Need to Know » The Climate Desk
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Podcast Description
The Climate Desk is a journalistic collaboration dedicated to exploring the impact - human, environmental, economic, political - of a changing climate. Partners included The Atlantic, The Center for Investigative Reporting, Grist, Mother Jones, Slate, Wired and PBS's Need to Know. Our podcast is hosted by Need to Know's Alison Stewart and features experts on the issue.
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Turkey can be climate friendly; spinach, not so much | By Erin Chapman, Lauren Feeney and Win Rosenfeld (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/11/cows-factoryfarm.jpg) With Thanksgiving approaching and Christmas just around the corner, we here at the Climate Desk thought it would be a good time to take a hard look at how our food system is effecting the climate, and how climate change might impact the future of food. What we found was a lot more complicated than we imagined. Counterintuitive even. Would you ever have guessed, for example, that spinach is as bad for the planet as beef? It all depends on how you measure, of course, but one of our guests, geophysicist Gidon Eshel (http://www.poptech.org/gidon_eshel), says it might be. Or that global warming might actually be good for agriculture? NASA agronomist Cynthia Rosenzweig (http://www.giss.nasa.gov/staff/crosenzweig.html) says that, at least in the short term, that'll be the case. (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif)We also spoke with bestselling author Anna Lappé (http://www.smallplanet.org/about/anna/bio), agricultural analyst Philip Thorton (http://www.ilri.org/user/343), and Tara Oresick, the manager of Farm Sanctuary (http://www.farmsanctuary.org/), an animal rights organization that conducts an annual adopt-a-turkey drive every Thanksgiving. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 11/24/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: In India, a climate of power | India, one of the world's emerging powers, is also a country of endemic poverty. More people live in India without access to basic electricity than live in the entire United States. Thirty-five percent of the population lives on under a dollar a day; 80 percent lives on under two dollars a day. And yet, when President Obama flew to India last week for the longest overseas stay of his administration so far, climate change was at the top of the agenda. Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced (http://www.grist.org/article/2010-11-05-obama-to-launch-clean-energy-initiative-in-india) the creation of a joint clean energy research project based in India, and Obama exhorted Indian leaders in an address (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/11/08/remarks-president-joint-session-indian-parliament-new-delhi-india) to that country's parliament to work with the U.S. on curbing greenhouse gas emissions. How, then, did a country with such basic energy needs become one of the most influential players in the global fight against climate change? (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif)Though per capita emissions remain relatively low, due to its large population, India is one of the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Data (http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/SeriesDetail.aspx?srid=749&crid=) collected by the United Nations list the country as the third largest emitter of carbon dioxide, due mostly to the country's rapidly expanding (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/12/india-greenhouse-gas-emissions-rise) energy sector. India is also an emerging economic power, the second-fastest-growing economy in the world next to China, and a leader among developing nations, which have largely resisted constraints on greenhouse gas emissions. All of these factors are likely to play out at the next U.N. conference on climate change in Cancun later this month. Analysts expect India to come to the negotiating table with "a slightly strengthened position," according to Shravya Reddy (http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/sreddy/), an India analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council in New York. Need to Know spoke with Reddy in this week's edition of the Climate Desk (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/tag/climate-desk/) podcast to understand more about the role this emerging power, and close ally of the U.S., will play in international climate change negotiations. As Reddy explained, Indian leaders have signaled their willingness to achieve progress at the Cancun conference, and that willingness has only enhanced the country's already-formidable bargaining power. "It really wants to be a deal-maker, not a deal-breaker," Reddy said of India. "And it is moving toward a far more constructive role, and shedding its old image of being an obstructionist in international politics." Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 11/16/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: Political climate change | The shifting political winds in Washington may have a far-reaching impact on a wide range of issues: health care, tax cuts, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. But what about climate change? Very little was said about global warming during the campaign season (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/tag/midterms/), other than the barrage of negative ads by Republicans (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueGo7HGmFDY) accusing their Democratic opponents of supporting "cap and tax" legislation. Kentucky Senator-elect Rand Paul even went so far as to criticize (http://www.grist.org/article/2010-05-19-rand-pauls-copenhagen-rant-and-other-election-notes/) President Obama for giving "credibility and credence" to dictators like Hugo Chavez and Robert Mugabe by supporting global action to curb greenhouse gas emissions. And then there is this statistic: Of all the Republicans (http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/gop-senate-deniers/) newly elected to the U.S. Senate last week, only one has openly accepted the science behind anthropogenic climate change (Senator-elect Mark Kirk, of Illinois). As much as half of the new Republican majority in the House has either outright denied the existence of climate change or questioned whether the warming of the planet is caused by humans. To say th(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif)e least, congressional action on comprehensive climate change legislation in the next two years seems unlikely. But the results of the midterm elections could have much more damaging consequences for environmental legislation, including efforts (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66T0NP20100730) by Democrats to increase oversight and regulation of the off-shore drilling industry after the Deepwater Horizon disaster (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/tag/gulf-oil-spill/) in the Gulf. To sort through all of this, Need to Know's Alison Stewart spoke with Kate Sheppard, who covers energy and environmental politics in Mother Jones (http://motherjones.com/) magazine's Washington D.C. bureau. Sheppard covered the elections on Tuesday from Colorado, where she followed the closely watched battle between Democratic Sen. Michael Bennett and his Republican challenger, Ken Buck. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 11/10/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: The global warming battle you haven’t heard of | (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/10/Prop-23-podcast.jpg)The campaign against California’s Proposition 23 (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/a-political-climate-the-battle-over-prop-23/4759/), which would suspend the state's landmark greenhouse gas law, has been fueled by Hollywood star power and millions from Silicon Valley bigwigs, like the founders of Google. But just down the ballot from Prop 23 is a much less discussed initiative that, some say, could be just as influential: Proposition 26. (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif)Prop 26 would expand the definition of a “tax” under California law to include some state and local fees. At first blush, it might not sound like a big deal, but analysts say it could mean dramatic changes in the implementation of California’s health, safety and environmental laws. It’s a big enough deal that Chevron, Philip Morris and the California Chamber of Commerce -- entities that are largely sitting out the Prop 23 battle -- have spent millions (http://www.grist.org/article/2010-10-21-prop-26s-dirty-backers-flee-from-political-poison-of-prop-23) to support Prop 26. To understand exactly why these companies are supporting Prop 26, and get a sense of what this "sleeper" race could mean for California's anti-global warming law and efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions across the country, Need to Know's Erin Chapman spoke with Todd Woody, a long-time environmental journalist based in Berkeley, Calif. Woody is the founder of the Green Wombat (http://thegreenwombat.com/) blog, and his work has appeared in Grist and The New York Times. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 10/29/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: Googling in the wind: The search engine giant goes green | (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif)Once upon a time, Google was a simple white web page with a little search bar. Now, the company has its own Google Price Index (http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/10/14/pm-what-is-googles-price-index/), Google Television (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303339504575566572021412854.html), a Google phone (http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-20020616-265.html) -- even a "driverless" Google car (http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/09/google-car-video/). So what's next for the search giant? Apparently, green energy. Google announced (http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/wind-cries-transmission.html) last week that it was investing at least $200 million in an unprecedented plan to build a transmission network for wind energy across the Atlantic Seabord. Called the Atlantic Wind Connection, the 350-mile spine would allow off-shore wind farms in the waters off Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey to power as many as 2 million homes, once the project gets off the ground in 2016. As a company, Google has drawn its fair share of criticism, from privacy advocates for example. But the wind farm project seems to have achieved a surprising amount of consensus. Both the Republican governors of New Jersey and Virginia are for it, as is the Obama administration. To learn more about the plan, Need to Know's Alison Stewart spoke with Rick Needham, the director of green business operations for Google and a former nuclear submarine officer. According to Needham, Google's investment not only makes good sense, it makes good business as well. | 10/25/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Could clean cookstoves save lives and help clear the air? | (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/10/cookstoves.jpg)(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif)Imagine if the global distribution of one household necessity could save lives, enable livelihoods, empower women, and combat climate change. With Hillary Clinton's recent announcement (http://cleancookstoves.org/blog/view-the-cgi-commitment/) of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, international leaders, organizations, governments and corporations are joining forces to offer a solution to the problem of smoke emissions from cooking devices in developing countries. This smoke also releases carbon dioxide, methane and black carbon into the atmosphere. Each of these components has been identified as a contributing factor to climate change. Need to Know's Alison Stewart learned more about the $60 million initiative from Jacob Moss, a senior adviser in the office of air and radiation at the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 10/18/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: Designer Bruce Mau on the suburbs, the mall and the automobile | (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif)For designer and author Bruce Mau (http://www.brucemaudesign.com/), environmentalists will never win hearts and minds as long as they frame the issue of sustainable living negatively. Rather than talking about cost and sacrifice, he believes the emphasis should be placed on investment and opportunity. Mau aims to reshape culture and create better, greener experiences through design. Guest host Jeanne Park sat down with Mau at the Louise Blouin Creative Leadership Summit (http://www.creativeleadershipsummit.org/) in New York City to talk about his love of the suburbs, the beauty of cup holders and the challenge of rebranding climate change. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 10/4/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: The Vatican goes green | (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif)The Holy See has embarked on a new mission: the fight against climate change. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI announced that Vatican City would strive to become the first carbon-neutral state. Although the Vatican's plan to purchase carbon offset credits fell through, the sovereign city-state has harnessed the power of the sun with solar panels and a solar generator, and has also made progress with energy conservation efforts. Pope Benedict has added a religious element to the climate change debate by framing the issue as a moral imperative. To discuss these unprecedented efforts, Need to Know's Alison Stewart spoke with Mark Hopkins, an energy expert with the United Nations Foundation who has 30 years of experience in energy policy and program development. Hopkins toured the Vatican's new energy efficient facilities last year. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 9/27/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: After ‘Glaciergate,’ UN panel on climate change mulls reforms | (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif)In March, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked a committee of leading academics to review the work of one of the world's most prestigious scientific bodies: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The IPCC, as it is often called, won the Nobel Prize in 2007 with Al Gore for its work on global warming. That year, the IPCC reported with more than 90 percent certainty that global warming was real, and that it was "very likely" caused by human activity. As it turns out, there were some embarrassing errors in that report, and critics have seized on the mistakes as evidence that the IPCC's work is flawed. The panel charged with investigating the IPCC recently released the results of its five-month review, along with a slew of recommendations for how the body could improve its work and regain the public trust. The full body of the IPCC will consider the recommendations at a meeting in Korea next month. Need to Know's Alison Stewart talks with the man who led the investigation, Harold Shapiro, a former Princeton University president and bioethics adviser to Bill Clinton. Shapiro explains how the mistakes have hurt the IPCC, how the panel has reacted to his findings, and whether the problems he discovered surprised him. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 9/17/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: Green design finds a home in Dwell magazine | (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/09/dwell_515.jpg)Photo: David Lauridsen (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge-100x100.gif) Since its launch in 2000, the sleek shelter magazine Dwell (http://www.dwell.com/magazine/) has helped popularize green architecture and design. In this week's Climate Desk podcast, Need to Know's Alison Stewart speaks with Dwell's senior editor Aaron Britt. Britt shares his perspective on green design, from LEED certification to low-tech solutions that contribute to sustainable living. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 9/10/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: Setting the stage for apocalypse | (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif)The topic of global warming frequently grabs headlines. Now the issue is center stage at Britain's National Theatre (http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/57273/productions/earthquakes-in-london.html), where playwright Mike Bartlett's new play "Earthquakes in London" has received buzz for its apocalyptic view of a world in chaos due to global warming. The script features a scientist who suppressed his prescient understanding of the impact of carbon emissions, only to lose faith in the future of mankind. Guest host Leslie Hart speaks with Rupert Goold, the Olivier-award-winning British director at the helm of the three-hour epic. Goold is also artistic director of the Headlong Theatre Company and an associate director at the Royal Shakespeare Company. In this podcast, Goold discusses the aim and impact of "Earthquakes in London." He also calls upon scientists to more clearly communicate their warnings regarding global warming. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 9/3/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: Michael Mann on the latest Climategate crusade | (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif) Update | August 30 The judge in the case has dismissed the request for records (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/the-daily-need/virginia-attorney-general-vows-to-try-again-in-climategate-records-case/3200/), but the Virginia attorney general has vowed to reissue a new subpoena that conforms with the ruling. Earlier this week, Need to Know brought you the story of Michael Mann (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/environment/climate-scientist-says-va-attorney-generals-fraud-probe-is-harassment/3080/), the influential climatologist who is being investigated by the Virginia attorney general for fraud. Mann called the case "criminal harassment." Now, he talks with Need to Know's Alison Stewart about what he calls the climate change denial "industry," and the dangerous precedent the Virginia attorney general's case could set. This story was suggested by a reader in our Pitch Room (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/pitchroom/). If there is a story you want to learn more about, tell us! Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 8/27/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: Are the floods in Pakistan and the wildfires in Russia related? | (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif)Extreme weather has been grabbing headlines this summer. A major heat wave in Russia and flooding in Pakistan have had devastating effects, including loss of life and livelihood. Russians are plagued with wildfires and smog and the UN estimates that 6 million Pakistanis are in need of emergency aid. Need to Know's Alison Stewart speaks with Dr. Kevin Trenberth, the head of climate analysis at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. He explains the meteorological dynamics at work and speaks of the larger implications of climate change — both problems and possibilities. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). Related: Photos: The flooding in Pakistan (/wnet/need-to-know/uncategorized/as-deluge-subsides-world-scrambles-to-aid-pakistan/2946/) The view from above (/wnet/need-to-know/environment/pakistan-under-water-the-view-from-438-miles-above-earth/2979/) | 8/20/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: The new ice island | (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif)On August 5, one of the largest glaciers off the coast of Greenland lost about a quarter of its 43-mile long ice shelf. It just separated and started to flow away. Why did this happen and what could be the consequences? Need to Know's Alison Stewart spoke with Professor Andreas Muenchow of the University of Delaware's College of the Earth, Ocean, and Environment. He has been researching the area since 2003. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 8/13/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: Skepticism vs. denial about climate change | (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif)An increasing number of climatologists are coming out of the lab and into the public eye to combat a vocal -- and fairly successful -- movement to discredit climate science. Need to Know's Alison Stewart speaks with Gavin Schmidt, a climatologist at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, to find out how to sort fact from fiction regarding climate change. Schmidt is a contributor to RealClimate.org, a consortium of 11 climate scientists who aim to provide unbiased context for stories about climate change. All scientists are skeptics, he says, but denying climate change is something different. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 8/6/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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RIP cap and trade | (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif)Last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that he will not bring a comprehensive climate bill before the Senate this session. A bill, which called for a cap-and-trade policy to regulate carbon emissions, was approved by the House in June 2009 but the measure lost momentum in the Senate. Is this the end of cap-and-trade? Alison Stewart asks New York Times Dot Earth blogger Andrew Revkin to share his reporting on the subject to find out what happened and what might be next. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 7/30/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: How green is my country? | (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif)The race is on to develop sustainable solutions to climate change. From clean coal technology in Tianjin to the construction of Masdar City -- a self-contained metropolis in the United Arab Emirates designed to be carbon neutral -- countries around the world are devising new ways to reduce global dependency on fossil fuels. But as places like China and the U.A.E. move ahead with large scale green initiatives, is the U.S. lagging behind? Need to Know's Alison Stewart runs that question by Professor Bill Chameides, Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. Professor Chameides writes about environmental issues and options for a more sustainable future on his blog, The Green Grok (http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/thegreengrok/). Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 7/23/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: Is the population bomb ever going to explode? | (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif) World Population day was July 11, 2010. Did you even know that? Environmentalists and human rights advocates regularly point to a growing world population as a potential source of strife. But one environmental author doesn’t agree. Fred Pearce is an environmental and investigative journalist. His books include “Confessions of an Eco Sinner” and “PeopleQuake,” in which he argues the fears of a population explosion are overblown. His recent post (http://www.grist.org/article/2010-07-11-on-world-population-day-take-note-population-isnt-the-problem) on our Climate Desk partner site Grist sparked a sharp rebuttal (http://www.grist.org/article/2010-07-12-earth-fred-pearce-population-growth-problem-world-fertility/) from Robert Walker, executive vice president of the Population Institute (http://www.populationinstitute.org/). We invited them both to talk about the issue of population growth and its impact on climate change: Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 7/16/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: A conversation with a pro-drilling environmentalist | (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif)(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/07/book-powertrip.jpg)Need to Know's Alison Stewart speaks with Amanda Little, a journalist and self-proclaimed "pro-drilling environmentalist (http://www.amandalittle.com/blog/2010/06/17/six-points-about-the-bp-oil-spill-from-a-pro-drilling-environmentalist.125617)." Little describes her personal experience on an off-shore oil rig and her optimistic belief that American ingenuity can solve our energy problems. Little is the author of "Power Trip: From Oil Wells to Solar Cells (http://www.amandalittle.com/book)." Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 7/9/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: Why do we make things so complicated? | (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/06/ClimateDesk-Badge.gif)Entrepreneur Jigar Shah pioneered simplified solar energy systems with the 2003 launch of his company, SunEdison (http://www.sunedison.com/). He now heads the Carbon War Room (http://www.carbonwarroom.com/), an endeavor that aims to harness the power of market forces to develop a post-carbon economy. Shah believes the climate change crisis presents the "largest wealth-creating opportunity in our lifetime." His recent presentation at the TEDxOilSpill (http://tedxoilspill.com/) event in Washington, D.C., outlined how we can shift our energy economy away from oil while still making a profit. And in a separate conversation with the Climate Desk, he told us what it would take from governments and people to get there. The interview is excerpted below. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id379692066). | 7/1/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 20 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
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hey, when are we going to get the whole program like we used to with bill moyers! i want allison and john!
I agree!
Whole show please!
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