Talking Climate with Katharine Hayhoe

This week Talking Climate is hosted by two people who've felt climate change firsthand on the field: retired pro soccer (football!) player Imani Dorsey and current pro Jasmyne Spencer. 

⚽ Good news: Athletes everywhere are speaking up on climate and people are listening. Efforts range from integrating sustainability into college sports to climate-proofing community playing fields.

🌡️ Not-so-good news: The heat is already here, from Imani's near-collapse from heat exhaustion after a match to triathlons cancelled, youth tournaments suspended, and pro games played under wildfire smoke this summer alone.

📣 What you can do: You don't have to be an athlete or a climate scientist to make a difference. The most powerful thing any of us can do is use our voice, sharing our own story or backing teams and events going green.

Thank you to Anne Cloud with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Voice Over for the Planet⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for narrating this edition of Talking Climate. 

Post-production and mix by John Crowley at Loudmouth Studio.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.talkingclimate.ca

Last week, Toronto had the worst air quality of any major city in the world. I'm writing this week's newsletter under those same smoke-filled skies.

☀️ Good news: Solar is now so affordable in Australia that three states now offer a free window of electricity midday. 

🔥 Not-so-good news: Nearly 900 wildfires are burning across Canada and a new study estimates $23 billion per year in health impacts ... yet the government just approved a new pipeline to carry a million barrels of oil a day for decades to come.

🌬️ What you can do: If the smoke has reached you, stay inside, seal your windows, make or buy a HEPA air purifier, wear an N95 if you have to go out - and let your elected officials know why this is happening and what they can do about it!

Thank you to Anne Cloud with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Voice Over for the Planet⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for narrating this edition of Talking Climate. 

Post-production and mix by John Crowley at Loudmouth Studio.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.talkingclimate.ca

Most people assume caring about climate change makes them the odd one out. But that isn't true! And by keeping silent, we perpetuate that myth.

☀️ Good news: Inspired by the 89 Percent Project, 136 Japanese news outlets are teaming up to show people that the vast majority of the country wants stronger climate action.

🌡️ Not-so-good news: Recent heatwaves have buckled US highways, burst the concrete on part of Germany's Autobahn, and melted the asphalt around Leipzig's tram tracks - real life examples of how our infrastructure was built for yesterday's climate, not today's.

🏠 What you can do: As temperatures soar and wildfire smoke chokes the air, consider climate-proofing your home for a warming world.

Thank you to Anne Cloud with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Voice Over for the Planet⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for narrating this edition of Talking Climate. 

Music by Bradley Myer.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.talkingclimate.ca

For decades, coastal mangrove forests have been decimated by development. But just this past week, forty years of satellite data confirmed something remarkable...

🌿 Good news: Mangrove forests worldwide are now growing back faster than they're disappearing, with forty years of NASA satellite data showing the decline has reversed thanks to conservation, restoration, and regrowth.

💰 Not-so-good news: A new study finds biodiversity loss carries a steep price tag that financial markets haven't priced in, with $83 trillion in assets potentially mis-priced and some countries facing GDP losses over 15% by 2030.

🌡️ What you can do: Reuters just launched an interactive tool showing how much hotter today is than normal wherever you live. Look up your city and use what you find to start a conversation today!

Thank you to Anne Cloud with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Voice Over for the Planet⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for narrating this edition of Talking Climate. 

Music by Bradley Myer.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.talkingclimate.ca

Heat records are falling across Europe and North America right now. This week's Talking Climate connects what's happening to what you can do about it.

⚽ Good news: Voices inside football are speaking up about climate: not just asking for recycling bins, but pushing back on fossil fuel sponsorships and building tool-kits in six languages to help clubs turn climate action into something real for fans and communities.

🌡️ Not-so-good news: Early estimates suggest more than 20,000 people have already died in the EU heatwave, and climate scientists confirm the record-breaking temperatures would have been virtually impossible without the burning of fossil fuels.

💬 What you can do: When someone asks why this summer feels so brutal, you don't need to be a scientist to tell them, "It's climate change." A new study shows that when people learn an extreme weather event was made worse by climate change, they're significantly more likely to support climate action.

Thank you to Anne Cloud with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Voice Over for the Planet⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for narrating this edition of Talking Climate. 

Music by Bradley Myer.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.talkingclimate.ca

For the first time on record, solar generated more electricity than coal across the entire U.S. - despite active federal policy pushing the other direction.

