In our last episode, we talked about using technology to suck out extra carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But you might also be thinking—don’t trees do that? Yeah, they do! In fact, some people have proposed that by planting enough trees, we could make a big dent on climate change. In this episode of TILclimate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Charles Harvey helps us answer the question: could we just plant a whole lot of trees to solve our climate problem?For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/til-about-planting-treesFor more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerIlana Hirschfeld, Student Production AssistantRobin Palmer, Fact CheckerSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

TILclimate

TIL about planting trees

We’ve had people ask us, if climate change is caused by adding too much CO2 into the atmosphere, can’t we just suck it back out? Won’t that solve our climate change problem? In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned: Climate), Professor Niall Mac Dowell of Imperial College London joins host Laur Hesse Fisher to demystify the process and feasibility of removing CO2 from the atmosphere.For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/til-about-technological-carbon-captureFor more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu.CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerIlana Hirschfeld, Student Production AssistantCarolyn Shea, Fact CheckerSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

TIL about removing CO2 from the atmosphere

Is climate change really a national security issue, in the same way we think about terrorism or nuclear weapons? And if so, what are our governments doing about it? In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned: Climate), national security expert Alice C. Hill joins host Laur Hesse Fisher to help answer these questions.For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/til-about-national-securityFor more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerIlana Hirschfeld, Student Production AssistantCarolyn Shea, Fact CheckerSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

TIL about national security

Sea level rise is already happening and affecting people right now. We invited Prof. James Renwick back to TILclimate to talk about the near future: what will sea-level rise look like for coastal areas in the next 20 or 30 years, and what can we do about it?For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/til-about-sea-level-rise-part-2For more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerIlana Hirschfeld, Student Production AssistantCarolyn Shea, Fact CheckerSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

TIL about sea level rise, part 2

If you’ve heard only one thing about climate change, it might be that sea levels are rising, and many of the Earth’s islands and coastlines are at risk. But, why? In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned: Climate), Professor James Renwick of Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand joins host Laur Hesse Fisher to break down the science of sea level rise and what’s in store for the future if we do — and don’t — significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/til-about-sea-level-rise-part-1For more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerIlana Hirschfeld, Student Production AssistantCarolyn Shea, Fact CheckerSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

TIL about sea level rise, part 1

Surveys show that both left- and right-leaning Americans support policies that slow climate change. So why aren’t we seeing more of these policies pass as legislation? In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned: Climate), MIT alum Parrish Bergquist joins host Laur Hesse Fisher to explain the significance of public opinion and climate change: what people believe, what influences their opinion and how policies are implemented. They also explore what bipartisan policy making could look like, and how to bridge the gap between support and action.Parrish Bergquist, an MIT alum from the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Science and the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, is an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/til-what-americans-think-about-climate-change. For more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerIlana Hirschfeld, Student Production AssistantMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

TIL what Americans think about climate change

Climate change can be confusing, and there’s so much to know. That’s why we’re back with a third season of TILclimate, bringing you new episodes that explain the basics, like why exactly is sea level rising, how climate change affects our national security, how can soils and trees be part of the solution, and so much more. All with real scientists and experts who can give you the straight story, in about ten minutes, jargon-free.

Season 3 Preview

Is it too late to prevent climate change? Are the scary predictions that we hear about inevitable? In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned Climate), MIT Prof. Noelle Selin joins host Laur Hesse Fisher to answer these questions. They explore what change is predictable, explain what climate goals like 1.5 C mean, and give insight to what it will take in order to achieve them.Prof. Noelle Selin is Associate Professor in the Institute for Data, Systems and Society and in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. She also serves as the Director of MIT's Technology and Policy Program. Her research uses modeling and analysis to inform sustainability decision-making, focusing on issues involving air pollution, climate change and hazardous substances such as mercury.For more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerSabrina Gaitan, Student Production AssistantMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol Produced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Is it too late?

Technologies like solar panels and batteries help us slow down climate change, but they’re not inherently perfect. In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned Climate), Suzanne Greene of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics and the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative sits down with host Laur Hesse Fisher to help us navigate how to massively scale up clean tech while making a conscious and dedicated effort to ensure people’s rights, health, and safety.Suzanne Greene manages the Sustainable Supply Chains initiative at the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics and is the lead on Metals, Minerals, and the Environment program at the Environmental Solutions Initiative. She collaborates with industry and stakeholders to develop new methods to calculate, report and offset carbon emissions, improving our understanding of the climate impact of products we use every day.For more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerSabrina Gaitan, Student Production AssistantMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron KrolProduced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

