Nature Breaking

This year's El Niño has officially crossed the threshold into "Super El Niño" territory, and some forecasts now predict temperature anomalies so extreme that scientists say there's no existing category for it.

In this episode of Nature Breaking, host Seth Larson sits down with Dr. Stephanie Roe, WWF's Global Climate and Energy Lead Scientist, to break down what's driving this historic event and what it could mean for the months ahead. Stephanie explains the science behind El Niño, why this year's event is on track to be the strongest ever recorded, and how a warming planet is raising the baseline for every future cycle. She also shares which ecosystems are most at risk during this cycle, from coral reefs still recovering from the worst bleaching event on record, to the anchovy fishery off the coast of Peru, to the Amazon rainforest, which scientists warn could be pushed toward a dangerous tipping point. And Seth and Stephanie discuss how countries and communities can prepare for what's ahead.

Links for More Info:

Dr. Stephanie Roe bio

Chapters:

0:00 Cold open

0:23 Intro

1:47 What is El Niño?

4:08 The history behind the name

4:57 How El Niño affects global weather

6:39 Timing: what to expect through 2027

9:40 What makes this a "Super" El Niño

14:25 Is climate change making El Niño stronger?

16:38 Ecosystems at risk: coral reefs, Peru fishery, the Amazon

21:00 How to prepare for extreme weather

23:30 Inside the next IPCC assessment

28:28 What's giving Stephanie hope

30:54 Closing thoughts

WWF's 2026 Living Planet Report finds that monitored wildlife populations have declined by an average of 73% since 1970. In this episode of Nature Breaking, host Seth Larson sits down with Dr. Rebecca Shaw, WWF's Chief Scientist and editor-in-chief of this year's report, to unpack what that number really means — and why, despite the sobering data, this year's report is subtitled "The Science of Hope."

Rebecca explains how the Living Planet Index works, why a global average can hide real bright spots (nearly half of all monitored populations are actually stable or increasing), and how species like tigers, bluefin tuna, Southern African elephants, and green sea turtles have rebounded thanks to decades of coordinated, global effort. She also introduces the report's concept of "positive tipping points" — using the global renewable energy transition as a real-world example of a system that has already tipped toward self-sustaining change — and explains why food systems and finance are still in an earlier "enabling phase," with tipping points potentially just years away.

Links for More Info:

Dr. Rebecca Shaw bio

2026 Living Planet Report

Chapters:

0:00 Teaser

0:42 Intro

2:19 What is the Living Planet Report?

3:57 This year's topline number: a 73% decline

6:12 Why "The Science of Hope"?

8:37 The green sea turtle recovery story

15:21 What are positive tipping points?

19:20 Renewable energy: a tipping point already underway

22:50 Food and finance: the next systems to tip

25:32 The $1.3 trillion nature finance gap

28:31 Why 2030 matters

31:23 Closing thoughts

Last week, WWF hosted its first-ever Panda House, a full day of panel sessions during Climate Week NYC — the annual gathering timed to coincide with the UN General Assembly, where leaders from across the climate and conservation world come together to debate ideas and push for action.

In this special recap episode, host Seth Larson and WWF's Sarah Wilson bring you inside Panda House, with a series of short conversations recorded live between panel sessions. The day's discussions spanned carbon markets, tropical forest protection, and ocean conservation, but one theme ran through the day: finance. In other words, how do we raise the funds required to conserve nature at scale?

In this episode you'll hear from:

• Andrew Deutz, WWF's Managing Director of Global Policy and Partnerships, about the newly released Financing Nature 2026 report that WWF co-released with The Nature Conservancy and the Paulson Institute;
• Stephanie Cappa, WWF's Director of Policy and Government Affairs, about the Tropical Forest Forever Facility; and
• John Morton, WWF's Executive Managing Director for Nature Finance & Investment, about carbon markets, how Climate Week has changed over the years, and what gives him hope for the future.

Together, these conversations offer a snapshot of where the nature finance conversation stands today, and what it will take to close the gap between what's being spent and what's actually needed.

Links for More Info:

REPORT: Financing Nature 2026

Andrew Deutz bio

Stephanie Cappa bio

John Morton bio

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

1:04 Andrew Deutz on the Financing Nature 2026 report

4:23 Stephanie Cappa on the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF)

8:06 John Morton on carbon markets and more

11:52 Outro

What do black-footed ferrets, cockatoos, and geckos have in common? They've all starred in True Facts, the wildly popular YouTube series from Ze Frank that's taught millions of people about the weird and wonderful side of wildlife.

