The Sweaty Penguin

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Tip of the Iceberg E12: Reflecting on Earth Day Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970, and it turned out to be an extremely unifying cause during a time of deep social and cultural division in the United States. 52 years later, as climate change becomes more and more serious, has Earth Day lost a bit of its charm? Ethan shares some reflections on Earth Day 2022 in this week’s “Tip of the Iceberg.”

The Sweaty Penguin is presented by Peril and Promise: a public media initiative from The WNET Group in New York, reporting on the issues and solutions around climate change. You can learn more at pbs.org/perilandpromise.

Support the show and unlock exclusive merch, bonus content, and more for as little as $5/month at patreon.com/thesweatypenguin.

CREDITS

Writer: Ethan Brown, Shannon Damiano, Maddy Schmidt

Fact Checker: Hallie Cordingley

Editor: Frank Hernandez

Producers: Olivia Amitay, Ethan Brown, Megan Crimmins, Shannon Damiano, Frank Hernandez, Dain Kim, Caroline Koehl

Ad Voiceover: Lindsay Cronin

Music: Brett Sawka

The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Peril and Promise or The WNET Group.

81. Climate Migration Apr 22, 2022

Show notes

People have always migrated due to changes in their environment, but as climate change has exacerbated droughts, floods, hurricanes, wildfires, crop failures, and more, increasing numbers of people are being forced to move rather than choosing it for themselves. Climate migration disproportionately affects many developing countries in the Global South, but is also increasingly prevalent within the United States after disasters such as the Camp Fire and major hurricanes. On Earth Day 2022, we take a look at this important human dimension of climate change and consider how we prepare for more climate migration in the future. With special guest Dr. Gregory White: Mary Huggins Gamble Professor of Government at Smith College.

Support the show and unlock exclusive merch, bonus content, and more for as little as $5/month at patreon.com/thesweatypenguin.

CREDITS

Writers: Megan Crimmins, Shannon Damiano, Ethan Brown

Fact Checker: Hallie Cordingley

Editor: Frank Hernandez

Producers: Olivia Amitay, Ethan Brown, Megan Crimmins, Shannon Damiano, Frank Hernandez, Dain Kim, Caroline Koehl

Ad Voiceover: Maddy Schmidt

Music: Brett Sawka

The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Peril and Promise or The WNET Group.

Tip of the Iceberg E11: Scientists are people too Apr 20, 2022

Show notes

Over 1,000 scientists in over 25 countries took part in climate protests last week, risking their careers and reputations in the process. Ethan breaks down why this is not normal, why scientists would be compelled to turn to activism, and why these protests are a reminder that climate change CAN be addressed in this week’s “Tip of the Iceberg.”

Support the show and unlock exclusive merch, bonus content, and more for as little as $5/month at patreon.com/thesweatypenguin.

CREDITS

Writer: Ethan Brown

Fact Checker: Isabel Plower

Editor: Frank Hernandez

Producers: Olivia Amitay, Ethan Brown, Megan Crimmins, Shannon Damiano, Frank Hernandez, Dain Kim, Caroline Koehl

Ad Voiceover: Shannon Damiano

Music: Brett Sawka

The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Peril and Promise or The WNET Group.

Bonus: Kahoot Is My Villain Origin Story Apr 15, 2022

Show notes

Ethan sits down with The Sweaty Penguin’s newest team members Hallie Cordingley, Isabel Plower, and Maddy Schmidt to recap season 4. They’ll share what they do behind the scenes, some takeaways from the season, favorite episodes, and then face off in the third ever Sweaty Penguin finale bonus episode Kahoot! See how much you remembered from season 4 and listen to us crown the next Sweaty Penguin Kahoot champion.

Support the show and unlock exclusive merch, bonus content, and more for as little as $5/month at patreon.com/thesweatypenguin.

Tip of the Iceberg E10: Is the new IPCC report... exciting? Apr 13, 2022

Show notes

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released the third part of their Sixth Assessment Report last week, titled “Mitigation of Climate Change,” and with it, came the usual doom and gloom reactions. But the report itself was overflowing with reasons to be hopeful, and even excited. Ethan breaks down why he came away from the report feeling more optimistic about the climate than ever before in this week’s “Tip of the Iceberg.” Plus, a first-time “Reverse Ask Me Anything” segment with Sweaty Penguin Producer Frank Hernandez that you won’t want to miss!

Support the show and unlock exclusive merch, bonus content, and more for as little as $5/month at patreon.com/thesweatypenguin.

CREDITS

Writers: Ethan Brown, Shannon Damiano, Maddy Schmidt

Editor: Frank Hernandez

Producers: Olivia Amitay, Ethan Brown, Megan Crimmins, Shannon Damiano, Frank Hernandez, Dain Kim, Caroline Koehl

Ad Voiceover: Robert Branning

Music: Brett Sawka

The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Peril and Promise or The WNET Group.

80. Rethinking Environmentalism Apr 08, 2022

Show notes

In 1991, 78 percent of Americans identified as environmentalists. By 2021, it had dropped to 41 percent. Why, in the last few decades, has environmentalism experienced this steep decline in popularity? In the final deep dive of season 4, we consider some of the reasons why environmentalism might have rubbed people the wrong way and where the movement might go from here as it works to generate swift climate progress. With special guest Dr. Jenny Price: Research Fellow at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis and author of “Stop Saving the Planet: An Environmentalist Manifesto.”

