Simmer Down

Farming has always been challenging, but climate change is making it so much harder. As our weather becomes more extreme -- too hot, too dry, too wet -- it's becoming increasingly difficult for farmers to look to past seasons to plan their upcoming crops. In this episode, we sat down with a New Jersey farmer -- Gabriel Siciliano -- to ask, how is climate change impacting how farmers grow the foods we rely on and love to eat? 

Gabe Siciliano was instilled by his grandfather, Joe, with a love of gardening and green growing things from a young age. Now a third-generation farmer, Gabe is learning lessons from that same land every day and is deeply committed to sustainable stewardship of his legacy for future generations. He considers it a privilege to grow healthful and delicious food for his community. Abe's Acres Farm is a sustainable and regenerative diversified annual vegetable farm that is newly certified organic. 

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Simmer Down is hosted by Kathleen Biggins. It is produced by Hans Buetow and Rebecca Fishkin. 

Creative director: Carrie Dyckman

Associate producer: Nicole Curnan

Logo design: Sherri Locker

Music: Andrew Atkin at Charts & Leisure

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For more information on this topic:

https://dep.nj.gov/climatechange/

https://nofa.org/soil-carbon/

https://njclimateresourcecenter.rutgers.edu/

When we talk about how climate change impacts our lives, many people are surprised to learn that it’s even affecting the way we should consider investing our money. And there’s a lot to consider, from supply chain issues to how committed companies are to climate action. In this episode, we asked an investment expert – Mark Hays – what do we need to know to build climate-smart portfolios? 

Mark Hays is the president of Endowments & Foundations at Prime Capital.** At Prime, Mark is responsible for overseeing Prime’s national nonprofit practice, seeking to deliver comprehensive institutional investment management, mission, and impact strategy, and foundation governance and philanthropic strategy. 

Mark brings nearly two decades of institutional investment experience with a focus on sustainable investing, including in roles at Glenmede, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, and Cambridge Associates. Mark earned his M.B.A. from London Business School, his B.S. from Wake Forest University, and completed executive education in sustainability leadership from Harvard University. He is on the leadership committee of CFA Society Philadelphia and is on the board of Believe in Students, a national education-focused nonprofit.

**At the time of recording, Mark was managing director and director of Sustainable Investing at Glenmede.

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For more info, go to C-Change Conversations

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Simmer Down is hosted by Kathleen Biggins. It is produced by Hans Buetow and Rebecca Fishkin. 

Creative director: Carrie Dyckman

Associate producer: Nicole Curnan

Logo design: Sherri Locker

Music: Andrew Atkin at Charts & Leisure

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For more information on this topic: 

Ceres 

A nonprofit organization working with investors and companies on climate risk, corporate accountability, and financial resilience.

Carbon Tracker

A nonprofit financial think tank that analyzes how climate change and the energy transition affect investments, companies, and financial markets. Especially useful for understanding stranded assets and fossil fuel investment risks.

McKinsey Sustainability

Research and explainers on how physical climate impacts can affect businesses, supply chains, and financial assets.

As You Sow

Impact Alpha

Environmental Finance

Sports are a major part of our lives. Many of us play some sort of sport, whether professionally or recreationally. Still more are avid fans – hours and hours spent rooting for our favorite teams and sitting on the sidelines cheering on our children. But as climate change affects our weather, athletes and spectators are feeling the heat. In this episode, we asked a sports expert – Walker Ross – is it getting so hot we’ll have to call off the game? 

Walker J. Ross is a lecturer in sport management and digital marketing at the University of Edinburgh and the director of the Sport Ecology Group, a nonprofit collective of academic educators and researchers. His research focuses on the bidirectional relationship between sport and the natural environment. 

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For more info, go to C-Change Conversations

Email us

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Simmer Down is hosted by Kathleen Biggins. It is produced by Hans Buetow and Rebecca Fishkin. 

Creative director: Carrie Dyckman

Associate producer: Nicole Curnan

Logo design: Sherri Locker

Music: Andrew Atkin at Charts & Leisure

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For more information on this topic: 

Sport Ecology Group

A consortium of academics that conducts research in sport ecology and builds public awareness of sports ecology-related topics. 

Green Sports Alliance

A group that shares best practices and promotes collective action through sports to support sustainable communities. 

Sports for Nature Handbook

A document outlining the basics of the sport-environment relationship. 

Insuring our homes used to be a given. Today, it’s increasingly a luxury that more and more can’t afford – if it’s even available at all. Climate change is wreaking havoc on the insurance industry as rising sea levels, severe weather, and other impacts threaten our biggest assets – our homes. In this episode, we asked an insurance expert, Ben Keys, will we be able to protect our homes in the near future? 

