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Thick ice caps topping some dormant volcanoes may be acting like a champagne cork. Research released earlier this month suggests that by speeding up the melt of those ice caps through human-caused climate change, we’re removing the foil and the little wire cage on some trapped liquid that will taste a bit more acidic than champagne when it gets out as the cork tries to free itself.

Bob Berwyn has reported for a decade for Inside Climate News - the OG climate outlet that in 2015 broke the story of the biggest corporate scandal in history: a nine-part investigative series demonstrating how much #ExxonKnew about the effects that burning oil and other fossil fuels would have on the future climate, and then doing everything in its power to prevent anyone from stopping it.

Bob’s piece on the volcano research stopped me in my tracks. As he said in this conversation:

“the most profound thing about a study like this volcano study … is how profoundly we're changing fundamental parts of the global Earth system. I mean, we're sitting here talking about things like, ‘wow, could our activities actually cause more volcanoes?’ I mean, just the fact that we're asking this question is, ‘wow, what have we done?’ You know?”

In This Conversation

01:33 Scientific Insights on Volcanic Activity

05:20 Challenges in Climate Research

12:09 Global Climate Negotiations

20:12 Heatwaves and Public Health

23:54 Legal and Ethical Responsibilities

24:36 The Reality of Heat Waves and Their Deadly Impact

26:13 The Political Project Against Climate Science

27:07 Social Science and Climate Action

28:58 The Anti-Autocracy Handbook for Scientists

31:02 Free Speech and Authoritarianism

34:25 The Role of Legal Obligations in Climate Justice

37:05 Public Perception and Managed Retreat

40:37 Final Thoughts and Upcoming Stories

Keep Up With Bob

Bob is an essential follow on BlueSky, and his journalism for Inside Climate News does not quit. Here are links to just some of the stories we touched on:

Melting Ice Caps Could Bring Dormant Volcanoes to Life

Human-Caused Global Warming Spiked the Death Toll of Europe’s Early Summer Heatwave

New Handbook Aims to Protect Scientists From Autocratic Threats

Bonn Climate Talks Rife With Roadblocks and Dead Ends

If you think these conversations are worth listening to, share them with a friend or make an offering to the volcano gods to spare your town.

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