Rekindling Our Relationship With Wildfire

The wildfires that have ravaged the western U.S. and Canada in recent years are almost incomprehensible in scope and intensity — millions of acres up in flames, tons of carbon sent into the atmosphere. And even if you don’t live near a forest, the smoke will still impact your life. 

What strategies work to help minimize the risk of wildfires on a systemic and personal level? How can homeowners prepare for the increasing certainty that wildfires will be part of their future? How can we adapt our fire management practices in partnership with Indigenous communities, who have used fire to manage their environment for thousands of years? And how do we account for the fact that our best emissions reduction efforts pale in the face of what nature can do in one summer?

This episode was supported by the Resources Legacy Fund.

Susan Prichard

Fire Ecologist, University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest Sciences

Ana Alanis

Founder, Hungry for Climate Action

Nick Mott

Multimedia journalist

Frank Kanawha Lake

Research Ecologist and Tribal Liaison, USDA Forest Service 

Climate Heroes In Your Neighborhood with Matt Scott
Tuesday June 25 | 6:00 p.m.
There are climate heroes among us everywhere, but many go unnoticed in the thrum of everyday life. Matt Scott, director of storytelling and engagement at Project Drawdown, has been shining a light on the work of such people in cities across the country in his documentary short series “Drawdown’s Neighborhood.” In Atlanta, Pittsburgh, New Orleans and more, Scott lifts up underrepresented voices of those engaging in climate issues directly in their communities. And that diversity of voices — of women, Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color — is itself the point. “By passing the mic to underrepresented people working on the frontlines of climate change, we hope to share as many of these stories as possible while reshaping who society sees as climate heroes,” says Scott. 

The San Francisco Bay Area is the latest region in Drawdown’s Neighborhood, with full episodes premiering in August 2024. Join us for this unique Climate One event, as Scott hosts a live conversation with local climate heroes and showcases the diversity of people taking action all across the country to meaningfully address climate change.

Just over three weeks before the nation’s first traffic congestion pricing plan was to be implemented in Lower Manhattan, New York Governor Kathy Hochul halted its implementation with no notice to transit agencies or state legislators. Congestion pricing is a special traffic tolling system where dense urban areas charge drivers high fees for entering during peak traffic hours. The revenues are typically allocated toward public transit and infrastructure improvements, leading directly to safer streets and lower emissions. Hochul cited the toll’s potential impact on working-class families as her reason for suddenly reversing course, however, a comprehensive study from the federal Department of Transportation found congestion pricing increased transit equity.

Major cities like Stockholm, Singapore, and London have utilized congestion pricing for decades, enabling their governments to better fund their city’s transit systems. Their plans also carve out exemptions for low-income drivers and drivers with disabilities for whom public transit is untenable — a model New York City would have copied. Even business owners, often the biggest defenders of automobile-oriented urban design, were dismayed by the governor’s decision.

The ultimate goal of congestion pricing is to reduce the number of trips made by car. And while electrification will reduce the amount of emissions attributed to car travel, even EVs have climate concerns, especially when compared to travel by bus or train. The new tolls were sold in part as a massive step toward New York’s landmark emissions reduction goal, leaving many to wonder how the governor will address the shortfall in expected decarbonization.

PLUS:

As with just about every other industry, plastic plays a big role in modern agriculture, with plastic-based mulch one of the most common uses. And while the technology has some benefits, namely improving crop yields and lowering water use, plasticulture, as the mulch is known, is not reusable.

Some farmers are increasingly worried about the waste and contamination produced by plasticulture. While biodegradable plastic mulches exist, the technology is not considered mature enough for widespread commercial use — making farming yet another industry where plastic dominates. 

Is Big Plastic the new Big Oil? Check out our recent episode, featuring four experts in the field, to better understand how plastic ate the world.

Source: NOAA

Has this ever happened to you? It’s Friday afternoon, you finish the newest Climate One episode, and you’re hungry for more climate conversations, but you have to wait until next Friday to hear from Greg and Ariana again.

Lucky for you, we’ve recently experimented with releasing special mini bonus episodes! There were four produced during SF Climate Week — conveniently gathered into a playlist on our website — and another released last month in honor of the late Rep. Pete McCloskey. 

These shorter episodes are a new format for us, so we’d love your feedback. Leave a review or reply to this email to share your thoughts with the Climate One team. And pay close attention to your podcast feed, as another bonus episode may be out soon 👀