It's Getting Hot In Here

This week Skylar (with the help of Autumn) teaches us about solid waste management , including all things food waste, recycling, and trash. Skylar shares all the fun things you can find while dumpster diving and we share our tips for reducing personal waste.

This week Sharan teaches us about the Endangered Species Act, and how it’s being threatened by the Trump administration. We learn about how it started, cases that challenged the act, a group called the God Squad, and how the act relates to climate change.

Use this outline to message your Representatives urging them to protect the Endangered Species Act!

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We are joined this week by special guest Isha who shares some of her favorite songs with climate change themes! Also the rest of the pod ladies share their favorite books and movies that relate to climate change. Let us know your favorite climate themed media in the comments below!

Check out the media mentioned in this episode:

Rhinestone Eyes by Gorillaz

Sagittarius A* by Declan McKenna

Oil by Gorillaz feat. Stevie Nicks

Sprawl ll by Arcade Fire

Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water by Marc Reisner

WALL-E

Tiger Work by Ben Okri

Princess Mononoke

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This week Hadley shares some environmental success stories from the last few decades, including the origins of the environmental justice movement, the foundation of the EPA, acid rain reduction, and dam removals.

The pod ladies also share how you can be apart of these successes! Such as becoming a citizen scientist or voicing your opinion at public forums. And so much more!

Yes it’s getting hotter in here, but we can do this!

Follow us on Instagram! @its.getting.hot

Become a citizen scientist for air quality monitoring:

• ​Purchase and install a PurpleAir monitor!
• ​AirNow Fire and Smoke map by the EPA (your air monitoring data can contribute to this!)
• ​Other air monitoring companies: AirGradient

C omment on EPA dockets:

• ​Tips for commenting
• ​Submit comments on upcoming issues here

Resources used in this episode:

• ​The Origins of EPA | US EPA
• ​Environmental Protection Agency: Why the EPA Was Created
• ​Cuyahoga River Fire: The Blaze That Started a National Discussion | Cleveland Historical
• ​Summary of the Clean Water Act | US EPA
• ​The Environmental Justice Movement
• ​History | California Air Resources Board
• ​1990 Clean Air Act Amendment Summary | US EPA
• ​Study: The ozone hole is healing, thanks to global reduction of CFCs | MIT News
• ​Success Stories about Restoring and Protecting Water Bodies Impaired by Nonpoint Source Pollution | US EPA
• ​A River Reborn: One Year After Klamath River Dam Removal | California Trout
• ​5 Key Findings from 60 Years of Water Use in California – Pacific Institute
• ​Completion of Champlain Hudson Power Express Project Celebrated | NYSERDA
• ​Renewable Energy Facts & Statistics
• ​Who’s Leading in Renewable Energy by State?
• ​Federal Laws - Environmental Law: A Beginner's Guide - Research Guides at Library of Congress

Put on your science caps we about to get nerdy up in here! This week Autumn teaches us about the El Niño Southern Oscillation and what to expect from a super El Niño this year.

Make sure the rate and comment on this episode to get a shout out in our next episode!

Visuals mentioned in the pod:

• Video with great visuals explaining El Niño
• Walker Circulation
• Sea Surface Anomaly map

Other sources used:

• ​ https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/el-nino-forms-expected-to-strengthen-say-noaa-forecasters
• ​ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260622-what-a-super-el-nino-means-for-north-america
• ​ https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/wmo-prepare-el-nino
• ​ https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/enso/what-el-nino-southern-oscillation-enso-nutshell
• https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/enso/technical-discussion

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Just in time for the 4th of July, Sharan takes us through the history and symbolism of National Parks and how the parks fit into our national conversation about climate change and the value we place on nature.

We discuss recent legislation affecting national parks, the importance of the parks in communicating climate change and exposing the public to nature, and share our favorite national parks.

Sign the petition to stop the construction of the wall in Big Bend Ranch State Park & Big Bend National Park! - https://nobigbendwall.org/sign-the-petition/

Resources used in this episode:

