Can't Take the Heat

On this episode, Carolina Marghidan Pereira is hosting the show and interviews Nathalie Doswald, Senior Officer for Nature-based Solutions at the IFRC, and Veronica Ruiz,  Nature-based Solutions Program Officer at IUCN. They discuss the benefits and challenges of using nature-based solutions to adapt to climate change. 

References and supplemental material:

• Intro to nature-based solutions
• IUCN Nature-Based Solutions

The intro music is Welcome to the Show, and the background music is Beauty Flow, both by Kevin MacLeod and is used under a creative commons license. The podcast art is by Melinda.

You can listen to the episode by clicking the “play” button in the audio player above or downloading it through your favorite podcast platform. If you are new to podcasts, learn how to listen.

 Was that climate change? That's the question that comes up after a devastating storm, flood, or heatwave. Scientists are now able to give us an answer, and relatively quickly! This week Margot Curl, Manager Innovative Engagement and Youth at the Climate Centre,  is hosting the show and she interviews Sjoukje Phillip, KNMI, who works as part of the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group to provide rapid, and scientifically robust answers to the attribution question. Margot also talks to Ignacio Amigo a communications expert who helps WWA get their work out to journalists and the general public. And she interviews Roop Singh, the regular host of the show, about the role of vulnerability and exposure in determining the impact of an extreme event. 

References and supplemental material:

• World Weather Attribution
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report: Attribution of Extreme Weather Events in the Context of Climate Change

The intro music is Welcome to the Show, and the background music is Beauty Flow, both by Kevin MacLeod and is used under a creative commons license. The podcast art is by Melinda.

You can listen to the episode by clicking the “play” button in the audio player above or downloading it through your favorite podcast platform. If you are new to podcasts, learn how to listen.

Do you remember a moment when you got a chance to make significant progress or change happen? That is the goal of a new network, created by and for African researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to exchange knowledge and take action on climate and health issues. CHANCE stands for the Climate-Health Africa Network for Collaboration and Engagement, and it's already generating a sense of excitement. Those who attended the network's first meeting heard a first-hand account of how climate is impacting neonatal health and washing away health infrastructure, and the reasons why Africa already has great capacity to take on this challenge. Listen to hear from Didacus Namanya (Uganda Ministry of Health), Jennifer Kuhl (Global Climate and Health Alliance), Antonios Kolimenakis (WHO Africa), and Matthew Chersich (University of the Witwatersrand) on their experience at the CHANCE network meeting and where it should go next. 

References and supplemental material:

• Recordings of the CHANCE conference 2022
• Learn more about the CHANCE
• The CHANCE Network was started as part of the ENBEL project

The intro music is Welcome to the Show, and the background music is Beauty Flow, both by Kevin MacLeod and is used under a creative commons license. The podcast art is by Melinda.

You can listen to the episode by clicking the “play” button in the audio player above or downloading it through your favorite podcast platform. If you are new to podcasts, learn how to listen.

Promoting hand-washing and providing people with toilets are two interventions for a field of work called "WASH" which stands for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene.   This month,  I learn about what WASH has to do with the climate and how such basic interventions can be both cost-effective and life-saving.  We were joined by Yusuf Kabir, Programme Specialist: Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene and Climate, DRR and Emergency Focal Point at UNICEF India, who told us about his experience implementing WASH interventions in Maharashtra India.

References and supplemental material:

• The UNICEF India WASH program 
• Yusaf Kabir's blog, WASH Garage

The intro music is Welcome to the Show, and the background music is Beauty Flow, both by Kevin MacLeod and is used under a creative commons license. The podcast art is by Melinda.

You can listen to the episode by clicking the “play” button in the audio player above or downloading it through your favorite podcast platform. If you are new to podcasts, learn how to listen.

It's June! That means temperatures are rising around the northern hemisphere as we enter the summer months. This year we held the first ever, Heat Action Day, on June 14th, 2022, with over 50 heat flashmobs performed in cities and towns around the world to raise awareness of heat risks and simple actions to #BeatTheHeat. In this episode, we hear from IFRC President Rocca, as well as representatives from the Bangladesh Red Crescent, Norwegian Red Cross and even the Chief Heat Officer from Athens, Greece about why we should care about heat risks and how we can address them. 

References and supplemental material:

• The Heat Action Day  
• The Heat Tool Kit
• Compilation of flashmobs to #BeatTheHeat
• Some of the latest heat research conducted by the ENBEL project

The intro music is Welcome to the Show, and the background music is Beauty Flow, both by Kevin MacLeod and is used under a creative commons license. The podcast art is by Melinda.

