Challenging Climate
67 episodes - English - Latest episode: 28 days ago - ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsAsking tough questions about the science, technology, and politics of climate change, two climate researchers challenge leading experts on one of the defining issues of our age. Every two weeks, they explore how we can fight global warming by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, carbon removal, adaptation and solar geoengineering. Dr. Jesse Reynolds and Dr. Pete Irvine consider the roles of computer models and persuasive narratives, economics and public policy, and renewable energy and national security in the climate debate, and look beyond to issues such as biotechnology and international development.
Questions or comments? Email [email protected] or tweet @ChalClimate
See more information on Jesse Reynolds and Pete Irvine.
music by Peter Danilchuk @clambgramb (IG/Twitter).
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Episodes
#8 - Jan Minx on the IPCC's latest report on mitigation
April 19, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 45.6 MBWe speak with Jan Minx, Head of Applied Sustainability Science at the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change, and a visiting Professor of Climate Change and Public Policy at The Priestley Centre at the University of Leeds. Jan has published widely on climate and sustainability issues and has a keen interest in evidence synthesis which he developed through his work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Jan was a coordinating lead author on the latest IP...
7. Gavin Schmidt on observing, attributing and communicating climate change
April 05, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 44.4 MBWe speak with Dr. Gavin Schmidt, climate scientist, director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies and co-founder of the RealClimate climate science blog. Gavin’s research focuses on understanding the past, present and future of the climate system and the impacts of the various drivers of climate change. In this episode we take a deep dive on the science of climate change covering how it is observed, detected and attributed. Along the way Gavin debunks several climate skeptic talking po...
#7 - Gavin Schmidt: Observing, attributing and communicating climate change
April 05, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 44.4 MBWe speak with Dr. Gavin Schmidt, climate scientist, director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies and co-founder of the RealClimate climate science blog. Gavin’s research focuses on understanding the past, present and future of the climate system and the impacts of the various drivers of climate change. In this episode we take a deep dive on the science of climate change covering how it is observed, detected and attributed. Along the way Gavin debunks several climate skeptic talking po...
Gavin Schmidt on observing, attributing and communicating climate change
April 05, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 44.4 MBWe speak with Dr. Gavin Schmidt, climate scientist, director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies and co-founder of the RealClimate climate science blog. Gavin’s research focuses on understanding the past, present and future of the climate system and the impacts of the various drivers of climate change. In this episode we take a deep dive on the science of climate change covering how it is observed, detected and attributed. Along the way Gavin debunks several climate skeptic talking po...
6. Elizabeth Kolbert on climate change, extinctions, and life Under a White Sky
March 21, 2022 15:00 - 47 minutes - 32.6 MBWe speak with Elizabeth Kolbert, a journalist of politics and the environment. She has been at The New Yorker for more than 20 years and is the author of Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History (winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction), and Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change. We dive into how the climate change discourse has changed, mass extinctions and new speciation, and international large-scal...
Elizabeth Kolbert on climate change, extinctions, and life Under a White Sky
March 21, 2022 15:00 - 47 minutes - 32.6 MBWe speak with Elizabeth Kolbert, a journalist of politics and the environment. She has been at The New Yorker for more than 20 years and is the author of Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History (winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction), and Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change. We dive into how the climate change discourse has changed, mass extinctions and new speciation, and international large-scal...
Robert Lempert on climate impacts in the IPCC and deep uncertainty
March 08, 2022 01:00 - 46 minutes - 31.8 MBRobert Lempert is a principal researcher at the RAND Corporation and director of the Center for Longer Range Global Policy and the Future Human Condition. His research focuses on risk management and decision-making under conditions of deep uncertainty. He was also a coordinating lead author on Chapter 1 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) latest report on climate impacts. We discuss how the IPCC works and how it has evolved in response to criticism, the key concepts nee...
5. Robert Lempert on climate impacts in the IPCC and deep uncertainty
March 08, 2022 01:00 - 46 minutes - 31.8 MBRobert Lempert is a principal researcher at the RAND Corporation and director of the Center for Longer Range Global Policy and the Future Human Condition. His research focuses on risk management and decision-making under conditions of deep uncertainty. He was also a coordinating lead author on Chapter 1 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) latest report on climate impacts. We discuss how the IPCC works and how it has evolved in response to criticism, the key concepts nee...
