Citizens' Climate Lobby

CCR Ep 39 Envisioning and Communicating Climate Success

Climate Communication experts Blair Bazdarich from the San Francisco Zoo and Hannah Pickard at Boston's New England Aquarium share proven insider tips about effective communication strategies. They are both leaders at NNOCCI, the National Network of Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation. They train aquarium and zoo professionals how to speak about climate change. NNOCCI is a network of individuals and organizations in informal education, the social sciences, and climate sciences.They are currently working in 170 institutions in 38 states. NNOCCI members reach over 190 million people each year.

 

In this episode Hannah and Blair share the techniques they have been using, including a “values-first” approach. Through NNOCCI’s research, they identified two motivating values that prove highly effective in opening up conversations with members of the public. The first value is Protection—we feel a strong need to protect the people and places we love. And the second is Responsible Management. We value solving problems earlier before they become too big. 

 

In addition, NNOCCI advises climate communicators to to speak less about the mechanisms leading to climate change and its effects. Instead they encourage us to focus our conversations on solutions. Hannah and Blair share how to lead the conversation to a place of hopeful engagement. Providing achievable, large scale solutions coupled with a clear vision of the benefits these solutions will have on our communities and familes is an extremely powerful combination. It will motivate people to believe, dream, and act. 

 

Blair Bazdarich has spent the past 20 years becoming an expert in science communication, but she didn't realize that's what she was doing until recently. Through volunteering, performing, shoveling poop, learning new languages, teaching, painting, and advocating for endangered species, she has found her niche in the science community. In her current position as Education & Engagement Manager at the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens, she runs the ZooMobile program, which brings animals to schools throughout the Bay Area, and several teen volunteer programs, where she mentors high school students in conservation and education. Blair is also an active member of the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI), and serves in the Governing Council, working to unify the national narrative and action plan on climate change. In her spare time, she is the resident "Zoologist" on the podcast This Week in Science, or TWIS.

 

Hannah Pickard is Program Manager for the NNOCCI and is responsible for network management and operations. Hannah has led NNOCCI’s efforts on curriculum development, facilitator training, and alumni support since 2010.  She has a background in education program development, implementation and evaluation for families, schools, and community groups.  She holds a B.A. in studio art and Italian from Connecticut College and an Executive Certificate in Social Impact Strategy from the University of Pennsylvania.  She also has training in evaluation from Lesley University and in conservation psychology from Antioch University.

 

Hear these conversations to gain value lessons from leaders in the field of climate communication. 

 

 

The Art House

Sometimes we cannot easily imagine the impacts legislation and policy can make. Andrews Smalls from City Lab wrote the article, What American Cities Looked like Before the Environmental Protection Agency Was Created. "Since 1970, the agency has reduced the six most common air pollutants by more than 50 percent, reduced air toxins from large industrial sources by almost 70 percent, and eliminated the use of ozone-depleting chemicals. And this progress was accomplished even as the country’s GDP tripled, energy consumption increased by 50 percent, and vehicle use nearly doubled."

Of course we have still have work to do. We need to reduce localized pollution and heat-trapping greenhouse gases globally. So how do we build the political will so that the public clamors for legislation and policy that will change how we get and use energy? We need to communicate to the public what success looks like. Envisioning success in our climate work though requires imagination. 

To help us with this task Sean Dague, the group leader for the Mid-Hudson South chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby, leads us through a powerful exercise. He asks us, What does a decarbonized world look like? What does it smell like? What does it sound like? 

Once you hear Sean’s vision of a successful future, we invite you to continue the exercise. Try some creative writing. Write a short story or a letter from the future about what you see, smell, and hear.  Maybe create visual art, a drawing or painting. If you can’t draw or paint, get images from magazines and on-line then create a collage. Write a song, create a map, choreograph a dance. Use art to capture a vision of a decarbonized world. Even if you do not see yourself as an artsy person, just try it. 

Towards the end of his life, writer Kurt Vonnegut would say, "Everyone should practice art because art enlarges the soul." 

PLEASE feel free to share your art with our host, Peterson Toscano, and let him know if I can share it with listeners, on the podcast, Facebook, and Twitter. 

If you have art from this exercise to share or if you have idea for the Art House, feel free to contact Peterson at radio@citizensclimate.org.

