Science

Mary Silver: Ocean Science Pioneer-PW061

We present a conversation with Dr. Mary Wilcox Silver,Professor Emeritus of Ocean Sciences, one of the first women to head a major Ocean Sciences department at a UC. Her works focuses on phytoplankton and ocean food webs. What do phytoplankton have to do with Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, The Birds? Find out how Mary Silver figured • Read More »


What Ancient Hot Earth Can Teach Us About Global Warming-PW060

James Zachos‘s investigations of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum and other major climate shifts in Earth’s past are highly relevant to understanding how human activities are driving modern-day global climate change. A study he coauthored in 2016 shows that the current rate at which carbon is being released into the atmosphere is unprecedented in at least • Read More »


Digging into the Past to Save the Future-PW059

In this episode, we look at how archeologists are working with native tribes to mitigate the impact of sea level rise on native burial sites. We explore mapping the complex webs of interdependence involved in one native fishery and how that sheds light on our own food systems. Our guest is Mike Newland, a professional • Read More »


Better Living Through Chemistry: A Methanol Future?-PW058

Dr. Surya Prakash, author of Beyond Oil and Gas: The Methanol Economy, which he co-wrote with George Olah and Alain Goeppert. Find out about his latest discovery for converting methane gas to plastics and other chemical science breakthroughs such as methanol which can reduce pollution. Prakash is holder of the George A. and Judith A. • 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 »


Trump’s Solar Tariffs: Boon or Bane?-PW055

How will Trump’s tariffs on solar panels affect efforts to install millions of solar panels and fight climate change? Who are the winners and losers in this trade game? We’ll hear from Markus Beck CTO of Siva Technologies, a solar manufacturing firm in the Bay Area, and Antony Tersol, Principal at Applied Solar Energy in • Read More »


Offshore Oil Drilling Proposal Threatens Coastlines Across U.S.-PW054

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 California and • Read More »


Don’t Panic, It’s Organic-PW053

For Jean and Jerry Thomas, organic farming came out of a love of gardening and an aversion to pesticides and the polluted world both of them grew up in around Los Angeles. Now, four decades later, they have handed a rich legacy to their children who are running Thomas Farms, a flower business that went • Read More »


Dr. Robert Kopp on the Latest Climate Report-PW052

We hear from Dr. Robert Kopp, one of the leading climate scientists in the U.S. talking about the most recent government report and what it says about sea level rise. Also, a story about selective logging in Santa Cruz County and a wave energy test facility in Oregon. Plus bombogenesis, ridiculously resilient ridges, and other • Read More »