Ben Keys is the Rowan Family Foundation professor of real estate and finance at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Keys's recent research has focused on climate risk, housing, and mortgage markets; foreign investment in the U.S. housing market; and the geography of household financial distress. His research has been published in such journals as the Quarterly Journal of Economics, American Economic Review, Econometrica, Journal of Financial Economics, and Review of Financial Studies, and has been profiled in The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. 

Before joining Wharton, Keys taught at the University of Chicago and worked as a staff economist at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. He holds a B.A. in economics and political science from Swarthmore College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan.

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For more info, go to C-Change Conversations

Email us

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Simmer Down is hosted by Kathleen Biggins. It is produced by Hans Buetow and Rebecca Fishkin. 

Creative director: Carrie Dyckman

Associate producer: Nicole Curnan

Logo design: Sherri Locker

Music: Andrew Atkin at Charts & Leisure

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For more information on this topic: 

First Street climate risk data

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/08/climate/home-insurance-climate-change.html

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/11/19/climate/home-insurance-premiums-costs-usa.html

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/03/09/climate/home-insurance-credit-scores.html

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/a-proposal-for-a-us-federal-property-reinsurer/

Climate change is heating things up – and we’re really feeling the effects on our bodies. But it’s not just the ferocious, more frequent heat waves that are affecting our health. It’s also ticks and mosquitoes spreading more disease, skies filling with smoky air from wildfires, drinking water becoming scarcer. In this episode, we asked two medical doctors – Dr. Elizabeth Cerceo and Dr. Celine Gounder – how can we keep our families safe from the growing health risks of climate change? 

Dr. Elizabeth Cerceo is a professor of medicine and executive director of climate health at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, associate program director of the internal medicine residency, and chair of physician engagement at Cooper University Health Care. She completed her medical degree at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania along with a Diploma in Climate Medicine (DCM) from the University of Colorado. As the executive director of climate health, she is responsible for integrating climate health content throughout the four years of medical school, into residency and faculty development. 

Dr. Cerceo is active in the American College of Physicians, Medical Society of New Jersey, Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, Clinicians for Climate Action New Jersey, American Public Health Association, and is on the board of directors of the Climate Health Society.

Dr. Celine Gounder is a CBS news medical correspondent and the editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News. Prior to that she was a CNN medical analyst and a frequent expert guest on numerous TV news programs. She's written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and more. Dr. Gounder is also a clinical associate professor of medicine and infectious diseases at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine. She cares for patients on the wards at Bellevue Hospital Center.

She received her BA in molecular biology from Princeton University, her master of science in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and her MD from the University of Washington. Dr. Gounder was an intern and resident in internal medicine at Harvard’s Massachusetts General Hospital, and a post-doctoral fellow in infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University.

She was elected a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America in 2016. In 2017, People Magazine named her one of “25 Women Changing the World.” In 2021, InStyle magazine named her one of “50 Women Making the World a Better Place.” In 2023, she was named one of “New York City & State’s Health Care Power 100,” a New York State “Woman of Distinction,” and a National Academy of Medicine “Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine.” In 2023, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, received the Research!America Meeting the Moment for Public Health Award, and joined the Council on Foreign Relations. She and her podcast production team won the 2023 Edward R. Murrow Award for American Diagnosis (S4E5 “Power to Police Perpetrators”). In 2024, she joined the board of Research!America and became an advisor to the Coalition for Trust in Health and Science.

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For more info, go to C-Change Conversations

Email us

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Simmer Down is hosted by Kathleen Biggins. It is produced by Hans Buetow and Rebecca Fishkin. 

Creative director: Carrie Dyckman

Associate producer: Nicole Curnan

Logo design: Sherri Locker

Music: Andrew Atkin at Charts & Leisure

Footage of hiker: ABC15 Arizona

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For more information on this topic: 

CDC BRACE Wheel

The Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework is a five-step process that allows health officials to develop strategies and programs to help communities prepare for the health effects of climate change.

Heat

ExtremeHeat_ActionPlanTipSheet_Final.pdf 

A worksheet to guide preparation for extreme heat.

Cooling Centers by State | NCHH 

A list of cooling centers for safety during extreme heat events.

Air quality

AirNow Mobile App | AirNow.gov 

An app for checking real-time and forecast air quality.

EnviroFlash

A free email and cell phone notification service that gives your patients up-to-date, local air quality information.

Patient Education Tools for Particle Pollution | US EPA

A list of publications on air quality.