☀️ Good news: The UK shut off its last coal plant in 2024. China now installs more wind and solar annually than the rest of the world combined. And last month, the U.S. crossed a milestone that seemed impossible five years ago: solar beat out coal on the national grid, for the first time in history.

🌡️ Not-so-good news: A super El Niño is set to supercharge heatwaves, droughts, and floods in the coming year. These in turn impact everything from coral bleaching risks to food price spikes worldwide.

🌈 What you can do: Find the warming stripes for your city at Show Your Stripes, share them, and use them to start one conversation. Those conversations matter more than you think!

Check out David Swain's blog post here and his Q&A here.

Find your warming stripes here.

Thank you to Anne Cloud with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Voice Over for the Planet⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for narrating this edition of Talking Climate. 

Music by Bradley Myer.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.talkingclimate.ca

🔋 Good news: The world installed 112 gigawatts of new grid battery storage in 2025, a tenfold increase from just four years ago, and Australia is quietly out front: one in every 25 homes now has a residential battery.

🌊 Not-so-good news: Islands in India's Hooghly estuary have already been lost to rising seas and erosion and their residents are now climate refugees. As one journalist put it: the engineers knew, the scientists warned, and the decision was made not to act.

💰 What you can do: Check whether your retirement savings are invested in fossil fuels. Free tools like Fossil Free Funds (US and Canada), Ethical Consumer (UK), and Market Forces (Australia) make it fast and easy to find out. Then, take action.

Thank you to Anne Cloud with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Voice Over for the Planet⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for narrating this edition of Talking Climate. 

Music by Bradley Myer.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.talkingclimate.ca

Can we actually fix climate change? And if so -- how?

This week, I handed Talking Climate over to climate scientist and Project Drawdown executive director Jonathan Foley.

His message is simple: yes, we can.

🥗 Good News: From cutting food waste to protecting forests to improving how we farm, many of the solutions already exist. They just have to be scaled.

‼️ Not-So-Good News: Political leadership is faltering, corporate momentum is slowing, and climate journalism continues to shrink. Yet clean tech from solar to heat pumps are becoming cheaper and more competitive every year.

💡 What YOU Can Do: Don't just focus on your carbon footprint—focus on your climate superpowers. Need help finding them? Project Drawdown's SHIFT platform, developed with Kimberly Nicholas, helps individuals identify actions that can create the biggest ripple effects.

Thank you to Anne Cloud with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Voice Over for the Planet⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for narrating this edition of Talking Climate. 

Music by Bradley Myer.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.talkingclimate.ca

What do a giant new marine sanctuary, the loss of climate journalism, and plug-in solar panels for apartment balconies have in common? They all show how much the future depends on the choices we make today. 

🐠 Good News: Papua New Guinea just created the largest marine protected area in its history, safeguarding a stretch of ocean nearly the size of the UK in one of the most biodiverse marine regions on Earth. 

😱 Not-So-Good News: NPR's climate desk has been dismantled, and many other major news organizations are doing away with climate reporting altogether. But the climate crisis doesn't go away when we stop covering it. 

😎 What You Can Do: If you rent or live in an apartment, check out "balcony solar." And if local regulations are standing in the way? Use your voice to advocate for change. That's how the system changes.

Check out the Smithsonian's work on ocean eDNA here.

Thank you to Anne Cloud with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Voice Over for the Planet⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for narrating this edition of Talking Climate. 

Music by Bradley Myer.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.talkingclimate.ca

The world is no longer headed for the most catastrophic futures climate scenarios once warned about: but not because the science was wrong. It’s because people listened, and acted. 

That is genuinely good news; but there's also this: 

📈 Not-so-good news - The new climate scenarios cover a narrower future, illustrating how human choices over the last 20 year have closed doors. While highest warming pathways are now less likely thanks to climate action over the last decade, our chances of staying below 1.5C without overshoot are now gone. And in a future where "every bit of warming matters" that means that some previously avoidable suffering will now occur. 

🇺🇸 Good news - NPR’s Climate Solutions Week highlights local climate action across the U.S., from tribal wildfire resilience plans in Montana to geothermal heating in Denver and community solar in Portland. Climate solutions are still happening, all around us! 

✈️ What you can do - If you’re travelling this summer, fly nonstop when possible, fly economy, take the train if you can, or simply slow down and stay longer in one place. Climate action isn’t only about technology. It’s about the choices we have every day - and share with others to make them contagious!

Find NPR's Climate Solutions Week stories here.

Thank you to Anne Cloud with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Voice Over for the Planet⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for narrating this edition of Talking Climate. 

Music by Bradley Myer.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.talkingclimate.ca