Puzzler

 

Joining us to answer last month’s question about climate adaptation is Doug Parsons, the host of the America Adapts podcast. 

 

New Puzzler Question

You just spoke to a group of middle school students about your climate change work. During the Q&A a student named Victor says, “I am freaking out because of all the bad stuff I am seeing and it seems like it is just getting worse and worse. I really do not see the point of even trying anymore. I think we are too far gone. What difference does this make?” 

Lots of people young and old feel the same way. So how do you respond to Victor? How can you validate his fears while also giving him reasons to hope and pursue solutions.  

Send us your answers. Leave your name, contact info, and where you are from.

Get back to Peterson by September, 15, 2019 Email: radio @ citizensclimate.org or leave a voicemail of 3 minutes or less: 518.595.9414. (+1 if calling from outside the USA.) 

Dig Deeper

• Climate Interpreter, Do you work or volunteer with an aquarium, zoo, national park, national marine sanctuary, or other informal science education center that is addressing climate change? Connect and share with a national community of colleagues and peers.
• NNOCCI’s Research Reports, Frameworks Institute
• What Does Success Look Like? Reports from the Future from Climate Stew
• Role of Values in climate change community engagement, NewsDay
• America Adapts podcast episode 95 Summer Sizzle featuring Citizens Climate Radio
• Citizens Climate Radio Ep 12: Values that drive CCL’s work

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on iTunes, please consider rating and reviewing us!

CCR Ep 38 Lew Blaustein and the Green Sports Movement

 

Lew Blaustien, editor of Green Sports Blog, is very concerned about climate change.  A sports nut since childhood, Lew began a career in sportscasting, and eventually settled into the marketing side of professional sports. There was nothing in his background to suggest he would turn into a passionate climate advocate. The 911 attacks on New York City in 2001 though changed everything for him. You will hear about how that traumatic event set him on a new career path. 

Lew puts the challenges we face into perspective. He says, “Mike Trout of the Anaheim Angels—best player in baseball—recently signed a 400 plus million dollar twelve year contract extension. Twelve years is also what the IPCC said is the time frame that humanity has to reduce our carbon footprint by 45%—basically Mike Trout’s contract.” Lew believes sports fans can become instrumental in taking on climate change.  “We need to get the masses of people who follow sports...to engage on positive climate action.”

In this lively interview you will hear Lew brimming with enthusiasm as he reveals a growing trend in the professional sports world. More and more athletes, teams, and leagues are working hard to address environmental concerns. You will also hear from professional skier, Angel Collinson. Through Protect Our Winters she has been speaking to members of congress. In speaking with lawmakers and how many are concerned about climate change, she has become more determined than ever to speak out about the issue. Inspired by athletes like Angel Collinson and Milwaukee Brewers pitcher, Brent Suter, who we featured on Episode 37, Lew and other in the green sports movement are urging teams and players to take the next step—speak directly about climate change and endorse the policies that will address our dangerous pollution problems. 

The Art House

Poet liz gonzález joins us in the Art House. Her background is important to her work. She describes herself as “a fourth generation Southern Californian on my mother’s side and the daughter of a Mexican immigrant father who died when I was three.” A teacher of creative writing through the UCLA Extension Writers Program, liz writes poetry and creative non-fiction. Through her writing liz captures the beauty and the challenges of a rapidly changing landscape. For the Art House she reads from her book, Dancing in the Santa Ana Winds: Poems y Cuentos New and Selected. She explains how the power of the Santa Ana winds serves as a metaphor for the early years of liz’ marriage. She also reads a poem from the anthology, Fire and Rain: Ecopoetry of California. 

Though she is very passionate about the suffering that comes from pollution and climate change, liz reveals how difficult it is for her to write about social justice issues. “It has to just happen naturally. I can’t sit down and decide I want to write it. It always ends up sounding preachy, and there are people who do it so much better.” Experience the natural beauty liz recreates in her writing and learn about some of the challenges artists like liz face in a time of climate change. 

Puzzler

For last month’s puzzler we asked listeners to share with us the colors and sounds they associate with climate change. 