In this episode of Nature Breaking, host Seth Larson sits down with Ze to talk about his nearly two-decade journey as a creator. Together, they explore:

• How True Facts evolved from comedy sketches into rigorous science storytelling
• Why creative limitations often lead to better work
• The origin of Ze's iconic narrator voice and his invented character, "Jerry"
• How Ze builds trust with the scientific community
• Why doing something matters more than just watching, especially for conservation

Finally, Seth and Ze trade some of their favorite "true facts" from the animal kingdom.

Links for More Info:

Ze Frank's YouTube channel

True Facts: The Ferret and the Plague

True Facts: Mussels That Catch Fish

Subscribe to WWF's YouTube Channel

Chapters:

0:00 Preview

0:59 Intro

2:35 Meet Ze Frank

9:21 How Ze chooses animals for True Facts

14:42 "You Named a Species" and Audience Engagement

17:51 The voice and "Jerry"

21:07 True Facts Educational

23:40 Ze's research process

27:54 Lightning round: Seth & Ze's favorite true facts

32:05 Outro

Earlier this week Matthew Rhys made history as the first actor to ever win two lead-acting Emmys in one night. That was especially exciting for us at WWF because, amid all the scientists and conservation experts we've interviewed on this show over the years, the only actor to ever appear on Nature Breaking was none other than Matthew Rhys. He joined our podcast back in 2023 to talk about the Apple TV show Extrapolations, an anthology show about climate change that he appeared in. Host Seth Larson interviewed Matthew alongside that show's creator, Scott Z. Burns, and its executive producer, Dorothy Fortenberry. The link to the full episode is below, but in honor of Matthew's big night at the Emmys, here's an excerpt from that interview featuring Matthew's thoughts on how storytelling can influence action on climate change.

Links for More Info:

2023 Full Episode: Extrapolations

The plastic crisis isn't too big to solve — but solving it will take all of us.

In the third and final episode of Unwrapped: The Plastic Crisis, our three-part miniseries from Nature Breaking, host Seth Larson and WWF plastics expert Erin Simon turn from the past and present to the future — exploring what it will actually take to build a world where plastic doesn't end up polluting our oceans, our communities, and even our own bodies.

Joining the conversation is Carissa Cabrera, a marine biologist, climate activist, and CEO of FutureSwell, who has built a massive platform helping everyday people see themselves as part of the solution to ocean and climate issues. Carissa shares what she's learned building community around plastic pollution in Hawaii, why authentic messengers matter more than viral moments, and what gives her hope even when progress feels slow.

This episode is about closing the gap between knowing there's a problem and believing you can be part of the solution.

Links for More Info:

Carissa Cabrera bio

FutureSwell

WWF Plastics page

Chapters:

0:00 Can I recycle this? (cold open)

1:15 Seth and Erin explain the episode

4:26 Meet Carissa Cabrera of Future Swell

7:24 What stories resonate to drive action?

12:55 How to convey urgency and hope at once

17:02 Local versus global advocacy

22:43 Reaching people outside the environmental bubble

27:35 Envisioning a future without plastic pollution

41:49 Series wrap-up and closing thoughts

The world's plastic problem won't be solved by good intentions alone.

In part two of Unwrapped: The Plastic Crisis, our special three-part miniseries from Nature Breaking, host Seth Larson and WWF plastics expert Erin Simon shift from the past to the present—digging into what's actually being done right now to tackle plastic pollution, and where those efforts are falling short.

Joining the conversation is Jeff Bezzo of SC Johnson, one of the world's largest household product companies, who works at the intersection of sustainability and business strategy. Jeff pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes for a 130-year-old company to rethink packaging at scale, and why voluntary corporate action can only go so far without policy to back it up.

Together, they explore:

• The hidden reasons some plastic gets recycled and some doesn't
• How Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) works, and why it's gaining momentum across the US
• What SC Johnson has learned from real-world experiments with refill and reuse systems
• Why global companies are increasingly asking for consistent policy, not just goodwill
• The honest tensions between sustainability goals and business realities

This episode is about the messy middle of solving a global crisis—where companies, policymakers, and consumers all have a role to play, and where progress depends on getting the incentives right.

Links for More Info:

Jeff Bezzo bio

WWF Plastics page

ACT: Tell Global Leaders You Want a Future With Less Plastic

Chapters:

0:00 Can I recycle this? (cold open)

0:51 Intro

1:23 Episode overview

4:10 Jeff Bezzo on SC Johnson's sustainability journey

8:28 How SC Johnson is rethinking plastic packaging

13:28 What makes a product "worth" recycling?

17:10 What is EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility)?

19:56 Recycling alternatives: reuse/refill, concentrates, etc.

