Stories
COVID And Black Lives Matter Have Spurred Real Change; Why Can’t Climate Change Do The Same?
Our new climate change reporting initiative, By Degrees, begins in an unprecedented time – one where people are making seismic shifts in their lifestyles and attitudes in response to COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement. Many of our listeners have wondered: why haven’t people reacted the same way to the climate emergency, and could…
Read More‘Must Love Dogs, Dancing and the Planet’: Climate Change Heats Up the Dating Scene
Valentine’s Day is a romantic time, a time to ask: Will you go out with me? Will you be mine? But a growing number of hopeful young singles are asking a different kind of question: How do you feel about… climate change? Sitting in a booth by the bar at Mahoney’s on Main in Buzzards Bay, 26-year-old…
Read MoreAfter Years Of Slow Action On Climate Change, What Sets Offshore Wind Apart For New Hampshire?
Most New England states have been investing in alternative energy sources for years. But New Hampshire has been slower to act in response to climate change. Now, the Granite State is looking to be a leader in a major new source of renewable energy: offshore wind. Turnout exceeded all expectations at the first meeting, last…
Read MoreNatural gas utilities in Massachusetts are facing an existential crisis: they could be out of business by mid-century. That’s because the state’s 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act requires emissions from burning fossil fuels — like natural gas — be cut by 80% economy-wide by 2050. But now a solution that could help save the companies…
Read MoreWhen we think about animals that inhabit the cold New England ocean, sharks, seals, or lobsters may spring to mind. But there’s another critter lurking in the deep off our coast, and it’s one that may hold valuable secrets that could help its tropical cousins. And you may not have even known that it’s actually…
Read MoreMaine Fishermen Prepare For Losses And Gains In A Climate-Changed Ocean
In 30 years, the Gulf of Maine will have been transformed by climate change. Its waters will inexorably grow warmer, and the species that flourish there will be those that can adapt. The same might be said for the Mainers who make their living from the sea. The future of the state’s marine economy may…
Read MoreTo Combat Climate Change, Do We Need The Nuclear Option?
Future? In Massachusetts, nuclear power is history. Last spring, Massachusetts’ last nuclear power plant — Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station — shut down after nearly 50 years. Repairing the aging plant was too expensive, and it couldn’t compete against cheap natural gas. Nuclear opponents like Mary Lampert, founder of the citizens’ group Pilgrim Watch, say “good…
Read MoreFormer EPA Head To Young Climate Activists: Drive Your Parents Crazy
From the school-skipping 16-year-old Swedish activist raising global awareness about climate change, to the Green New Deal and the emergence of the Sunrise Movement across the U.S., young people are leading the charge for environmental change and action. While youth climate activism is not a new phenomenon, the dire warnings about inaction give today’s movement a heightened urgency. Former Environmental Protection Agency…
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Bren Smith began his career as a commercial fisherman, but now is the owner of Thimble Island Oyster Farm, a 3D restorative ocean farm in Connecticut. He’s also the author of the new book, Eat Like a Fish: My Adventures as a Fisherman Turned Restorative Ocean Farmer.
Read MoreThe image — of a child and an animal skeleton in a drought-stricken landscape —popped open just below a headline about the rapidly advancing effects of climate change. The story — about a United Nations report — described a world at risk for crises triggered by drought, flooding and extreme heat by 2040. Before reading…
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