New Puzzler Question

On Facebook you reconnected with a childhood friend, Lydia. She has become worried about climate change and is wondering about what she can do right now to prepare for the effects of climate change. While she admires your work in mitigating climate change, she feels a growing interest in adaptation. Lydia asks you, “What are ways I can help my community to get ready for climate change?” 

This is a big question and hopefully the beginning of a larger discussion about climate adaptation. What are some ideas you have for Lydia? Where might she start in adapting to climate change? 

You’re welcome to answer either or both. Send Peterson your answers by July 15, 2019, along with your name, contact info, and where you are from. You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org or leave a voicemail of 3 minutes or less at 518.595.9414 (+1 if calling from outside the USA).

Dig Deeper

• Sports for Climate Action Framework
• The Green Sports Alliance
• Thomas L Friedman: The Power of Green
• Ep 18 Race Car Driver and Climate Advocate, Aaron Telitz
• George Marshall: Don’t Even Think about It: Why are Brains are Wired to Ignore Climate Change
• LA Times: The Santa Ana Winds and the Literature of Los Angeles

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on Apple Podcasts, please consider rating and reviewing us

CCR Ep 37 Baseball, Circus, and Climate Change with MLB pitcher Brent Suter and circus artist Eliana Dunlap

In this episode we feature two people with very unconventional jobs. Milwaukee Brewers pitcher, Brent Suter is concerned about climate change. He is using his platform to speak out. Circus artist and podcaster, Eliana Dunlap, "does circus" and is using circus arts to raise awareness about climate change.

There is a growing movement among professional athletes. Beyond greening the sportsworld, more and more champions are using their platforms to urge large scale responses to climate change. Lew Blaustein, editor at Green Sports Blog, writes about this trend. He has been introducing Citizens Climate Radio host, Peterson Toscano to professional athletes who are not afraid to talk about climate change. 

Brent Suter received a scholarship to play baseball at Harvard University, where he studied environmental science. He learned about the effects of climate change and what how we need to drastically reduce our pollution. At first that meant making individual lifestyle choices to lower his own personal carbon footprint, but he has been expanding his efforts. Through his Strike Out Waste initiative, he got professional baseball players to use reusable water bottles during spring training. 

That’s just a start. Brent understands we need to change national energy policy. In a recent interview for the Green Sport Blog he said, "At this point in time, a carbon pricing program and higher incentives for clean energy are absolutely imperative towards the goal of stabilizing our climate and ensuring a healthy and viable future for our planet. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act would not only help achieve these goals, but would give the funds raised back to the people, save countless lives, and create millions of jobs! A Green Revolution needs to happen fast, and this law, if passed, would play a vital role in helping solve the most important problem of our lives.”

Hear our exclusive interview and learn more about the exciting news about how Brent is taking on climate change. 

The Art House

Eliana Dunlap was not born into a circus family; instead she learned circus arts at a circus school in Quebec. Her circus skill set is impressive and includes acrobatics, juggling, dance, and her speciality, the German Wheel. She has been performing circus arts in non-traditional spaces. She is also someone who is creatively responding to climate change. Through her podcast, Changing the World and Other Circus Related Things, she is connecting with other concerned circus artists. She is also one of the founding members of the Circus Action Network. 

Eliana likens the high stakes world of circus arts to the challenges we face with climate change. She also sees examples from the circus world about how we can get people from various backgrounds to work together. This summer she and a friend will do street performances of a new circus art show called, High Stakes--What's the Plan(t)? In addition to lots of juggling and acrobatics, the show features a live plant as part of the action. 

In this fascinating interview, Eliana opens up about the world of circus and how she and other concerned artists are creating avenues for a deeper conversation about climate change. 

Puzzler

In answer to last month's question, high school student, Jerome Foster II, explains why in his climate work he is more of an advocate than a rebel. 

New Puzzler Question

It’s a weird one, but there is a method in Our madness. We need to expand the ways we talk about climate change. Here is the question:

What color do you associate with climate change and why? or What sound do you associate with climate change and why?

Answer either or both.

Try answering the puzzler question. Leave your name, contact info, and where you are from. Get back to host, Peterson Toscano by July, 15, 2018. You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org or leave a voicemail of 3 minutes or less at 518.595.9414. (+1 if calling from outside the USA.)

