The Sweaty Penguin

Aside from some scary climate change reports you may hear in the news, what does the United Nations Environment Programme do? As it turns out, a lot less than you might expect, and that’s because UNEP was designed to have less power than many other UN affiliates. Today, we break down what UNEP has and hasn’t accomplished, some proposed improvements to UNEP, and why international cooperation on the environment is important regardless of one’s foreign policy beliefs. With special guest Dr. Henrik Selin: Associate Dean of Studies and Professor of International Relations at the Boston University Pardee School of Global Studies.

As coronavirus continues to spread, people with asthma have faced a higher death rate. And asthma itself is a huge issue too, killing ten Americans every day. This week, we take a deep dive into the South Bronx in New York City, a low-income, high-density, predominantly Black and Latino community nicknamed “Asthma Alley” due to its high asthma rate, and discuss what causes and triggers asthma, why the South Bronx and other marginalized communities face such high rates, and how we could treat and prevent asthma moving forward. With special guest Dr. Elizabeth Garland: a pediatrician and Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

This week, we bring you our top environmental news headlines, and then sit down with The Sweaty Penguin’s Producers Shannon Damiano, Frank Hernandez, and Caroline Koehl to share updates and reflections on Beef and Natural Gas Compressor Stations.

Whether it’s for heat, cooking, or electricity, most Americans use natural gas regularly. But before arriving at your home, natural gas traveling through a long pipeline enters a compressor station, and compressor stations release greenhouse gases, neurotoxins, carcinogens, and an absurd amount of noise. To make matters worse, compressor stations are disproportionately built in low income and minority communities, causing devastating economic and health impacts. Today, we break down what compressor stations are, why they’re harmful, and some ideas to both regulate them and make them obsolete. We’re joined by Nell Curtin (Boston University), Jack Kelly (Northeastern University), and special guest Dr. Nathan Phillips: Earth & Environment Professor at Boston University and Acting Director of BU’s Sustainable Neighborhood Lab.

What do cell phones, computers, airplane engines, and wind turbines have in common? They all require rare earth minerals, and while these minerals can be mined and processed sustainably, they currently are not, leading to environmental, health, and national security issues. Today, we discuss these issues, and consider ways to clean up the supply chain, scale back on our rare earth mineral consumption, and make our phones and computers more eco-friendly. We’re joined by Joe Perrotta (Marist College), Melani Zuckerman (Boston University), and special guest Dr. Julie Klinger: Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Delaware and author of the award-winning book “Rare Earth Frontiers: From Terrestrial Subsoils to Lunar Landscapes.”

Wondering why there’s so much fuss in the news over cow farts? We’ve got you covered. This week, we discuss why beef’s environmental impact far exceeds most other food products and consider ways to reduce those impacts without giving up too many of our steaks and burgers. We’re joined by Sebastian Bishop (Reed College), Adrian Castanon Galicia (Boston University), and special guest Dr. Rachael Garrett: Professor of Environmental Policy at ETH Zürich.

This week, we bring you our top environmental news headlines, and then sit down with The Sweaty Penguin’s Producers Shannon Damiano, Frank Hernandez, and Caroline Koehl to discuss some updates and clarifications on our Traffic, Lawn Pesticides, Yosemite National Park, and Lead Paint episodes, as well as how each issue has developed during the coronavirus pandemic.

We often think of lead paint as a problem of the past, but in reality, any house built before 1978 could have lead paint on the walls, and when they do, the health risks are enormous, especially for young children. We’ll discuss the environmental and health problems lead paint poses and consider ways to test for and abate lead in our homes. We’re joined by Frank Serpe (Boston University), Katherine Wright (Boston University), and Rick Reibstein: Lecturer at Boston University and Founder and Director of the Coalition for a Public Conversation on Lead.

Yosemite was set aside as a national park in 1890, and since then, we haven’t done a spotless job preserving and managing it. There’s even a Starbucks in the park! We’ll discuss the economic inefficiencies, inequities, and environmental degradation currently taking place at Yosemite and consider ways to both solve these specific issues and think about the land where we live. We’re joined by Leo Brother (Elon University), Velina Georgi (College of Charleston), and special guest Dr. Sarah Phillips: Professor of History at Boston University and author of “This Land, This Nation: Conservation, Rural America, and the New Deal.”