environmental science


Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change  (IPCC) 2018 -PW092

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change  (IPCC) 2018 predicts far more dire and rapidly escalating consequences of Climate Change than any IPCC analysis thus far, and calls for a historically unprecedented  transformation of the world economy to avert the worst of the damage. Two of the IPCC’s authors, Dr. Nathalie Mehowald of Cornell and • Read More »


Pesticides: Out of Our Soil, Air, Water, and Food-PW089

Brain-Harming Chlorpyrifos just the latest agricultural pesticide poisoning our children and our planet Californians for Pesticide Reform  co-director Mark Weller, and author/pesticide activist Mary Flodin talk with with Planet Watch hosts Rachel and Joe about challenges and successes in the decades-long struggle to protect communities from toxic pesticide exposure (www.facebook.com/CaPestReform). Based out of the Salinas office of the • Read More »


Agricultural Policy and Our Health: Crafting National Standards for Organic Farming-PW088

Organic farming policy pioneer Mark Lipson talks about crafting the national standard for organic farming, and how our federal agricultural policies impact our health and the health of our environment. Mark started his advocacy career as the first paid staff member at the California Certified Organic Farmers (now the nation’s largest organic certification organization). He • Read More »


Micro-Hydro Power Guru Don Harris – PW070

Ever thought of making your own electricity in a nearby stream? We’ll talk with Don Harris, world-class guru on micro-hydropower and inventor of the Harris Hydroelectric Permanent Magnet Turbine about his experiences with these low-cost, high-return devices. Don lives up in the hills in the off-grid community of “Last Chance”, north of Santa Cruz, but • Read More »


Green Skyscrapers? Tiny Changes Can Save Big Energy-PW067

What’s so green about skyscrapers? What are the top three best ways to “green them up”? How long until owners recoup their investment in green retrofits? Find out with green building guru, Barry Giles, CEO of BREEAMUSA. Barry is the CEO of BREEAM USA and BuildingWise, as well as a LEED Fellow and a BREEAM • Read More »


Protecting America’s Coastline-PW057

In this podcast we present an interview with former Director of the California Coastal Commission, Charles Lester. Lester presided over the most powerful regulatory body in the nation when it comes to coastal protection under Governors Davis, Schwarzenegger, and Brown. He’ll talk about protecting our coasts against drilling, development and sea level rise among other • Read More »


Saving American Democracy and the Planet-PW056

A conversation with David Orr, writer and professor emeritus of environmental studies and political science from Oberlin College about the future of American democracy. What do we do to repair the damage being done to our basic institutions by the current administration? What happens after 2018, 2020, and next week if there is a constitutional • Read More »


Fog Into Water: Dr. Dan Fernandez-PW020

If you live in London or San Francisco, a constantly renewing source of water hovers all around you: Fog. Planet Watch interviews  California State University Monterey Bay scientist Dr. Dan Fernandez about his work capturing moisture from fog and how that research may someday allow all of us to have water making machines in our • Read More »


Measuring Attitudes About Climate Change-PW019

Why are so many Americans confused about climate change and what to do about it? Dr. Connie Roser-Renouf of Yale’s Program on Climate Change Communication has been measuring and describing attitudes about how severe a threat climate change poses and what people think should be done. Turns out, geography and recent weather events have at least • Read More »