Dig Deeper

• United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework
• Brent Suter on Major League Baseball Network Twitter with a video about sustainability
• WTMJ 4 featuring Brent Suter's skills doing impressions
• See Eliana Dunlap on the German Wheel and on the Trapeze 
• A short documentary about the German Wheel
• High Stakes--What's the Plan(t) video promo

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on Apple Podcasts, please consider rating and reviewing us!

CCR Ep 36 How to be an extraordinary climate advocate with Sam Daley-Harris and Glen Retief

Sam Daley-Harris, author of the book, Reclaiming Our Democracy, helped develop a model of advocacy that empowered citizens to connect directly with lawmakers. This model has helped shape organizations like Citizens Climate Lobby and the Friends Council for National Legislation. Sam reveals some of the sources for his own inspiration. His parents--their faith and public witness--along with insights he gained from his twelve years playing in the Miami Philharmonic orchestra directly contributed to his success in addressing world hungry, promoting micro-loans for the poor, and in training climate advocates. Sam highlights the important roles advocates play in taking on climate change.

Another climate advocate, Glen Retief, had the opportunity to take on the rebel role during the anti-Apartheid struggle in South Africa. He stood up to the racist policies of his government, but not as a rebel. Instead, he took on the role of advocate--lobbying, writing letters, and going to meetings. You will hear about the seemingly impossible task to turn his country around and the extraordinary lessons he learned that he now applies to his work in promoting solutions to climate change. Glen is the author of the Lambda Awarding winning book, The Jack Bank--A Memoir of a South African Childhood. 

Art House

Elizabeth Doud takes on the role of Siren Jones in her one-person performance, The Mermaid Tear Factory. Based in Miami, Florida, she has been a catalyst to engage other artists in conversations around climate change. Each year she helps organize Climakaze Miami. 

Elizabeth explains why she sees Miami as the city of the future--both with its international changing demographics and the many ways climate change is reshaping the city. She also shares why artists need to break away from telling the story of climate science and instead dig deep into the hard emotions around climate change.

Puzzler Question

You attended one of the recent student walk-out demonstrations. While there you spoke to a parent, Claire. Claire’s daughter was a protest organizer. You tell Claire how you speak to legislators about laws that will address fossil fuel pollution. You see yourself as an advocate, working in the system to bring about change. Claire confesses, “I would never have the patience for that. I am so angry and I need to protest.” She then asks, “So why do you do that kind of advocacy work instead of protesting and civil disobedience?”

Try answering the puzzler question. Leave your name, contact info, and where you are from. Get back to host, Peterson Toscano by June, 15, 2018. You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org or leave a voicemail of 3 minutes or less at 518.595.9414. (+1 if calling from outside the USA.)

Dig Deeper

• Citizens Climate University webinar: Reclaiming Our Democracy with Sam Daley-Harris. 
• RESULTS--Raise Your Voice to End Poverty
• 2018 Global Hunger Index
• Climate Change -- A University of Miami Special Report
• Interview with Elizabeth Doud in Indicio Magazine

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on Apple Podcasts, please consider rating and reviewing us!

CCR Ep 35 Plastic Pollution and Heavy Metal

Nicole Chatterson at the University of Hawaii and Dominic Scicchitano at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania have spent a lot of time in the water. Nicole talks about plastic pollution she has been hauling up in the Pacific Ocean while Dominic shares his findings regarding micro-plastics in the Susquehanna River. The segment helps listeners connect plastic production and pollution with climate change. What happens to our trash once we throw it out?

Nicole discusses the complications of the waste to energy incinerator on the island of Oahu. Both guests also talk about the need to advocate for systems changes that will reduce plastic waste especially from single use plastics. Discover the individual and larger policy changes that will help us reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

The Art House

Peter Buckland is a local politician, a sustainability expert at Penn State University, and a poet. He also loves to listen to music. He talks about the powerful environmental messages he hears in heavy metal music. Discover how this loud and very fast music speaks directly to the climate change problems we created and must address.

The Puzzler 

We hear answers to the puzzler question, "If global warming is happening, why did we just have such cold weather this past winter in the USA?" 

New Puzzler Question

This puzzler is for people in groups like Citizens Climate Lobby that speak to members of congress.

