Science

Earth and Mars Scientists Discuss Current Research-PW091

  Chris McKay, NASA Mars Researcher, and Friederike Otto, University of Oxford climate modeller Science is the focus of this week’s Planet Watch.  Senior NASA scientist Chris McKay, in the Planetary Systems Branch of NASA Ames, is an expert on the evolution of the solar system and the origins of life. Chris is also involved in • 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 »


Standing Rock Water Protectors and Climate Justice-PW086

Standing Rock Water Protectors: Climate Justice Showdown Still Hanging Fire In what defense attorneys are calling a major victory for their client and for the water protectors of Standing Rock, prosecutors have dropped all serious charges against former North Dakota congressional candidate Chase Iron Eyes in his case resulting from protests of the Dakota Access pipeline. Chief Iron Eyes, an attorney who works for the Lakota People’s Law Project, was facing a maximum of six years in state prison after his arrest for alleged criminal trespass and incitement of a riot near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation on February 1, 2017. “The world should know that it’s legally impossible for me and other Native people to trespass on treaty land,” stated Chief Iron Eyes. Iron Eyes’ attorneys filed documents on Monday proving that his arrest occurred on treaty land never ceded by the Sioux tribe. The state of North Dakota ruled weeks ago that this land had never been acquired nor legally owned by pipeline parent company Energy Transfer Partners (ETP). “I and the water protectors are not terrorists. We and the US veterans who stood with us to protect Mother Earth are the true patriots,” said Iron Eyes.   Romero Institute co-founder Daniel Sheehan was chief attorney on Iron Eyes’ defense team for • Read More »


Grid Alternatives: Making Renewable Energy Accessible Around the World-PW085

Grid Alternatives Director of International Programs Jenean Smith is today’s guest on Planet Watch Radio. The vision of Grid Alternatives is a successful transition to clean, renewable energy that includes everyone, and its mission is to make renewable energy technology and job training accessible to underserved communities everywhere. On today’s program, find out about exciting • Read More »


Save Our Shores – Advocate for Ocean Conservation-PW083

Save Our Shores is an ocean conservation organization in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Led by Executive Director Katherine O’Dea, the Save Our Shores team of scientists, ecologists, educators, and conservationists are passionate about protecting the Monterey Bay and are making waves nationally as advocates for the world’s oceans. Today, O’Dea visits Planet Watch • Read More »


Offshore Oil Drilling Proposal Threatens Coastlines Across U.S.-PW082

Rebroadcast of January 21, 2018 show: The president’s efforts to open most of the U.S. coastlines to oil drilling has sparked a bipartisan condemnation and resistance across most of the affected states. In this episode we hear from Dan Haifley, Executive Director of O’Neill Sea Odyssey and former Director of Save Our Shores about efforts to resist drilling of • Read More »


The Butt Stops Here: Reducing Cigarette Waste-PW080

In 2015 ,the Ocean Conservancy’s annual coastal cleanup found a total of 2,127,666 cigarette butts, over twice as many as the next most common form of litter. About half of these cigarette butts were picked up in the U.S., showing that while the problem is global, much of it is concentrated in the U.S.. Rachel • Read More »


Wind Turbines and the Forest Fires of August-PW079

Report on last summer’s forest fires in British Columbia, Canada, as well as a rebroadcast of an interview with solar and wind expert Chris Bley. Find out what’s new in the wind turbine industry that could be scaled up even farther and why this clean energy source could help solve some of our problems. Original • Read More »


Sea Level Rise & Coastal Environmental Policy Expert Will Travis-PW078

Rebroadcast of our interview with Will Travis, expert on environmental policy implications of sea level rise due to out-of-control climate. Former California Coastal Commissioner and sea-level-rise expert Will Travis talks about revolutionary ways cities can adapt to rising sea levels. Thinking outside the box of permanent buildings, he suggests radical re-thinking on how city planning • Read More »


No More Mermaid Tears-PW077

#KidsGetIt !  Today, July 1, 2018, on Planet Watch, our guest is Ruby Rorty who, at age 14, founded the Santa Cruz Environmental Alliance http://santacruzenvironme.wixsite.com/scea a youth-led organization with the goal of empowering young people as ocean defenders capable of addressing coastal plastic pollution. One of Ruby’s initiatives, #NoMoreMermaidTears , raises awareness about small pieces of glass • Read More »