We’d normally have a new episode out for you today, but we’re modifying our release schedule this week because we’ve got a special episode about bison conservation timed to the release of the new Ken Burns documentary on PBS, The American Buffalo. This two-part series will conclude tonight, Tuesday, October 17, at 8:00pm ET, so we decided to release our complementary episode on bison a day late. That way you can watch the documentary, and come back to Nature Breaking tomorrow for an in-depth discussion with two WWF experts about the history of the plains bison, its relationship with Native nations, the threats that drove bison to the brink, and the work WWF and many others are still engaged in today to ensure that the bison have a vibrant future.

So, keep an eye on this space for a new episode tomorrow morning. That’s Wednesday, October 18. And going forward, we’ll be back to our usual release schedule of new episodes every other Tuesday. Thanks for listening!!

Much of the climate progress we've secured in the last few years has been spurred by the urgent calls to action from young people who are already living with the consequences of decisions that were made by older generations. For this episode, we spoke with one person who has been at the forefront of youth climate organizing and activism. Alexia Leclercq is the winner of WWF's 2022 Conservation Leadership Award, which is given out annually to recognize exceptional young leaders in the environmental space. Alexia is a grassroots organizer, educator, scholar, and artist who recently received a graduate degree from Harvard University. They co-founded the Colorado River Conservancy in 2020 to protect the stretch of that river that runs along their hometown of East Austin, Texas. And they co-lead Start:Empowerment, a non-profit that aims to bolster climate justice education. In this episode Alexia talks about what motivated them to become involved in the climate movement (1:48), the importance of organizing as a tool to build "people power" (9:20), and their advice for the next generation of climate leaders (17:45).

LINKS:

2022 Conservation Leadership Award Announcement: Alexia Leclercq

WWF Magazine: "Activist Alexia Leclercq is changing how—and what—students learn about climate change"

Alexia Leclercq homepage

2023 Conservation Leadership Award Announcement: Charitie Ropati

This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the NEST Climate Campus in New York, where WWF hosted two days of programming for Climate Week NYC – an annual showcase for the latest in climate policy and activism on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting. Our guests for this special event were Sheila Bonini, WWF's Senior Vice President for Private Sector Engagement, and James McCall, Chief Sustainability Officer for HP Inc. Sheila and James spoke about how companies can complement the work of governments to address the global climate and nature crises (6:23), how WWF and HP are working together to protect and restore forest ecosystems in critical areas around the world (15:05), and what's surprised them most about partnering with each other on these issues (27:53).

LINKS:

WWF & HP Partnership Page

James McCall Bio

Sheila Bonini Bio

NEST Climate Campus

Climate Week NYC

YouTube Livestream Recording

September 5 is World Amazon Day, and we're celebrating with an episode about the many things that make the Amazon rain forest so special. For example, did you know that the Amazon is the largest rain forest in the world? It covers an area nearly the size of the entire continental United States, and it's home to about one in 10 known species on Earth. It also helps stabilize the local and global climate. But it also faces challenges from deforestation, climate change, and more. In this episode, you'll hear from Dr. Meg Symington, WWF's vice president for the Amazon. Meg talks about how she first fell in love with the rain forest (2:30), why the Amazon matters so much to both local communities and the world at large (4:18), the many threats it faces (7:00), and what solutions are needed to keep it intact for future generations (13:27). Later, for our Supporters Sound Off segment, you'll hear from Marianne Spindel, a WWF Hero from Florida, about what inspires her passion for nature (24:55).

LINKS:

Register for our LIVE podcast in New York

Thomas Lovejoy Science for Nature Symposium

WWF Amazon Page

Meg Symington Bio

Become a WWF Hero

The last 12 months or so have been marked, in part, by the emergence of Artificial Intelligence as a mainstream tool. But did you know that AI has been helping with conservation projects for years? This episode features a conversation with Dave Thau, WWF's Global Data and Technology Lead Scientist. Dave has years of experience using AI to help make sense of different data inputs that are important for monitoring the health of species and ecosystems. You'll hear Dave talk about how AI is being used to combat deforestation and reduce poaching (3:54), some of the potential risks that come along with applying AI to conservation projects (13:45), and his vision for how AI could one day help to establish a Global Environmental Management System that leverages local-level data to paint a global picture of environmental health (15:50). Last, Dave fields a question from ChatGPT itself (24:50).

LINKS:

Register for our LIVE podcast in NYC!