You attended one of the recent student walk-out demonstrations. While there you spoke to a parent, Claire.  Claire’s daughter was a protest organizer. You told Claire about the work you do speaking to legislators about laws that will address fossil fuel pollution. You see yourself as an advocate, working in the system to bring about change. Claire confessed, “I would never have the patience for that. I am so angry and I need to protest.” She then asked, “Why do you do that kind of advocacy work instead of protesting and civil disobedience?”

Send Peterson your answers by May 15, 2019, along with your name, contact info, and where you are from. You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org or leave a voicemail of three minutes or less at 518.595.9414 (+1 if calling from outside the USA). 

Dig Deeper

• How Big is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Science Vs. Myth (NOAA)

• Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Plastic Processing Industry (Natural Resources Canada)

• CCL Monthly call with Julia Roberson, VP of Communications for Ocean Conservancy 
• Middle Susquehanna River Keeper

•  Moshing for the Environment: Heavy Metal and Climate Change

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on Apple Podcasts, please consider rating and reviewing us!

CCR Ep 34 Extinction Rebellion and Students Demanding Climate Action

Rebels are organizing. We are witnessing a growing global student protest movement around climate change. In episode nine our host, Peterson Toscano, chatted with Quaker author, speaker, and activist, Eileen Flanagan. She described the four different roles change agents take—Helper, Organizer, Advocate, and Rebel. This month we dig deeper into the role of the rebels—groups and individuals who disrupt business as usual in order to bring about systems change. 

In addition to capturing voices of protesters from the recent student walk-out in Honolulu, Hawaii, which was part of similar actions around the world, Peterson chats with Robin Boardman, from the British group Extinction Rebellion. Robin and his friends are planning major disruptive actions in London and other parts of the UK in mid-April. What are their goals, values, and methods? Join us for this insightful and moving conversation. 

The Art House

Returning to the Art House is Hope Clark. She is a dancer concerned about climate change. In episode 18 she told us how she decided to engage her community in the Washington DC area through a public art project. To do so, she used giant parachutes. 

Creating an art piece can help us process our thoughts and feelings about a topic as large and challenging as climate change. No surprise then, once she completed the Make a Movement Parachute Community Project, Hope began to go deeper into her own feelings. She found herself returning to an old comfort—an addiction to cigarette smoking. Hope is making powerful connections between her own addictions and society's addiction to fossil fuels. Through spoken word and dance, she is exploring the comforts we seek that have failed us. 

Puzzler Question

We have been getting excellent answers to our puzzler question. We want to hold this one out for another month. We look forward to hearing from you. 

Puzzler Question

You are at a family dinner when you mention your excitement about more and more people becoming concerned about climate change. Your Uncle Ralph interrupts, “Global warming? Seriously? What about all this record cold weather we have had? It doesn’t seem its warming at all?”

 

So what do you say? How can you open up a conversation about climate change that doesn’t just turn into a debate?

Send Peterson your answers by April 15, 2019, along with your name, contact info, and where you are from. You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org or leave a voicemail of three minutes or less at 518.595.9414 (+1 if calling from outside the USA).

 

Dig Deeper

• Extinction Rebellion on Twitter @ExtinctionR
• Erica Chenoweth, author of Civil Action and the Dynamics of Violence, inspiration to Extinction Rebellion
• Gandhi's Civil Disobedience 
• Environmental Organizations Outreach Training
• Addiction as a Metaphor for Climate Change: An Interview with Charles Eisenstein(The Fix)

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on iTunes, please consider rating and reviewing us!

 

(Photo from the Extinction Rebellion newsletter #16.)

CC Radio Ep 33 One of 7500 Islands in the Philippines

Gael Henry Carlut grew up in the Philippines on what was once a desert island. Gael's father is from France and his mother is from Iloilo in the Philippines. They fell in love and in 1986 settled on Pandan Island.  Their goal was to protect the extraordinary coral reef that surrounds the island and then share it with others. Gael left the Philippines and settled in France to study environmental science and water treatment processes. He felt a strong pull though to return not only to the Philippines, but to this remote island. On a recent visit to Pandan Island, Citizens Climate Radio host, Peterson Toscano chatted with Gael about the island, climate change, and the pursuit of happiness. 