Support the show and unlock exclusive merch, bonus content, and more for as little as $5/month at patreon.com/thesweatypenguin.

CREDITS

Writers: Hallie Cordingley, Ethan Brown

Fact Checker: Isabel Plower

Editor: Frank Hernandez

Producers: Olivia Amitay, Ethan Brown, Megan Crimmins, Shannon Damiano, Frank Hernandez, Dain Kim, Caroline Koehl

Ad Voiceover: Maddy Schmidt

Music: Brett Sawka

The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Peril and Promise or The WNET Group.

Tip of the Iceberg E9: The fossil fuel dilemmas behind lithium's big payday Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

After pressure from both Democratic and Republican senators, President Biden is invoking the Defense Production Act to encourage domestic production of the minerals used in batteries for electric vehicles and long-term energy storage, minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and graphite. This move has major implications for U.S. national security and the global climate, and also serves as a reminder of some of the fossil fuel dynamics behind the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ethan breaks down the reasoning for this bipartisan move in the U.S. and examines some other transformations in the global energy sector in this week’s “Tip of the Iceberg.”

Support the show and unlock exclusive merch, bonus content, and more for as little as $5/month at patreon.com/thesweatypenguin. Get your environmental questions featured on “Tip of the Iceberg” by contacting us on Patreon, email, or social media. Questions from patrons move to the front of the line!

CREDITS

Writers: Ethan Brown, Shannon Damiano, Maddy Schmidt

Editor: Frank Hernandez

Producers: Olivia Amitay, Ethan Brown, Megan Crimmins, Shannon Damiano, Frank Hernandez, Dain Kim, Caroline Koehl

Ad Voiceover: Shannon Damiano

Music: Brett Sawka

The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Peril and Promise or The WNET Group.

79. Carbon Capture Apr 01, 2022

Show notes

Although most experts agree that carbon capture and storage strategies cannot combat climate change on their own, carbon capture absolutely has the potential to offset some of the “tough-to-get” emissions and possibly even make the world carbon negative. In order to achieve that potential though, each method of carbon capture has some challenges to overcome. Today, we break down ten methods of carbon capture, discuss the hurdles they face, and consider how they might improve. With special guest Wake Smith: Lecturer at Yale University.

This story has been supported by the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems. Learn more at solutionsjournalism.org.

Support the show and unlock exclusive merch, bonus content, and more for as little as $5/month at patreon.com/thesweatypenguin.

CREDITS

Writers: Caroline Koehl, Maddy Schmidt, Ethan Brown

Fact Checker: Megan Crimmins

Editor: Frank Hernandez

Producers: Olivia Amitay, Ethan Brown, Megan Crimmins, Shannon Damiano, Frank Hernandez, Dain Kim, Caroline Koehl

Ad Voiceover: Frank Hernandez

Music: Brett Sawka

The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Peril and Promise or The WNET Group.

Tip of the Iceberg E8: Scientists' reaction to the latest Antarctica news was surprise, not despair Mar 30, 2022

Show notes

Last week was a big one for the poles of the Earth, with record-shattering heatwaves in both the Arctic and Antarctica followed by the collapse of the Conger Ice Shelf in Eastern Antarctica. Many headlines suggested scientists were surprised, even flabbergasted! Ethan breaks down why these events were surprising, and why surprise does not mean doom-and-gloom in this week’s “Tip of the Iceberg.”

Support the show and unlock exclusive merch, bonus content, and more for as little as $5/month at patreon.com/thesweatypenguin.

CREDITS

Writers: Ethan Brown, Shannon Damiano, Maddy Schmidt

Fact Checker: Isabel Plower

Editor: Frank Hernandez

Producers: Olivia Amitay, Ethan Brown, Megan Crimmins, Shannon Damiano, Frank Hernandez, Dain Kim, Caroline Koehl

Ad Voiceover: Sabrina Rollings

Music: Brett Sawka

The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Peril and Promise or The WNET Group.

78. Solar Power Mar 25, 2022

Show notes

Solar energy is clean, cheap, renewable, and surprisingly land-efficient, making it a really exciting technology to scale up. But to do that as effectively as possible, solar has some challenges to confront, from human rights and geopolitical dilemmas in the manufacturing process to siting challenges to the fact that people’s electricity use spikes in the evening when the Sun isn’t shining. Today, we consider the potential of solar power to improve the climate and energy sector overall, contemplate some of the challenges in the supply chain, and consider how solar can achieve its full potential. With special guest Dr. Dustin Mulvaney, Professor of Environmental Studies at San José State University.

Support the show and unlock exclusive merch, bonus content, and more for as little as $5/month at patreon.com/thesweatypenguin.

CREDITS

Writers: Caroline Koehl, Maddy Schmidt, Ethan Brown

Fact Checker: Hallie Cordingley

Editor: Frank Hernandez

Producers: Olivia Amitay, Ethan Brown, Megan Crimmins, Shannon Damiano, Frank Hernandez, Dain Kim, Caroline Koehl

Ad Voiceover: Robert Branning

Music: Brett Sawka

The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Peril and Promise or The WNET Group.

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