27:05 Balancing sustainability goals with cost pressures

35:02 Jeff's reasons for hope

37:07 Closing thoughts from Seth and Erin

Plastic pollution didn't happen overnight.

In the first episode of Unwrapped: The Plastic Crisis, a special three-part miniseries from Nature Breaking, host Seth Larson and WWF plastics expert Erin Simon take a step back to examine how we got here—and why solving this crisis requires understanding the decisions that shaped it.

Joining the conversation is Dr. Jenna Jambeck, the University of Georgia researcher whose landmark 2015 study was the first to quantify how much plastic enters the ocean each year. Her work transformed our understanding of plastic pollution and helped shift the conversation from cleanup to prevention.

Together, they explore:

• Where plastic comes from and why it became so ubiquitous
• The surprising history of recycling—and why it can't keep up
• How plastic pollution became a global environmental challenge
• What Jenna's groundbreaking research revealed about plastic entering the ocean
• Why scientists, policymakers, businesses, and communities are increasingly focused on the root causes of the problem

This episode is about more than plastic—it's about how societies make decisions, how systems evolve, and what we can learn from the past as we work toward a future with less waste and healthier ecosystems.

Links for More Info:

Dr. Jenna Jambeck bio

WWF Plastics page

ACT: Tell Global Leaders You Want a Future With Less Plastic

Chapters:

0:00 Can I recycle… a plastic grocery bag?

0:42 Intro

1:52 What is plastic?

3:52 Why are so many products made from plastic?

5:11 How big is the plastic crisis today?

6:32 Miniseries overview

9:00 Dr. Jenna Jambeck explains her landmark 2015 report

14:03 What prompted Dr. Jambeck's research?

17:00 Why is plastic so hard to recycle?

24:56 What mistakes led to our current crisis?

28:44 The Marine Debris Tracker app

34:26 Dr. Jambeck's key lessons

38:08 Closing thoughts from Seth and Erin

Why do we call an elephant an elephant? Why did the narwhal become known as the "unicorn of the sea"? How did the praying mantis help to inspire kung fu in ancient China? And what can the names we give to animals tell us about ourselves as people?

In this episode of Nature Breaking, host Seth Larson sits down with bestselling author, conservationist, and WWF board member T.A. Barron to discuss his new book, Naming Nature. Drawing on languages, folklore, mythology, and cultural traditions from around the world, the book explores the fascinating stories behind the names of plants, animals, and landscapes—and what those names reveal about humanity's relationship with the natural world.

Tune in to hear how an oak tree near Oxford, England helped inspire T.A.'s passion for writing, how he developed the concept for Naming Nature, and how a run-in with a former NFL quarterback prompted him to reflect on what really matters in life.

Links for More Info:

T.A. Barron bio

Naming Nature

Chapters:

0:00 Preview

0:22 Intro

1:29 T.A. Barron on the power of storytelling

4:05 How an Oak Tree near Oxford inspired his writing career

8:27 How T.A.'s mother influenced his career

9:53 What inspired T.A. to write Naming Nature

15:03 How elephants got their name

22:06 How narwhals got their name

26:37 How hummingbirds got their name

29:11 How naming an animal can lead to its conservation

33:04 Meeting NFL quarterback Andrew Luck

36:40 Life advice from T.A.

41:22 Outro

As the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, there's no shortage of reflection about the landscapes, history, and ideals that have shaped this country. For many people, iconic American landscapes might include mountains, forests, or coastlines. But there's another ecosystem—vast, vital, and often overlooked—that's quietly disappearing: grasslands.

You might know grasslands by other names: prairies, plains, or savannas. Regardless of the name, grasslands matter more than you might think. They filter and supply clean water, store carbon, sustain rural communities and economies, and support iconic wildlife like bison, black-footed ferrets, and birds. But roughly 70% of America's grasslands have already been lost. And even worse, not enough people seem to notice: A recent WWF survey found that nearly half of Americans are unfamiliar with grasslands.

So why are grasslands disappearing—and what can be done to protect what's left? In this episode of Nature Breaking, host Seth Larson sits down with Martha Kauffman, WWF's Vice President for the Great Plains, to break down the science, history, and future of one of America's most important ecosystems.

Links for More Info:

Martha Kauffman bio

WWF Grasslands Survey

Grasslanders Campaign

TAKE ACTION: The Indian Buffalo Management Act

Chapters:

00:00 Teaser

00:35 Intro

02:22 Martha's passion for grasslands

05:41 Why should grasslands matter to all of us?

10:33 Current status of US grasslands

13:47 How to keep grasslands intact

24:23 Role of Indigenous Communities

26:26 Martha reflects on 20 years at WWF

28:44 Conserving US grasslands for the next 250 years

30:31 Outro