Envirocast
By Dylan Westheimer
Envirocast Dec 21, 2020
Why is Europe having the Largest Snow Storms in Decades?
Europe is having some of the largest snow storms in decades, which are causing havoc on infrastructure, mobility, and the vaccine roll out. And yet they are happening in the middle of Spring. So, why are these snow storms happening, how are they effecting the people and the ecosystem in the region, and how is climate change, which is synonymous with heating the planet, helping cause these snow storms. To answer these questions and learn more about these storms I Interviewed Dr. Wenger. He is a Marie Biologist by trade, but he has been working in polar regions for the last the last 16. He has years mainly been working in those regions as a tour guide but he switched to become an online editor for a couple of online platforms before founding polar journal, an international online platform for the polar regions.
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DylanWestheimer@Yahoo.com
The Devastating Floods in Australia
The 2021 flood season in Australia just happened and it was devastating and fatal. So, in today's podcast episode we look at how why the floods happened how the floods impacted the region and what Australia can do to make sure that the floods don't effect the region as much. To answer these questions I interviewed Matthew Cappucci. He is a meteorologist t for the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang, and loves everything weather.
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DylanWestheimer@Yahoo.com
Carbon Dioxide Levels Hit a new Record, What does the mean for the Future?
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The main culprit for climate change is our emissions of Carbon Dioxide, and because of that, the rise in temperature and the rise in the concentration of carbon Dioxide in our atmosphere have been synchronously rising for decades. But, Carbon Dioxide levels have just reached a new level in, what scientist think, could be the history of the earth, reaching 420 Parts Per Million, or PPM. So today we ask what is the science behind measuring PPM and what do the levels being above 420 mean for the future of our Earth? To answer that I interviewed Chelsea Harvey. She is a climate change reporter for E and E News.
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DylanWestheimer@Yahoo.com
Biden's 2 Trillion Dollar Infrastructure Plan, Explained
President Biden just announced a brand new infrastructure plan, better know as the American Jobs Plan, and when it was announced there was a large emphasis on the environment. So, because of that, in todays episode we look at what the proposal is, how the bill effects the environment, and whether it has a good chance of getting passed. To answer those questions I interviewed Nat Mund. He is director of federal affairs and the head of the Washington DC office for the Southern Environmental Law Center. They focus on all environmental issues but primarily on environmental issues which affect Virginia, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee.
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DylanWestheimer@Yahoo.com
Is China's New 5 Year Plan Environmentally Friendly?
China's new much anticipated 2021-2026 5 year plan has just been shown to the public, and many environmentalist expected it to have a very green forward agenda, but is it as green as it was made off to be. To answer that question I interviewed Isabel Hilton. She is a journalist who has worked in multiple mediums before becoming the founder of China Dialogue. China Dialogue which was the world's first bilingual Chinese english website. Its goal is to look at climate change and china's environmental crisis. I asked her what China's 5 year plans are, if this brand new plan is good for the environment, and if this plan will allow china to reach its goal of carbon neutrality by 2060
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DylanWestheimer@yahoo.com
How is Food Waste an Environmental Problem?
You probably already know that food waste is a huge problem, but the United Nations Environmental Program just came out with a report which shows that it might be much bigger than we think. To talk about the problem I interview David Lazarus. He is the consumer columnist for the Kay times and does daily consumer segments with KTLA. I asked him, why is food waste such a big problem, how is food waste connected to Climate Change, and what did the new UN report say about the issue.
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DylanWestheimer@yahoo.com
The Fight Against the Line 3 Pipeline
While some more prominent pipelines like the keystone pipeline, the fight is still on to block oil pipelines which put people and the United States goal to be carbon neutral by 2050’s goal at stake. Today we are talking about the Line 3 Pipeline. To learn more about the pipeline and the fight against it I interviewed Owen Jakel. Owen Jakel is a College Senior living in St. Paul Minnesota. He works with a couple of Environmental Organizations in Minnesota including The Minnesota youth for climate justice and Minnesota Environmental Justice Table. I asked him why the line 3 pipeline is so problematic and how it is being stopped.
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DylanWestheimer@Yahoo.com
Do we Need Nuclear Energy in a Carbon Free Future
The 10th anniversary of the Fukushima Nuclear Reactor Meltdown just passed, so in this episode we ask the question, do we really need nuclear energy in a carbon free future. To answer this question I interviewed Joe Lassiter. He was an engineer and for the past 20 years and was the Hines professor of environmental management at the Harvard business school before he retired. We asked him, what is nuclear energy, do we really need it in a carbon free future, and how can we stop another nuclear disaster from happening again.
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DylanWestheimer@Yahoo.com
What is the Green New Deal?
Like me, you probably hear about the Green New Deal all the time, but what exactly is the Green New Deal. Well, in this podcast episode we answer that exact question. To answer that question, I interviewed David Roberts. He is a journalist which covers clean energy. He has worked for many news outlets, but he now runs a Newsletter called Volts, which is a newsletter on clean energy and politics.
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DylanWestheimer@Yahoo.com
What is Environmental Racism?
