Climate Cast

A recent study shows nearly 15 percent of Americans “do not believe in climate change.”

So, what drives climate denialism in the U.S.?

Joshua Newell is a professor and co-director of the Center for Sustainable Systems. He was one of the authors of this research and broke down his findings.

Electric vehicle dealers right here in Minnesota are using different strategies to convince prospective buyers from different political affiliations.

A new paper shows increasing global average temperatures and more intense and frequent heat waves are already driving up the prices of food and other goods.

To talk more about climate change and inflation is the lead author of that research, Maximilian Kotz with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany.

Earth’s oceans have been reaching record-warm temperatures. Every day for the last 12 months.

What is happening? How much is climate change driving the temperature spike? And how concerned are climate scientists?

University of St. Thomas Professor John Abraham, one of the world’s leading ocean temperature researchers, talks about it.

More than 25 percent of Minnesota’s electricity now comes from renewable sources like wind and solar.

Despite the progress and growth of green energy, there’s still a backlog of projects waiting approval is slowing the growth of clean energy in Minnesota. A new proposed bill being considered by the state would streamline the permitting process.

Reporter Kristoffer Tigue wrote about this topic for Inside Climate News.

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

Minnesota’s warmest winter on record was literally off the charts in several metrics.

Just how unique was this winter? And how is our shifting climate impacting our daily weather forecasts?

Pete Boulay is with the Minnesota State Climatologist Office. He keeps track of weather and climate records around Minnesota.

The warmest winter on record has also brought some of the lowest snow cover on record to much of Minnesota.

What does the lack of snow mean for Minnesota’s soils and farmers this year?

Jeff Strock is a professor with the University of Minnesota Southwest Research and Outreach Center.

Well-known climate scientist Michael Mann recently won a million-dollar lawsuit against conservative bloggers.

Mann alleged that he was defamed by the bloggers who said the climatologist “molested and tortured data.”

So what precedent could this case set?

Leigh Currie, the Director of Strategic Litigation with the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, breaks down what his win could mean for climate science.

Locals in the Galapagos say climate change and the current Super El Niño could be affecting the marine life and climate there.

The Galapagos Islands sit on the Equator in the eastern Pacific Ocean, just west of Ecuador at the confluence of three major ocean currents.

MPR meteorologist Sven Sundgaard just returned from the islands on a trip where he got a first-hand look at what’s happening.

Minnesota’s first-ever “green bank” launches this year. The Minnesota Climate Innovation Finance Authority will distribute funding for green energy and other climate-friendly projects. The first projects from the $45 million pool could be funded early this summer.

For more on the green bank is Pete Klein, interim executive director for the Minnesota Climate Innovation Finance Authority.