Medium Blog Series: "G.AI.A - Nature and Artificial Intelligence"

Dave Thau bio

WWF's Forest Foresight initiative

Global Forest Watch

Global Fishing Watch

Wildlife Insights

Seaweed is an incredibly versatile product. It's showing up more and more on our plates in restaurants and at grocery stores. But seaweed can also be used as animal feed for livestock, and it can even be used as an alternative to plastic in packaging. Importantly, seaweed farming requires no land, freshwater, fertilizer, or pesticides. And it also improves the health of surrounding waters while absorbing carbon, meaning it could play an important role in combatting climate change. Today's episode features a conversation with Bailey Moritz, WWF's Lead Specialist for Seaweed and Shellfish Farming. Bailey explains the basics of seaweed farming (3:40), the environmental and economic benefits of incorporating seaweed into people's diets (5:55), and how exactly seaweed can help reduce methane emissions from animals (14:02). She also explains how seaweed helps to absorb carbon pollution (15:50), and discusses the barriers currently preventing seaweed farming from taking off on a bigger scale in North America and Europe (22:30). Finally, in a new segment called Supporters Sound Off, WWF supporter Nina Sparks shares what inspired her passion for the environment (31:12).

LINKS:

WWF Seaweed Page

WWF Heroes Page

BONUS EPISODE: The last few weeks have brought an unprecedented series of extreme weather events. At a global scale, July 4th went down as potentially the warmest day in recorded history. And more locally, communities from Arizona to China have been breaking all-time records for heat. We've also seen wildfires in Canada sending smoke into communities from Detroit to Washington, and intense floods inundating areas of Vermont and New York. It's clear that climate change is fueling a season of extreme weather. Dr. Stephanie Roe, WWF's Global Climate and Energy Lead Scientist, joins this episode to discuss whether these climate impacts match up with previous scientific projections, the role of El Niño in exacerbating underlying climate conditions, and the steps we need to take to avoid the worst effects of climate change in the future.

LINKS:

WWF's Climate Page

IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report

Washington Post: "Floods, fires and deadly heat are the alarm bells of a planet on the brink"

POLITICO: "'We are not prepared': Disasters spread as climate change strikes"

What's the best thing you ever received in the mail? Maybe a college admission letter or a card from a loved one? Well, what if you could add farm-fresh vegetables to that short list of favorite deliveries? WWF is piloting a new program to help farmers deliver produce directly to people's doors through the US Postal Service. It's called Farmers Post. The goal of the program is to reduce food waste by connecting farmers directly with consumers to sell produce that might otherwise go unused. It's currently being piloted in Connecticut via Healthy PlanEat, and it will soon come to the Virginia area via 4P Foods. In this episode, Julia Kurnik from WWF's Markets Institute talks about how she and her colleagues came up with the idea for this program (2:10), how it's going so far (7:05), and when more people across the US might be able to get fresh foods delivered to their own front doors (21:40).

LINKS:

WWF Magazine: "Farm Fresh": https://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/summer-2023/articles/farm-fresh

Healthy PlanEat (CT residents can sign up now): https://healthyplaneat.com/

4P Foods (Coming soon for VA, DC, and MD residents): https://4pfoods.com/

In recognition of Pride Month and Juneteenth, Charles Sumpter and Jessica Leung join the show to talk about what WWF is doing to strengthen its approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). They talk about why these issues matter to WWF's mission (1:35), how the organization's journey on this front has evolved in recent years (6:25), how a new internship program is building a more diverse pipeline of future conservationists (23:45), and more.

LINKS: WWF's BRIDGE Internship Program: https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/bridge

In the wake of World Ocean Day on June 8, this episode examines worsening global conflict around fisheries, and what we can do to address it. Put simply, huge swaths of the world rely on fishing, either for subsistence or income. And when fish become more scarce due to overfishing, climate disruption, or other factors, it creates an opportunity for conflict. Today's guest is Sarah Glaser, who leads the Oceans Futures initiative at WWF. The initiative aims to use the best science and predictive technology to provide an early warning system for future marine conflicts, as well as a set of tools to prevent those conflicts. In this conversation Sarah explains some of the basics about illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (3:15), shares how climate change has become an accelerant for high-seas conflict (7:57), and discusses how the Oceans Futures initiative is working to address these issues (12:37).

LINKS:

Oceans Futures: https://www.oceansfutures.org/