Micro-Hydro Power Guru Don Harris – PW013

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 »


City Climate Action Coordinator: Tiffany Wise-West of Santa Cruz, California – PW012

Climate Action Coordinator for the city of Santa Cruz, California – Dr. Tiffany Wise-West discusses the city’s Climate Action Plan and the process of preparing for sea level rise. She explains the distinctions between climate mitigation and adaptation and describes the city’s  first sea level rise vulnerability and social vulnerability assessments, in which her team • Read More »




California’s Environmental Policy – PW009

Governor of California Jerry Brown’s Senior Policy Advisor, Ken Alex, discusses how California will stay the course on the environment during the Trump era. Also an interview with David Auston, a researcher in the Institute for Energy Efficiency, and Director of the UC TomKat Carbon Neutrality Project at the University of California Santa Barbara. Austin • Read More »


Communicating About Climate Change-PW008

Why is it so hard to communicate about Climate Change? What if the future depended on our  communicating about this better? Two experts in science communications, Susan Joy Hassol and Dr. Edward Maibach talk about how we communicate about climate change and how we might achieve more productive dialogue, today on Planet Watch Radio. Susan Joy • Read More »



Adapting to Climate Change: Water & Ecosystems-PW006

On today’s show, two scientists talk about ecosystems and water resources in a changing planet. University of California Santa Cruz evolutionary biologist, Professor Erika Zavaleta discusses her work on ecosystems and how they adapt to extreme changes in climate. UCSC marine scientist Dr. Adina Paytan tells about the Oroville dam failure and shares other unfolding • Read More »


Climate Change: Impact on Plants – PW005

Plants and Climate Change: How will plants survive the wide swings in climate that are expected in the next century? To understand how short-term weather patterns, altered atmospheric composition, and climate change drive plant physiology, the structure of biological communities, and ecosystem processes, join Dr. Michael Loik, Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of • Read More »


Frans Lanting: Nature Photographer – PW004

Internationally acclaimed nature photographer Frans Lanting talks about his recent expedition to Antarctica and Patagonia, tracing the steps of Ernest Shackelton’s infamous expedition to the south pole. Frans Lanting has been hailed as one of the great nature photographers of our time. For three decades he has documented wildlife from the Amazon to Antarctica to promote • Read More »