• How rain buckets with ‘brains’ help warn against landslides
    Nov 23 2024

    When a deadly landslide hit Sitka, Alaska in 2015, it sparked conversations about safety and risk. The community has an early warning system for tsunamis. Could it work for landslides? Or would another solution have to be developed? Producer Molly Segal finds out. Then -- with climate change increasing the risk of landslides, we hear how sound waves imperceptible to the human ear can tip us off minutes before the hazard occurs in the Pemberton Valley, north of Whistler, B.C.

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    28 mins
  • Can we cool Earth by blocking the sun’s rays? And should we?
    Nov 20 2024

    Come with us to California where entrepreneurs are sending balloons full of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. It’s a form of solar geoengineering known as stratospheric aerosol injection, and the company Make Sunsets isn’t waiting for scientific consensus before they launch. We hear about their business model, and then from the researchers who question both the science and ethics of the practice.

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    27 mins
  • Separating fact from fiction about EV battery fires
    Nov 16 2024

    EV fires can be scary and challenging to fight. But they’re not as common as they may seem. Online misinformation and a lack of reliable data can contribute to misconceptions about what happens when an electric vehicle battery fire erupts – and even firefighters aren’t immune.

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    29 mins
  • HOW TO: Get kids to school without all those cars
    Nov 13 2024

    Have you heard of a 'bike bus'? It's just one of the answers Rachel Sanders found to a listener's concerns about the gridlock that can form around schools.

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    16 mins
  • So Trump won. What now for climate?
    Nov 9 2024

    He's promised to "drill, baby, drill". He's cast doubt on the risks of global warming. And one of his biggest donors is EV magnate Elon Musk. But what does a second Donald Trump presidency really mean for U.S. climate policy – and our warming world? Emily Atkin of the newsletter Heated helps us untangle what's possible over the next four years, and reflects on why climate barely surfaced as an election issue.

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    27 mins
  • The unsexiest words that could help save the planet
    Nov 6 2024

    The language of COP29 is brain-melting. But these soul-unstirring terms are key to solving climate change. We decode what's really at stake as leaders gather this month in Azerbaijan. Then, we hear how corruption can derail international climate action – and what solutions could help.

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    28 mins
  • Rain, rain won't go away. New landslide risks are here to stay.
    Nov 2 2024

    With deadly levels of rainfall happening across the world, we see the destruction first-hand and learn how it can be stopped. First, we visit the site of school teacher Sonya McIntyre’s home after an atmospheric river took her life. We then learn how understanding climate systems can prevent future loss of life.

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    27 mins
  • The contest trying to turn Swifties into climate crusaders
    Oct 30 2024

    When some climate-conscious Swifties learned that Canada’s biggest fossil fuel financier, RBC, is an official partner for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour in Vancouver and Toronto, they jumped into action. But can uniting Swifties online translate to change? Or is it a trend that will fizzle over time? Meanwhile, What On Earth youth columnist Aishwarya Puttur breaks down why social media campaigns are on the rise for Gen Zs.

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    31 mins