TIL about cleaning up clean tech

Let’s talk about a technology that could change our whole energy system, but so far hasn’t generated a single watt. In the season finale of TILclimate (Today I Learned Climate), Professor Dennis Whyte sits down with host Laur Hesse Fisher to talk about fusion energy.Dennis Whyte is the Director of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), and a Hitachi America Professor of Engineering. As director of PSFC, Whyte has been a key enabler for the SPARC project, a compact, high-field, net fusion energy experiment. The core of the SPARC project, and many ideas for its development, have been conceived or advanced through Professor Whyte’s courses.Season two of TILclimate focuses on our global energy system, its relationship to climate change, and what our options are for keeping the lights on while creating a clean energy future. We're partnering with the MIT Energy Initiative, which will air longer interviews with each guest to take a deeper dive into these topics. Dive DeeperFor more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit: tilclimate.mit.eduFor related energy podcasts from the MIT Energy Initiative, visit: http://energy.mit.edu/podcast/For a MITEI podcast discussing fusion energy, visit: http://energy.mit.edu/podcast/game-changing-fusion/To learn more Professor Whyte’s SPARC project, a compact, high-field, net fusion energy experiment, visit: https://www.psfc.mit.edu/sparcWant to learn more about how fusion works in stars? Check out: https://sciencing.com/life-cycle-mediumsized-star-5490048.htmlFor information on the U.S. Department of Energy Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program, visit: https://science.osti.gov/fesIn the episode, Professor Whyte talks about plasma in fusion reactions. Wondering what exactly plasma is? Check out: https://www.livescience.com/54652-plasma.html CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerJessie Hendricks, Graduate Student WriterAaron Krol, Contributing WriterSkyler Jones, Student Production AssistantMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol Produced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

TIL about fusion energy

This season, we’ve talked about alternative energy sources that don’t emit carbon dioxide -- but what if there was a way to continue using fossil fuels for energy without emitting CO2 into the atmosphere? In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned Climate), Dr. Howard Herzog and Professor Brad Hager sit down with host Laur Hesse Fisher to talk about capturing, using, and storing carbon emissions, and how it fits into a clean energy future.Howard Herzog is a Senior Research Engineer in the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), where he has researched combating greenhouse gas emissions for over 30 years. He was also a Coordinating Lead Author for the IPCC Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage and a co-author on the MIT Future of Coal Study.Brad Hager is the Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Earth Sciences in the MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS). He is also the co-director of the MIT Energy Initiative’s Low Carbon Energy Center on Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage.Season two of TILclimate focuses on our global energy system, its relationship to climate change, and what our options are for keeping the lights on while creating a clean energy future. We're partnering with the MIT Energy Initiative, which will air longer interviews with each guest to take a deeper dive into these topics.CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerJessie Hendricks, Graduate Student WriterAaron Krol, Contributing WriterRuby Wincele, Student Production AssistantCecilia Bolon, Student Production AssistantSkyler Jones, Student Production AssistantMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol Produced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

TIL about carbon capture

We know how to generate tons of electricity without pumping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, using a technology that’s already mature, widespread, and competitive with fossil fuels -- and also, very controversial: nuclear power. In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned Climate), Prof. Jacopo Buongiorno, Director of the MIT Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems, sits down with host Laur Hesse Fisher to explore how nuclear power works, why even some climate advocates don’t agree on using it, and what role it can play in our clean energy future.Jacopo Buongiorno is the TEPCO Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the Director of Science and Technology of the Nuclear Reactor Laboratory at MIT.  He is also the Director of the Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems (CANES), which is one of eight Low-Carbon-Energy Centers of the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI).Season two of TILclimate focuses on our global energy system, its relationship to climate change, and what our options are for keeping the lights on while creating a clean energy future. We're partnering with the MIT Energy Initiative, which will air longer interviews with each guest to take a deeper dive into these topics.For more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.eduFor related energy podcasts from the MIT Energy Initiative, visit:http://energy.mit.edu/podcast/For the MITEI podcast episode on the Future of Nuclear Energy, visit:https://energy.mit.edu/podcast/the-future-of-nuclear-energy/For the full MITEI report on the Future on Nuclear Energy, visit:http://energy.mit.edu/research/future-nuclear-energy-carbon-constrained-world/For a deeper dive into nuclear energy, check out Prof. Buongiorno’s course on edX:https://www.edx.org/course/nuclear-energy-science-systems-and-societyTo get a sense of the USA’s energy mix, visit:https://www.epa.gov/energy/power-profiler#/If you want to know more about how nuclear fuel is stored,visit:https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/safer-storage-spent-nuclear-fuelFor a comparison of the safety of different energy sources: https://ourworldindata.org/safest-sources-of-energyFor the landmark report on Chernobyl mentioned in the episode, written by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), visit:https://www.unscear.org/unscear/en/chernobyl.htmlFor more details on the 2011 Fukushima accident, check out the official Fukushima Prefecture report:http://www.pref.fukushima.lg.jp/site/portal-english/en03-01.htmlCreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerJessie Hendricks, Graduate Student WriterAaron Krol, Contributing WriterDarya Guettler, Student Production AssistantSkyler Jones, Student Production AssistantMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron KrolProduced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

