The Sweaty Penguin

Mangroves are the only type of tree that can grow in saltwater, but that barely scratches the surface of why they’re special. These tropical coastal forests protect the adjacent land from storms, provide nurseries for young fish, and sequester enough carbon to account for 10% of global emissions. But mangroves are being destroyed left and right from sources like coastal development, wood harvesting, and even shrimp farms, meaning one of our best defenses against climate change could be gone in the not-too-distant future. Today, we explore what mangroves do, why they’re under threat, and where we go from here. With special guest Dr. Margaret Awuor Owuor: Lecturer in the School of Environment, Water, and Natural Resources Management at South Eastern Kenya University.

It’s the environmental issue everyone’s talking about, with companies and cities banning plastic straws all over the world. But while it’s often played up as either a super simple environmental issue that cities and companies can get tons of clout for single handedly fixing or a stupid issue that we should stop wasting our time on, the reality is that neither of those are really the case. Plastic straws, like every other episode topic on The Sweaty Penguin, are a surprisingly complex problem that demand a nuanced solution. Today, we’ll discuss to what extent plastic straws actually are a problem, and a variety of solutions (beyond the more newsworthy bans, paper straws, and pasta straws) for how the problem can be improved. With special guest Dr. Travis Wagner: Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at the University of Southern Maine.

After some of the latest environmental news updates, Ethan sits down with episode 3’s Velina Georgi and Leo Brother for a bipartisan conversation on episode 21: “ADHD.”

Artificial intelligence is most often discussed in the environmental world as a sustainability solution capturing invasive starfish and detecting the sound of illegal loggers. But in addition to these exciting developments, AI has the potential to cause environmental problems and inhibit environmental progress. Today, we discuss a few of the many challenges AI poses for the environment, and consider where to go from here to make AI more of an environmental good and less of an environmental bad. With special guest Dr. Peter Dauvergne: Professor of International Relations at the University of British Columbia and author of “AI in the Wild: Sustainability in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”

For many living on or by mountains, cliffs, or other slopes, landslides pose a huge risk. The ground itself can come crashing down or slip out from under you. Globally, landslides kill thousands of people per year and rack up costs in the billions. And while they are a natural phenomenon, human activities like deforestation, mining, and climate change could make them more frequent. Today, we discuss why landslides happen, how we’ve exacerbated them, and how we can both mitigate them and prepare for them in the future. With special guest Dr. Žiga Malek: Assistant Professor in Land Use and Ecosystem Dynamics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

International environmental treaties are a fantastic start, but they also regularly struggle because even when a country signs a treaty, they still don’t actually have to do anything. There is no global governing body to enforce agreements, meaning countries often fail to uphold their end of agreements, which is concerning since environmental issues are not isolated to any one country—everyone contributes, and everyone is affected. So how do countries then hold each other accountable? Today, we’ll explore some of the strategies currently used, why they often fail, and some options countries could consider from here to promote environmental progress on the global level. With special guest Dr. Susan Park: Professor of Global Governance at the University of Sydney.

Maple syrup is a staple for every breakfast on Christmas morning, but with climate change harming the health of maple trees, maple syrup is under threat. Today, we’ll break down how climate change affects maple syrup production, what that could mean for maple syrup’s messy economic situation largely run by a maple syrup cartel wrought with illegal activity (one such crime becoming the largest police investigation in the history of Quebec), and how we can protect the future of this delicious condiment. With special guest Dr. Pamela Templer: Professor of Biology at Boston University.

After some of the latest environmental news updates, Matt Grottkau and Christian Alberga sit back down with Ethan for a bipartisan chat about episode 13: “Wild Salmon.”

Airplanes are a really tricky issue. They emit greenhouse gases, create air and noise pollution, and operate in a ridiculously unstable business model leading airline after airline to go bankrupt. But airplanes are obviously important too, and certainly don’t need to be banished from existence or be a source of guilt for travelers. Today, we’ll highlight a few of the challenges facing aviation, and discuss some of the exciting technologies and policies that could make airplanes cleaner, healthier, and more economically viable. With special guest Dr. Kevin Lane, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health at Boston University.

This episode is part of a four-episode series made possible by the Sustainability Innovation Seed Grant from BU Sustainability and Innovate@BU.

Powering everything through clean, carbon-free energy to mitigate climate change requires not just decarbonizing electricity, but actually making several things like cars, furnaces, and factories electric. But with the positives of electrification comes some questions. How do you store and transmit clean energy? How do you meet the skyrocketing demand for electricity? How do you avoid blackouts? Today, we’ll dive into some of the challenges of electrification and consider how they can be addressed. With special guest Dr. Peter Fox-Penner: Founder and Director of the Boston University Institute for Sustainable Energy and Professor of Practice at the Questrom School of Business.

This episode is part of a four-episode series made possible by the Sustainability Innovation Seed Grant from BU Sustainability and Innovate@BU.