The Environment and Racism can seem like separate problems, but would you believe me if I told you they were connected? Environmental Racism is a big problem around the world, and in this Episode we try and understand what it is. To understand the issue, I talked with Tina Johnson. She is the director of the National Black Environmental Justice Network. We ask her, what Environmental Racism is, how the environment and racism are connected, and why it is such a problematic issue.
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DylanWestheimer@Yahoo.com
The Oil Disaster in Israel
You may not realize it but oil spills happen all the time and are not talked about because they aren't dramatic enough. In this episode though, we talk about one of these oil spills. This oil spill happened in Israel, and even though it wasn't dramatic enough to be on the mainstream news, it was still devastating for the region. To talk about the oil spill, I interviewed Dr. Adi Levi. Dr Adi Levi is the Scientific director of the Israel Society of ecology and environmental sciences. With more than 70 tons of oil spilled off of the coast of Israel, we ask him what caused the spill, how it will be all be cleaned up, and how it is and will continue to affect the wildlife and community.
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DylanWestheimer@Yahoo.com
How are Renewable Power Plants Built
As environmentalists, we want the world to start transitioning to more renewables, and with Biden saying that he is going to require the energy sector to be carbon free by 2035, our big dream seems more plausible than ever. But how exactly are the renewable power plants built? Well, in this Episode I interview Gavin Berg, a renewable Project developer that works on the business side of developing renewable power plants, on how these renewable power plants are built and some of the challenges of building them.
Remember to reach out to your local Public Utilities Commission and demand change!!
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DylanWestheimer@yahoo.com
The Blackouts in Texas pt. 2: The Malfunction that left Millions of people without power
In this Episode I talked with Camila Domonoske, a reporter that covers cars and energy for the business dusk at National Public Radio, or NPR. In this episode, the second of a 2 part series covering the blackouts in Texas, I ask her what happened in Texas, why it happened, and what we can do to make sure it never happens again.
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The Blackouts in Texas pt.1: What is a Polar Vortex
Since Texas just had blackouts that left Millions of people without power we are going to spend a 2 part seriestalking about what happened. In this episode we talk about the cause of those black outs. To talk about the cause, I spoke with Dr. Marshall Shepard, the director of the atmospheric sciences program at the University of Georgia. We ask him what cold snaps are, how they are created, and why they came down to North America. In the Next episode we will talk about how the cold effected Texas's power grid.
Check out Dr. Marshall Shepards podcast on the weather HERE!!
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The Disaster in India
Int his Episode I talk with Farooq Azam, a Glaciologist, on the disaster that happened in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. We talk about why it happened, the effects of it happening, and what we can do to make sure it never happens again.
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What are Government Subsidies?
In this episode I talked with Alex Ortiz, communications and a campaigner for the US team of Oil Change International, a non profit that seeks to expose the true cost of fossil fuels and implement a just transition words renewable energy. In this episode we ask Alex what Government Subsides are and why giving them to the Oil Industry is bad for the environment.
Envirocast Trailer
This is the trailer for my new podcast on the Environment, Envirocast!!
What are carbon credits
In this episode I talked with Gillian Calof, The Vice President of operations at Climate Action Reserve, an organization that is committed to mitigating climate change mainly though their carbon credit program, what carbon credits, which are also widely called carbon offsets, what they are and if they are really better for the environment.
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Why are Electric Cars Becoming More Popular?
In this episode I talk with Kathy Harris, Eastern cleans vehicles and fuels advocate for the Natural Resource Defense Council, on why electric cars are becoming popular, and what Biden promising to replace all 650,000 government vehicles with zero emission alternatives means for the future of zero emission vehicles.
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Why are investors becoming more green?
In this episode I talk with Jeff Garden, A Chief Investment Officer at a financial firm, about how and why ESG investing is making investing more green.
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The fight against the Keystone XL Pipeline pt. 2 Ft: Dallas Goldtooth
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The fight against the Keystone XL pipeline pt. 1 Ft Dallas Goldtooth
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What is the significance of the Number 1.5?
Whenever we talk about climate policy we always talk about this one number, 1.5. In todays episode we talk about the significance of that number and what it really means.
What is the Paris Climate Accord
In this episode I ask my guest Ross Salawitch, an expert on the Paris Climate Accord, what it is and what the United States needs to do to catch up on the promises it gave when Joining the Accord. Ross Salawitch also wrote a book on the Paris Climate Accord called ”Paris Climate Agreement: Beacon of Hope”, which you can download for free here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-46939-3
The Environment and 2020: A Look Back
2020 is over, and I know I am speaking for a lot of you when I say that I am so glad that it is, but today we are going to go back all the way to the beginning of 2020 and look at everything environmental , the good and the bad, that has happened this year.
What is the Effect of Holiday Shopping on our Planet
One of the traditions during the Holidays is to buy presents, but over buying is destroying our planet. In this episode, we take a deep dive and talk about what the effects of overbuying for the Holidays really are, and believe me, this was an eye opener. Thanks to Story of Stuff, for creating the audio you will hear in this podcast.