• ​Mark David Spence, Dispossessing the Wilderness (review)
• ​Indian Removal from Yosemite National Park — Intermountain Histories
• ​From Yosemite to Bears Ears, Erasing Native Americans From U.S. National Parks — Collectors Weekly
• ​The Yosemite Fires: Settler Colonialism and Indigenous Wisdom — Atmos
• ​Legal and Policy Mandates — National Park Service
• ​NPS Organic Act — U.S. Department of the Interior
• ​NPS Organic Act — U.S. Department of Justice
• ​The National Park Service Act of 1916: "A Contradictory Mandate"? — Robin W. Winks
• ​The Trump Administration Is Recklessly Axing Funding and Staff for America's National Parks — Center for American Progress
• ​Inside the FY26 National Park Service Budget — NPCA
• ​Staffing shortages are hitting national parks and forests hard this summer — Center for Western Priorities
• ​$736M Budget Cut Could Gut National Park Service Workforce — Outside
• ​Judge orders Trump administration to restore signs changed at national parks — CNN
• ​US Judge Orders Halt to Trump Administration's 'Censorship' of Park Exhibits — Reuters via U.S. News
• ​Trump Administration Ordered To Restore History, Climate Change Information Removed From Parks — National Parks Traveler
• ​A Judge Ordered the NPS to Restore Signs. The Trump Admin Is Fighting Back. — Outside
• ​$1.7 billion contract awarded "for border wall in Big Bend" — Texas Tribune
• ​Proposed ban on Big Bend border wall fails in U.S. House — Texas Tribune
• ​CBP backs off border wall construction plans in Big Bend National Park — Government Executive
• ​Trump Administration Waives Environmental Laws to Blast Border Barriers Through Big Bend — Center for Biological Diversity
• ​National Park Visitor Spending Contributed $56 Billion to the U.S. Economy in 2024 — National Park Service
• ​2024 National Park Visitor Spending Effects (full report, PDF) — National Park Service
• ​How do national parks affect the economy? — USAFacts
• ​Study finds 77% of US national parks are highly vulnerable to climate change (Michalak et al., Conservation Letters) — Phys.org
• ​Many national parks vulnerable to climate change, study finds — E&E News / POLITICO
• ​America's national parks face an uncertain future as climate risks mount — Mongabay
• ​Climate Impacts report — NPCA
• ​Great American Outdoors Act heads to Trump as Cory Gardner leans on measure in reelection bid — The Colorado Sun
• ​The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA): FAQs — Congressional Research Service
• ​A Path Forward for America's Best Idea — PERC
• ​Legacy Restoration Fund Expires at the End of September — Outdoor Alliance

This week Skylar leads us through the rise and fall of vertical farming (also known as hydroponic farming), and how new green technologies are not a catch all for climate solutions.

Resources Used for this Episode:

https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/bowery-indoor-farming-agtech-company-ceases-operations

https://www.ceagworld.com/vertical-farming/aerofarms-to-close-operations-following-investor-funding-withdrawal/

https://www.verticalfarmdaily.com/article/9720408/from-restructuring-to-renewal-what-s-next-for-plenty-after-chapter-11-bankruptcy-filing/

https://unchartedterritories.tomaspueyo.com/p/the-promise-of-vertical-farming

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/21/the-rise-of-vertical-farms-could-indoor-plant-factories-be-the-norm-in-10-years

Hadley discusses why the humanities are an underrated tool for understanding and communicating climate change.

Focusing on history and literature, we cover questions including:

How does reading fiction help us understand climate change? How can humanities skills help us combat misinformation and engage with climate deniers? How have past climatic changes shaped human societies, and what can we expect for the future?

Plus, Grace recommends hopeful climate fiction and Autumn finds an excuse to talk about aliens.

Resources used for this episode

Literature and fiction

Grist Imagine 2200

How Does Fiction Reading Influence Empathy?What Reading Fiction Can Teach Graduate Students About Empathy and Emotion

Little Ice Age

Behringer (1999): Climate Change and Witch Hunting

How the Little Ice Age changed history (New Yorker)

Climate and Weather: The Rest Is History

History and misinformationWhy history instruction is critical for combating online misinformation

Sharan takes us through examples of sustainable design and how we can use it to make our communities a better place. We discuss what sustainable design means to us, why aesthetics matter, the origins of American lawns, and whether we can blame our seasonal allergies on botanical sexism.

Plus, we air our grievances with the city of Los Angeles and shoutout our favorite trees.

Sources used in this episode:

1. Céline Semaan, "We must confront design's colonial inheritance," Dezeen (August 2025) https://www.dezeen.com/2025/08/07/colonial-design-celine-semaan-opinion/

2. Julia Watson, interview in Eye on Design (AIGA), "What Designers Can Learn from Indigenous Communities Fighting Climate Change" (2020) https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/what-designers-can-learn-from-indigenous-communities-fighting-climate-change/

3. John R. Wagner, "Landscape Aesthetics, Water, and Settler Colonialism in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia," Journal of Ecological Anthropology 12, no. 1 (2008): 22–38 https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/jea/vol12/iss1/2

More info on topics mentioned in this episode:

EPA: Clean Air Act Impact Overview

The Boulder House, San Diego County

In honor of Wildfire Preparedness Week, our very own wildfire meteorologist (Autumn) takes us through the science of wildfires including:

How do meteorologists predict wildfires and wildfire conditions? Why are wildfires becoming more common? And how do we prepare for and prevent wildfires?

Sources used for this episode:

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/building-a-long-term-record-of-fire-145421/

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl5889