Art House

Marissa Slaven talks about her novel, Code Blue, an eco-mystery. Drawing on her love of the coast in New England and even her background a palliative care physician, Marissa has created a near future world that is stressed by climate change in a society has chosen to respond creatively to it. She expertly weaves in various mysterious her main characters, Atlantic or Tic, a high school student, must solve. These mysterious are both personal and scientific. Her book is one you cannot easily put down once you start reading it. 

Puzzler

We hear answers to last month’s puzzler question: Your cousin Dan is discouraged because world leaders do not want to respond to climate change; he wonders if we should just wait it out until we have better leaders. 

 

New Puzzler Question

 

You are at a family dinner when you mention your excitement about more and more people becoming concerned about climate change. Your Uncle Ralph interrupts, “Global warming? Seriously? What about all this record cold weather we have had? It doesn’t seem its warming at all?”

So what do you say? How can you open up a conversation about climate change that doesn’t just turn into a debate?

 

Send Peterson your answers by March 15, 2019, along with your name, contact info, and where you are from. You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org or leave a voicemail of 3 minutes or less at 518.595.9414 (+1 if calling from outside the USA).

 

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on iTunes, please consider rating and reviewing us!

CC Radio Ep 32 Coal Miners Speak Out

Two coal miners from Appalachia open up about the risks and challenges of mining. Michael Ray Whitten from West Virginia and Nick Mullins from Kentucky come from families that have been mining for generations. They talk to show host, Peterson Toscano, about the physical toll mining had on their fathers. After seeing the damage to miners and to the land, they are now speaking out about the need to transition away from coal mining jobs. Dr. Nathasha DeJarnett from the National Environmental Health Association joins the conversation to talk about Black Lung Disease and the health risks miners in rural communities face. Listen in to this informative and moving discussion.

Art House

Inthe art house you will meet Michelle Irizarry. She a visual artist living in Orlando, Florida, USA. Michelle is is also a civil engineer. As a result of climate change, she has seen a big transformation in her work as a artist. Hear about her powerful new paintings and the role of art in her life as she deepens her understanding of climate change. She her paintings on-line at her website or her Facebook page. 

Puzzler

We also have answers to last month’s puzzler: What do you say your co-worker, Janet, wants nothing to do with your bipartisan climate group because it includes Conservatives? Two listeners share how they would address Janet’s fears and doubts.

New Puzzler Question

At a family gathering you are chatting with your cousin, Dan. You mention climate change and he has a meltdown. He says, “I feel so discouraged. All over the world you have leaders in Brazil, the US, and parts of Canada opposing any action on climate change. I hate to give up but maybe we just have to wait a couple of years before we can do anything about it.”

What do you say to Dan to help address this discouragement she has? If national leaders are not acting on climate change, what can we do?

Send your answers to Peterson by February 15, 2019. Leave your name, contact info, and where you are from.

You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org or leave a voicemail of 3 minutes or less at 518.595.9414. (+1 if calling from outside the USA.) 

Dig Deeper

• Nick Mullins' Breaking Clean organization
• Michael Ray Whitten and his coal mining family in Boone County (YouTube video)
• Prevalence of Black Lung Continues to Increase among U.S. Coal Miners (NIOSH)  
• 4th National Climate Assessment Rural Communities Section (USGCRP)
• An Epidemic is Killing Thousands of Coal Miners—Regulators Could have Stopped It (NPR)
• Pneumoconioses Fact Sheet (CDC)  

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on iTunes, please consider rating and reviewing us!

Ep 31 Dr Katharine Hayhoe and Dr Jeffrey Bennett

Dr. Katharine Hayhoe is a climate scientist, a professor in the Department of Political Science and director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University. She is also a brilliant climate communicator and the host of the Global Weirding web series. She chats with show host, Peterson Toscano, about what has changed since she her famous address at the 2015 Citizens Climate International Conference. There is no more speculation; climate change is here. She talks about the many ways people are adapting, and she provides excellent climate communication tips. Dr. Hayhoe also reveals where she finds hope in these troubling times. 

The Art House

Dr. Jeffrey Bennett and illustrator Roberta Collier-Morales created the whimsical and moving illustrated children's book, The Wizard Who Saved the World. While most of his Dr. Bennett's Max the Dog books are about space travel, Jeff felt it was time to write about what was happening on earth with global warming. Not only did he need to tap into deep emotions, he had to find a new illustrator who could capture the story of Diego, a boy suddenly alarmed by climate change and motivated to do something about it. To create the vibrant images about Diego's inner and outer world, Roberta Collier-Morales drew on her own childhood struggles with dyslexia and the role imagination played in her young life.