Zion Lights on nuclear energy, technology, and climate change
February 22, 2022 04:00 - 51 minutes - 35.4 MBZion Lights is an environmental activist and author. She founded Emergency Reactor, which calls for greater use of nuclear power, alongside renewables, in order to help eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. Her books include "The Ultimate Guide to Green Parenting" and "Only a Moment." She was previously spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion. We discuss her transition from Extinction Rebellion to nuclear advocate, nuclear energy's roles in reducing emissions, its challenges to expansion, the p...
4. Zion Lights on nuclear energy, technology, and climate change
February 22, 2022 04:00 - 51 minutes - 35.4 MBZion Lights is an environmental activist and author. She founded Emergency Reactor, which calls for greater use of nuclear power, alongside renewables, in order to help eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. Her books include "The Ultimate Guide to Green Parenting" and "Only a Moment." She was previously spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion. We discuss her transition from Extinction Rebellion to nuclear advocate, nuclear energy's roles in reducing emissions, its challenges to expansion, the p...
3. Roger Pielke on the politics of climate change, scenarios, and extreme weather
February 08, 2022 02:00 - 1 hour - 41.6 MBRoger Pielke Jr. is a political scientist who writes on a diverse range of policy and governance issues related to science, technology, environment, innovation and sports. He is most famous (or infamous?) for his work on climate change. We cover his Iron Law of climate policy, his views on the problems with business-as-usual climate scenarios, and the challenges of attributing extreme weather. We also touch on the extent of his relationships with climate change skeptics and the efforts to di...
Roger Pielke on the politics of climate change, scenarios, and extreme weather
February 08, 2022 02:00 - 1 hour - 41.6 MBRoger Pielke Jr. is a political scientist who writes on a diverse range of policy and governance issues related to science, technology, environment, innovation and sports. He is most famous (or infamous?) for his work on climate change. We cover his Iron Law of climate policy, his views on the problems with business-as-usual climate scenarios, and the challenges of attributing extreme weather. We also touch on the extent of his relationships with climate change skeptics and the efforts to di...
2. Holly Buck on ending fossil fuels
January 25, 2022 05:00 - 45 minutes - 31.1 MBHolly Jean Buck is an expert on the social and political dimensions of environmental policies, and of strategies and technologies for preventing and adapting to climate change. Our conversation focuses on her new book, Ending Fossil Fuels: Why Net Zero Is Not Enough. Holly, Pete, and Jesse discuss why we should strive for a future of no fossil fuels, the challenges to ending fossil fuels, the role of carbon dioxide removal, whether the alternatives could be worse, how to deal with legacy fir...
Holly Buck on ending fossil fuels
January 25, 2022 05:00 - 45 minutes - 31.1 MBHolly Jean Buck is an expert on the social and political dimensions of environmental policies, and of strategies and technologies for preventing and adapting to climate change. Our conversation focuses on her new book, Ending Fossil Fuels: Why Net Zero Is Not Enough. Holly, Pete, and Jesse discuss why we should strive for a future of no fossil fuels, the challenges to ending fossil fuels, the role of carbon dioxide removal, whether the alternatives could be worse, how to deal with legacy fir...
Neal Stephenson on solar geoengineering and Termination Shock
January 11, 2022 08:00 - 54 minutes - 37.7 MBNeal Stephenson is a leading author of science- and speculative fiction and is a recipient of the Hugo and Prometheus Awards. His most recent novel Termination Shock is an eco-thriller that explores the political fallout from the use of solar geoengineering to counter climate change. Neal, Pete, and Jesse discuss reducing greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide removal, his research process, climate impacts, public perception, billionaires in innovation vis-à-vis the government, the roles of model...
1. Neal Stephenson on solar geoengineering and Termination Shock
January 11, 2022 08:00 - 54 minutes - 37.7 MBNeal Stephenson is a leading author of science- and speculative fiction and is a recipient of the Hugo and Prometheus Awards. His most recent novel Termination Shock is an eco-thriller that explores the political fallout from the use of solar geoengineering to counter climate change. Neal, Pete, and Jesse discuss reducing greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide removal, his research process, climate impacts, public perception, billionaires in innovation vis-à-vis the government, the roles of model...
Trailer: Launching in January 2022
October 23, 2021 09:00 - 4 minutes - 3.45 MBWe are Jesse Reynolds, an expert on environmental policy, and Peter Irvine, a climate scientist. We're launching a new podcast, Challenging Climate, in January 2022. With episodes every two weeks, we'll be challenging leading experts with tough questions about the science, technology and politics of climate change. We'll explore how we can fight global warming by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, carbon removal, adaptation, and solar geoengineering. We will also consider the roles of comput...