big a difference are we really making when we recycle? For this episode, Anders Damgaard, senior researcher at the Technical University of Denmark, joins the TILclimate podcast to help us understand the climate benefits of recycling—and why they depend on what we’re recycling and how. For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts...
Winters are warming faster than any other season here in the U.S. So why are some winter storms getting even more intense? Today, we’re going to explore the connections between climate change and extreme winter weather. For this episode, we sat down with atmospheric science expert Dr. Jennifer Francis of the Woodwell Climate Research Center. Dr. Jennifer Francis is a senior scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, and her research is focused on the rapidly changing Arctic. This work en...
What if you could pay someone else to cancel out your carbon emissions? As countries, organizations, and even individuals around the world commit to lowering their impact on the climate, many have been doing just that. So today, we’re going to look at how “carbon offsets” work and whether they are an effective tool for slowing climate change. For this episode, we sat down with carbon trading and offsets expert Dr. Barbara Haya from the University of California Berkeley. Dr. Barbara Haya is a Res...
Roughly ten percent of the world’s CO2 emissions come from passenger vehicles: cars, pickups, motorcycles, buses, and taxis. So today, we’re going to zoom in on how people get around every day and what to consider when thinking about reducing carbon emissions from everyday travel. For this episode, we sat down with our former MIT colleague and transportation expert Dr. Joanna Moody. For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/til-ab...
Electric vehicles are gaining immense traction globally, positioned as a key solution to climate change. This episode delves into the mechanics of EVs, their significant reduction in tailpipe emissions, and the crucial factor of electricity grid cleanliness impacting their overall environmental footprint. It also addresses practical challenges like battery costs, range anxiety, charging infrastructure, and the slow pace of market adoption, highlighting EVs as one vital component in a broader strategy for sustainable transportation.
Discover hydrogen energy with Professor Svetlana Ikonnikova, exploring its versatility as a carbon-free alternative to fossil fuels in transportation, industry, and electricity. The discussion covers how hydrogen acts as an energy carrier, different production methods (from methane to renewables), and the crucial need for clean production to avoid carbon emissions. Despite its promise, the episode addresses significant challenges, including cost, infrastructure development, and flammability, emphasizing that hydrogen is a part of the solution, not a "silver bullet."
In part two of their ocean series, Ask MIT Climate, with oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, explores the critical impact of rising temperatures on the ocean. The discussion highlights water's unique capacity to absorb and hold heat, contrasting it with land, and details the cascading effects of warming, including reduced carbon absorption, accelerating sea-level rise, and devastating coral bleaching. The episode also touches on the scientific efforts to monitor these changes using advanced systems like Argo floats, emphasizing the ongoing uncertainties and the urgent need for human understanding and action regarding Earth's vital life support system.
The ocean plays a crucial role in regulating Earth's climate, absorbing a significant portion of human-added CO2 and trapped heat. This episode, featuring oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, explores the ocean's intricate carbon cycle, detailing how CO2 dissolves and is sequestered by phytoplankton and the marine food web. It highlights how the increasing CO2 from fossil fuels is causing ocean acidification, a 30% increase in acidity, which severely impacts marine life and the global food chain.
At MIT, we have a commitment to sharing what we know about climate change. That’s why, this summer, we’ll be back soon with a fourth season of TILclimate, bringing you new episodes that dive into even more climate topics, like the role the ocean plays in our climate, solutions for reducing transportation emissions, the future of hydrogen energy, and a whole lot more. All around 10-15 minutes, with real scientists and experts. For more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Ini...
Today’s episode is about the money of climate change. When people talk about how much it costs to stop climate change, what are we paying for? And who’s paying, exactly? And if we don’t pay to stop climate change – how much will that cost us? To answer these questions, we spoke with Dr. Barbara Buchner from the Climate Policy Initiative. For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/til-what-it-costs For more episodes of TILclimate by...
Today we bring climate change to the dining room table. In this episode, we reinvited Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig onto the TILclimate podcast to tell us just a little more about the connections between the food we eat and climate change. For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/til-about-what-I-eat For more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu . Credits Laur Hesse Fisher , Host...
This episode examines how a warming climate threatens global food security, despite significant historical progress in reducing hunger. Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig explains how rising temperatures and extreme weather events already impact crop yields and vulnerable farmers, while the food system itself contributes a third of greenhouse gas emissions. The discussion highlights diverse solutions, from innovative farming techniques and agribusiness investment to conscious consumer choices, emphasizing the immense opportunity for a resilient and sustainable food future.
This episode investigates the potential of planting trees as a climate change solution. It explains how trees capture and store carbon through photosynthesis, distinguishing between new forests as "vacuum cleaners" and mature ones as "vaults." The discussion highlights significant challenges, including measurement uncertainties, land availability, and the transient nature of stored carbon. Ultimately, the episode emphasizes that protecting existing forests, especially vulnerable ecosystems like peat swamps, is a more immediate and effective strategy to combat climate change than solely focusing on new tree planting.
Professor Niall Mac Dowell explains the complexities of removing CO2 from the atmosphere, highlighting the challenge of its low concentration. The episode details direct air capture technology, including its chemical process and storage, and explores other engineered and nature-based removal methods. While currently expensive and not a substitute for mitigation, large-scale carbon removal is deemed essential for achieving global warming targets by century's end.
National security expert Alice C. Hill explains why climate change is an existential national security issue, comparable to terrorism or nuclear weapons. She details three critical risks: increased climate impacts on communities, mass displacement and migration, and the destabilization of governments leading to the rise of bad actors. The episode concludes by highlighting how US military, intelligence, and diplomatic efforts are adapting through strategic planning and foreign aid to build global stability.
Sea level rise is already happening and affecting people right now. We invited Prof. James Renwick back to TILclimate to talk about the near future: what will sea-level rise look like for coastal areas in the next 20 or 30 years, and what can we do about it? For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/til-about-sea-level-rise-part-2 For more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.e...
If you’ve heard only one thing about climate change, it might be that sea levels are rising, and many of the Earth’s islands and coastlines are at risk. But, why? In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned: Climate), Professor James Renwick of Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand joins host Laur Hesse Fisher to break down the science of sea level rise and what’s in store for the future if we do — and don’t — significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For a deeper dive and add...
This episode explores American public opinion on climate change, highlighting how media influences perception and why widespread concern doesn't always translate into policy. It delves into the role of issue salience, elite cues, and partisan divides in shaping political action, even as many climate policies garner bipartisan support. The discussion emphasizes bridging the gap between public backing and legislative outcomes.