Puzzler Question

Listener Sherri Michalovic answers the question, What does your faith have to do with climate change? She makes connections to a changing climate, asthma among children in her city, and the mandate she feels as a Christian to love her neighbor. 

New Puzzler Question

You are part of a group that pursues bi-partisan economic solutions to address climate change. One of your co-workers, Janet is a Progressive Liberal who also wants to see us do something about climate change. But she is pushing back against your ideas. She says, “Right now I don’t trust any plan that has Conservatives involved. How do I know this is not some group that is  lying, greenwashing, and is an enemy of environmental justice?”

Janet has fears and doubts that need to be addressed. How would you respond?

Send your answers to Peterson by January 15, 2019. Leave your name, contact info, and where you are from.

You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org or leave a voicemail of 3 minutes or less at 518.595.9414. (+1 if calling from outside the USA.) 

Dig Deeper

• Global Warming Primer by Dr. Jeffrey Bennet
• Fourth National Climate Assessment NCA4 Volume One
• Fourth National Climate Assessment NCA4 Volume Two
• Story Time from Space--watch astronauts read Dr. Jeffrey Bennett's books for children
• Citizens Climate Radio Ep 4 Dr. Katharine Hayhoe and Communication Myths

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on iTunes, please consider rating and reviewing us!

CC Radio Ep 30 What Does the Bible Say About Climate Change

Three American Evangelicals consider faith, theology, and global warming. Kyle Meyaard Schaap, National Organizer and spokesperson for Young Evangelicals for Climate Action (YECA) and Corina Newsome, YECA steering committee member on the diversity and civic engagement subcommittees, along with Rev. Josh Gibson, pastor of Emmanuel Bible Fellowship Church in Sunbury, PA, chat with host, Peterson Toscano about the Bible, stewardship, loving our neighbor, heaven, and earth. Discover how these Evangelicals approach the often political topic of climate change, and learn how to connect with Bible believers, who may not be environmentalists but care very much for what happens to people and to our earthly home. 

Art House

In response to the question, What Does the Bible Say About Climate Change? Tony Buffusio from the Bronx, NY (a comic creation of Peterson Toscano) tells the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis. Joseph lives in Egypt during a time of temporary regional shifts in the climate. Not only does he predict changes in weather patterns, he developes a plan of how to look after the people. Peterson is a Bible scholar with a passion for looking after the welfare of people who are affected by extreme weather events.

Puzzler Question

We hear from Jay Greene in Salisbury, England. She tells us what her faith has to do with climate change. 

Since this is such a rich question, we want to keep it open another month. 

Louis, someone you know from your faith community asks why are you involved in climate change work. You say, Lots of reasons, but a big part is because of my faith. Louis looks puzzled. He asks, Climate Change? What’s faith got to do with it?

So what do you say to Louis? How is climate change connected to your faith or religion or spiritual practice? How is climate change connnected to your faith or religion or spiritual practice? What do you have to add to this topic?

Send your answers to Peterson by December 10, 2018. Leave your name, contact info, and where you are from.

You can email your answers to radio @ citizensclimate.org or leave a voicemail of 3 minutes or less at 518.595.9414. (+1 if calling from outside the USA.) 

Dig Deeper

Here is a listing to the various Bible passages referenced in Ep 30. You can look up these verses at BibleGateway.

Genesis 1:26, Genesis 2:15, Leviticus 25:4, Pslam 24:1,2, Psalm 104:10-15, Colossians 1:15, Revelation 21, Matthew 25:31-46, Romans 8:19-21

• Stopping Climate Change is Part of Following Jesus by Kyle Meyaard-Schaap (Relevant Magazine)
• YECA resource list of books for Christians interested in learning more about climate change and creation care. 
• Evangelical Climate Initiative
• Operation Noah, a Christian charity working with the church to inspire action on climate change
• The Christian Climate Professor Bridging the Gap Between Faith and Science. (Quartz)
• Citizens Climate Lobby Faith Outreach

 

You can hear Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

If you listen on iTunes, please consider rating and reviewing us!