Ticks and mosquitoes

What are ticks and what diseases do they spread?

Preventing mosquito bites

We’re all wondering the same thing – what IS causing all of this weird weather … and is it going to get much worse? Kathleen talks with meteorologist Bernadette Woods Placky to get some context, taking a deep dive into how climate change is supercharging our weather -- from extreme heat waves and monster wildfires to excessive rainfall and dire droughts -- and its far-reaching effects on the things we rely on every day -- like healthy agriculture systems, fresh water, and disease control.

Bernadette Woods Placky is the executive director and co-founder of Talking Climate Collaborative. A meteorologist, climate science communicator, and network builder with more than 25 years of experience translating complex science into stories that move people and institutions to act, Bernadette is a leading expert on the connections between weather and climate change.

Prior to her current role, Bernadette was vice president of engagement and chief meteorologist at Climate Central, where she built and led Climate Matters, an innovative climate journalism and communication program. Through convenings, data analysis, content creation, and sustained engagement, she grew and supported a network of more than 3,000 media professionals across the United States and internationally. 

Before Climate Central, Bernadette spent more than a decade as a TV meteorologist, earning an Emmy for Best Weathercaster. She is a fellow of the American Meteorological Society, earned the Certified Broadcast Meteorologist seal, and was elected to its council. She serves on the National Academies Board on Atmospheric Science and Climate, as an advisor for C-Change Conversations, on The Watershed Institute’s advisory board, and on the Princeton Wrestling Club Board. 

Bernadette graduated from Penn State University with a BS in meteorology and a minor in French.

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For more info, visit to C-Change Conversations

Email us

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Simmer Down is hosted by Kathleen Biggins. It is produced by Hans Buetow and Rebecca Fishkin. 

Creative director: Carrie Dyckman

Associate producer: Nicole Curnan

Logo design: Sherri Locker

Music: Andrew Atkin at Charts & Leisure

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For more information on weather and climate change: 

NASA Climate Change Evidence 

Observational evidence from satellites, temperature records, sea level, ice loss, and more.

World Weather Attribution

An explanation of the methods scientists use to compare today's climate with a hypothetical world without human-caused warming.

Climate Central 

An independent, nonprofit organization providing data-driven analyses, maps, graphics, and tools that help show how climate change is influencing weather, communities, and long-term climate trends.

Climate.us 

A nonprofit climate information platform that preserves and archives climate science resources that have been removed or are no longer available from government websites, while also providing educational articles, data visualizations, and explainers. 

Talking Climate Collaborative

An organization that brings together leaders in climate science, media, behavioral research, and strategic communications to foster increased conversation about climate change.

Simmer Down takes a cool-headed look at ​a hot topic ​-- climate change. ​H​ost Kathleen Biggins, ​founder and president of C-Change Conversations, sits down with a range of experts to talk about how climate change is impacting the things we all love and need — the things we talk about around our kitchen tables. 

Staying true to C-Change’s nonpartisan, science-based approach, Kathleen and guests address the really important questions we all have when it comes to climate change: How can we protect our families and assets? How can we stay healthy? And how can we protect the things we love?

In Season One, we explore the impacts of climate change on weather, health, insurance, sports, investing, and food. Whether you’re curious, concerned, or already care about our changing climate, our non-confrontational conversations are a great way to learn more about how it is likely affecting your daily life – and why we have hope for the future. 

For more info, go to C-Change Conversations

Email us

Simmer Down is hosted by Kathleen Biggins. It is produced by Hans Buetow and Rebecca Fishkin. 

Creative director: Carrie Dyckman

Associate producer: Nicole Curnan

Logo design: Sherri Locker

Music: Andrew Atkin at Charts & Leisure

C-Change Conversations’ Kathleen Biggins sits down with New York Times award-winning Reporter David Gelles for an in-depth discussion about climate, capitalism, and culture, areas of expertise that he delves into in his forthcoming book, “Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away.”

Kathleen joins Mark Hayes of Glenmede for a wide-ranging conversation about how climate change is transforming the finance sector. They explore the risks and opportunities of the global climate transition, the rise of sustainable investment strategies, and the regulatory and political shifts shaping today’s landscape. The discussion also dives into how corporate leadership in the C-suite is responding to climate challenges, the growing trend of “greenhushing,” and the federal policy changes influencing the pace of climate action.

It's easy to talk about topics with people who already agree with you, but when it comes to climate change, the conversation can get uncomfortable very quickly. In this episode, Founder and President Kathleen Biggins explains a few tricks that have helped C-Change Conversations discuss such a difficult topic for the past decade among audiences with vastly differing opinions.