Climate Cast

Lakes are a part of Minnesota’s Identity. 

While the thousands of lakes are cherished for their recreational accessibility across the state, some of those pristine bodies of water could — one day — help generate a vast amount of clean energy through solar power.

Matt Simon wrote about floating solar panels for Grist. Simon talked to MPR News meteorologist Paul Huttner about floatovoltaics.

To hear the full conversation, click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast.

Last year, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law requiring the state’s electrical utilities to transition to 100 percent carbon-free energy sources by 2040. 

That means replacing power sources that produce carbon dioxide such as coal and natural gas with renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydropower and biomass.

But how do you define “carbon-free” and what guidelines will be used to make sure utilities are meeting that standard? “We’re really hoping that carbon-free actually means carbon-free,” said B. Rosas, a policy manager with the advocacy group Climate Generation.

Rosas talked to Paul Huttner about the organization’s efforts.

To hear the full conversation, click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast.

Recent abundant levels of rainfall across the state have pulled Minnesota out of drought for the first time since June 2022.

Will this rainfall pattern continue? And how are Minnesota’s precipitation swings a symptom of climate change? 

Kenneth Blumenfeld with the Minnesota State Climatology Office talks about recent rainfall across the state and explains how both dry and wet patterns — sometimes lasting several months — are connected to climate change. 

Looking to buy a new e-bike?

Well, the Minnesota Department of Revenue has a new rebate program to help with the costs.

Assistant Commissioner Sarah Bronson from the Department of Revenue talks through details of the program and how to apply.

The 2024 Minnesota Legislature session is a wrap. So, what got done this year with climate progress in Minnesota?

Walker Orenstein is a reporter for the Star Tribune. He says the changes to the permitting process for clean energy projects passed by lawmakers is a major step forward.

Heating and cooling our homes and buildings in Minnesota contribute about 40 percent of our state’s greenhouse gas emissions. What opportunity exists to reduce our carbon footprint by updating our building codes?

MPR News correspondent Dan Kraker wrote about that recently and shared his key takeaways.

A scientist at the University of Minnesota may have found a better way to track the effects of climate change on Arctic and boreal regions like northern Minnesota where temperatures are rising at some of the fastest rates in the world.

Rui Cheng, a professor in the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Minnesota, is behind the research on using leaf glow to monitor vegetation dynamics.

While not visible under natural light, leaf glow can be detected using remote sensing and can provide important information about the health of Arctic-boreal ecosystems.

Cheng shared more about the research on this week’s Climate Cast.

Renewable energy sources provided 33 percent of Minnesota’s electricity last year, which is 10 percent higher than the national average according to a new report.

So, what’s next for Minnesota’s clean energy transition?

Amelia Cerling Hennes, managing director of public affairs for Clean Energy Economy MN, shared more about the state’s clean energy progress.

“I’m sorry we broke the sea and sky and shortened the wings of the nightingale. I’m sorry that the Great Barrier Reef is no longer great, that we value Amazon much more than the Amazon.”

Those are the words of CNN’s chief climate correspondent Bill Weir from his new book called “Life as We Know It (Can Be).” He wrote it as a letter to his 4-year-old son River to read in the future.

It’s a future where he hopes we’ve fixed our broken climate.

Bill Weir, who began his career in Austin, shared more about the book on this week’s Climate Cast.

Hurricanes are getting so strong that some scientists say we should add a Category 6 to the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale.

That’s out of a recent study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looking at the link between stronger hurricanes and climate change.

Senior Climate Reporter Andrew Freedman wrote about it for Axios.