You can listen to the episode by clicking the “play” button in the audio player above or downloading it through your favorite podcast platform. If you are new to podcasts, learn how to listen.

Water is essential to all human life, and yet it's a challenge to match the needs of people with the availability of water throughout the year. There may be too much, or too little water or the water may be polluted and unusable. On top of this climate change and trends like urbanization are contributing to increasing water scarcity. This month, we were joined by Ruth Matthews, senior manager at SIWI, and Dr. Jean-Christophe Comte, PI of the Connect 4 Water Resilience project to talk about solutions to water stress and scarcity. 

References and supplemental material:

• The Connect4WaterResilience project
• The Science for Humanitarian Emergencies and Resilience (SHEAR) programme
• The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) 

The intro music is Welcome to the Show, and the background music is Beauty Flow, both by Kevin MacLeod and is used under a creative commons license. The podcast art is by Melinda.

You can listen to the episode by clicking the “play” button in the audio player above or downloading it through your favorite podcast platform. If you are new to podcasts, learn how to listen.

Back in July 2020, we told you about a new frontier in forecasting, Impact-based Forecasts, that tell us "what the weather will do." Now, we are back with season 3 and bringing you the experiences of the people who are trying to build Impact-based Forecasting systems around the world. We'll hear from meteorologists in South America, South Africa, and Indonesia on what they are learning in the process.

References and supplemental material:

• The Asia Regional Resilience to a Changing Climate (ARCCC) program

The intro music is Welcome to the Show, and the background music is Beauty Flow, both by Kevin MacLeod and is used under a creative commons license. The podcast art is by Melinda.

You can listen to the episode by clicking the “play” button in the audio player above or downloading it through your favorite podcast platform. If you are new to podcasts, learn how to listen.

The world of corporations is finally starting to take climate change seriously. What are they doing and what are the motivations of companies taking climate action? How skeptical should you be every time you see company announce a climate pledge?  These are all questions that Edward Cameron, author of the new book, The New Corporate Climate Leadership, deftly answers for us. His experience working with civil society and businesses makes him uniquely qualified to share lessons on how humanitarian organisations can engage the private sector on climate issues.  He also tells us why courage and creativity are the two most important things we need to create a low-carbon and resilient economy. Have a listen!

References and supplemental material:

• The book: The New Corporate Climate Leadership by Edward Cameron and Emilie Prattico - out December 6, 2021

The intro music is Welcome to the Show, and the background music is Beauty Flow, both by Kevin MacLeod and is used under a creative commons license. The podcast art is by Melinda.

You can listen to the episode by clicking the “play” button in the audio player above or downloading it through your favorite podcast platform. If you are new to podcasts, learn how to listen.

As world leaders gather at COP26, we discuss the report that underpins it all.  The IPCC released part 1 of its Sixth Assessment report on our physical understanding of climate change. I spoke with two IPCC authors, Dr.  Sonia Seneviratne of ETH Zurich, and Dr. Fredi Otto of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, to find out what the headline messages are, and what they mean for the humanitarian community. The findings, in some cases are grim, and we discuss how to go from doom and despair to the inspiring action that is desperately needed on climate change. Shu Liang from Day of Adaptation, joins us to share how her organisation uses games to make the science more accessible and actionable.

References and supplemental material:

• The Sixth IPCC Assessment Report
• The Interactive Atlas
• Regional Climate Factsheets
• The Day of Adaptation

The intro music is Welcome to the Show, and the background music is Beauty Flow, both by Kevin MacLeod and is used under a creative commons license. The podcast art is by Melinda.

You can listen to the episode by clicking the “play” button in the audio player above or downloading it through your favorite podcast platform. If you are new to podcasts, learn how to listen.

In this episode we talk about what happens when climate and conflict mix to create a whole new set of vulnerabilities.  Catalina Jaime from the Climate Centre tells us that the climate doesn't quite cause conflict, but it can be a factor and shares an example from Nepal. Marcia Wong from the International Committee of the Red Cross shares how the ICRC is taking climate into account in every part of their work.   Listen to find out more.

References and supplemental material:

• The Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organisations
• ND-GAIN Index
• When Rain Turns to Dust report
• IDMC report on Climate and Displacement

The intro music is Welcome to the Show, and the background music is Beauty Flow, both by Kevin MacLeod and is used under a creative commons license. The podcast art is by Melinda.

You can listen to the episode by clicking the “play” button in the audio player above or downloading it through your favorite podcast platform. If you are new to podcasts, learn how to listen.