TIL about nuclear energy

We hear a lot about technologies that produce carbon-free energy, but what about actually using less energy to begin with? In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned Climate), Harvey Michaels, lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, joins host Laur Hesse Fisher to explore the three ways that energy efficiency can help us reduce carbon emissions.Harvey Michaels, an MIT alumnus now lecturing at the MIT Sloan School of Management, researches energy management and efficiency and smart-grid-related opportunities to mitigate climate change. He is a member of Future of the Grid at the MIT Energy Initiative, Efficiency Forward at the Sloan Sustainability Initiative, and Project Faculty for Energy Democracy at the MIT Media Lab. Prior to joining MIT, Harvey Michaels worked at energy efficiency companies Xenergy and Aclara Software.Season two of TILclimate focuses on our global energy system, its relationship to climate change, and what our options are for keeping the lights on while creating a clean energy future. We're partnering with the MIT Energy Initiative, which will air longer interviews with each guest to take a deeper dive into these topics.For more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.eduFor related energy podcasts from the MIT Energy Initiative, visit:http://energy.mit.edu/podcast/For a list of U.S. energy efficiency incentives for by state, visit: https://www.dsireusa.org/Check out this case study on the Bullitt Center in Seattle, which achieved a certification called the Living Building Challenge. The building is so energy efficient, the solar panels on its roof generate more electricity than the building needs:http://www.bullittcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/living-proof-bullitt-center-case-study.pdfWant to know how energy efficient your lightbulbs are?  Check out this comparison: https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/save-electricity-and-fuel/lighting-choices-save-you-money/how-energy-efficient-lightHere is a resource comparing the cost to fuel an electric car versus a gasoline car:https://www.energy.gov/articles/egallon-how-much-cheaper-it-drive-electricityCreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerJessie Hendricks, Graduate Student WriterAaron Krol, Contributing WriterDarya Guettler, Student Production AssistantMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron KrolProduced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

TIL about energy efficiency

What will it take to generate the electricity our society needs, without generating carbon emissions? In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned Climate), Dr. Magdalena Klemun at the MIT Institute for Data, Systems and Society joins host Laur Hesse Fisher to begin exploring this question, starting with wind and solar power. What exactly are wind and solar power? What challenges do we currently face when trying to use wind and solar to generate most of our electricity? What’s the role of energy storage, and what could our future zero-carbon energy mix look like? Dr. Magdalena Klemun, a postdoctoral associate at the Trancik Lab at the MIT Institute for Data, Systems and Society, works on understanding how the economic and environmental performance of technologies evolve in response to different innovation efforts, with an emphasis on the cost evolution of photovoltaic systems and nuclear power plants, and on the environmental performance evolution of natural gas technologies. She has degrees from MIT, Columbia University, and Vienna University of Technology.TILclimate is produced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative.Season two of TILclimate focuses on our global energy system, its relationship to climate change, and what our options are for keeping the lights on while creating a clean energy future. We're partnering with the MIT Energy Initiative, which will air longer interviews with each guest to take a deeper dive into these topics.For more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.eduFor related podcasts from the MIT Energy Initiative, visit:Energy technology evolution: http://energy.mit.edu/podcast/21Firm low-carbon energy resources: http://energy.mit.edu/podcast/firm-low-carbon-energy-resources/Batteries & storage: http://energy.mit.edu/podcast/batteries-and-storage/Game-changing solar: http://energy.mit.edu/podcast/game-changing-solar/For more information on the world’s current energy breakdown, visit: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics?country=WORLD&fuel=Energy%20supply&indicator=Total%20primary%20energy%20supply%20(TPES)%20by%20sourceFor the full break-down of where the US gets its energy:https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/Check out this selection of Dr. Klemun’s research:Mitigating Methane Emissions of Natural Gas: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab2577/pdfIntersection between Emissions Reductions and Technological Innovation in Wind and Solar:http://energy.mit.edu/publication/technology-improvement-and-emissions-reductions-as-mutually-reinforcing-efforts/For a more in-depth analysis of storage requirements for decarbonization, check out this study:https://www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(19)30300-9For a closer look at potential low-carbon energy mixes for future decarbonization, check out this study: https://www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(18)30386-6CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerJessie Hendricks, Graduate Student WriterDarya Guettler, Student Production AssistantMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron KrolProduced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

TIL about wind and solar

In this mini-episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned: Climate), host Laur Hesse Fisher breaks down what we’re actually talking about when we use the word “energy”. In a few minutes, we cover the difference between energy and electricity, and the big picture strategy for how to reduce CO2 for each.Season two of TILclimate focuses on our global energy system, its relationship to climate change, and what our options are for keeping the lights on while creating a clean energy future. We’re partnering with the MIT Energy Initiative, which will air longer interviews to take a deeper dive into these topics.For more episodes of TILclimate, visit: tilclimate.mit.eduTo listen to the MIT Energy Initiative podcast, visit: energy.mit.edu/podcastFor the full break-down of where U.S. gets its energy: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerJessie Hendricks, Graduate Student WriterMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron KrolSpecial thanks to Neil Fisher.Produced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Is it energy or electricity?

Climate change is confusing. This MIT podcast breaks down the science, technologies, and policies behind climate change, how it’s impacting us, and what our society can do about it. Each quick episode gives you the what, why, and how on climate change — from real scientists — to help us all make informed decisions for our future.