Where The Climate Things Are

This week, climate scientist, polar explorer, and former international rower Susana Hancock joins Where The Climate Things Are to talk about what happens when science, sport, and global policy collide.

Susana works at the intersection of cryosphere science and international climate negotiations — studying glaciers, ice sheets, and the communities around the world that depend on them. But her work isn’t just inside research institutions or negotiation rooms. It’s also on skis, in expedition tents, and across some of the most remote ice on Earth.

This conversation explores how storytelling, science, and sport can all play a role in shaping climate action.

More show notes and links at the substack post: wtcta.substack.com

This week Olympic marathon bronze medalist and ultrarunner Molly Seidel joins Where The Climate Things Are for a conversation about the environmental side of her story - one that rarely gets airtime in traditional running-focused interviews.Growing up in rural Wisconsin surrounded by land conservation work, Molly developed an early relationship with environmental stewardship long before becoming a professional athlete. In this episode, we talk about climate anxiety in the outdoor community, how travel and training shape our understanding of environmental change, and why athletes don’t need to be perfect advocates to participate in climate conversations.This discussion moves beyond performance and podiums to explore identity, place, and what it means to protect the landscapes that shape who we are.
show notes & links at: wtcta.substack.com

This week, Addie is joined by Shannon Jade - an environmental scientist, poet, and author based in Australia whose work sits at the intersection of climate science and storytelling. Shannon’s debut novel-in-verse, A Song for the Earth, follows one young woman’s journey across the planet’s biomes, weaving ecology, grief, hope, and action into poetry that feels both grounded in science and deeply human. We talk about growing up with bushfires and drought, taking the path from creative writing into environmental science and back, and why hope - not doom - is a deliberate choice when communicating climate.

You can find additional show notes under the Shannon Jade article at wtcta.substack.com

Addie talks about the major climate themes throughout the 2026 Winter Olympics, in addition to the endangerment finding reversal that arrived today. It's all connected.

Full article and links on substack: wtcta.substack.com

A climate channel posting about this? Absolutely. Because it's all connected.

CALL YOUR SENATORS: (202) 224-3121

Scripts, resources and more at the WTCTA substack: wtcta.substack.com

Climate Strides is back!

We are partnering with Running Up For Air and Patagonia on our next four events.

Our Climate Strides series returns to play a special role in supporting RUFA’s mission. By bringing participants along on our mobile panel design, we want to get people moving while giving people a taste of climate advocacy on the go, encouraging more people to sign up for the (much longer) RUFA race a few weeks later. Hopefully, we help to build community and connect folks in the local climate space as well. 

Sign up here:

Salt Lake City: https://rufaclimatestridessaltlakecity.splashthat.com/

Boulder: https://rufaclimatestridesboulder.splashthat.com/

Seattle: https://rufaclimatestridesseattle.splashthat.com/

Bellingham: https://rufaclimatestridesbellingham.splashthat.com/

A short note for the end of the year!

I did also want to offer a few resources for those who want to get involved on a few of the important causes mentioned, climate-related or not:

• Everytown for Gun Safety

• Brown U Flight Fund (getting students out of Providence quickly and safely)

• Bondi Beach GoFundMe

• I encourage you to follow reporter Cate Brown and community activist Amanda Stecco (both of whom I am lucky enough to call friends) for more on the ongoing genocide in Gaza and how you can get involved.

  Here’s a comprehensive list of ways you can get involved in aiding those affected by the floods in Washington.

  
  

  See you next year!

In this episode, Addie sits down with Bianca Clarke — parks advocate, community-builder, and Director of the 10-Minute Walk Program at Trust for Public Land — to talk about equitable access to nature, climate resilience and why neighborhood parks are critical climate infrastructure in addition to providing opportunities for local outdoor recreation. From childhood moments that sparked her environmental path to the national effort to ensure every person lives a 10-minute walk from a green space, Bianca shares what it means to design for connection, invest in community and build a future where nature is truly for everyone.

We talk about:

• How early experiences outdoors shaped Bianca’s path into conservation

• Why millions of people in the US lack access to a nearby park — and what that means

• How Trust for Public Land designs parks with communities, not for them

• Climate resilience: heat mitigation, flood protection, and “sponge parks”

• The social power of parks - belonging, safety, and everyday connection

• …and much more! 

Links

• Trust for Public Land (TPL)

• TPL’s 10-Minute Walk Program

• TPL’s ParkServe Program

• TPL’s Schoolyard Initiative

• Moore Aloha — Ama OluKai Foundation

• Going Green: A Kid’s Handbook to Saving the Planet

Keywords

parks, public lands, equitable access, climate resilience, urban heat, flood mitigation, sponge cities, green space, community design, environmental justice, nature-based solutions, neighborhood parks, social connection, mental health, outdoor equity, conservation, climate adaptation

WTCTA is a whole year old! 🎉

A huge thank you to everyone who has read, listened, subscribed, told a friend about this, come to an event, suggested a guest, BEEN a guest… you name it. The belief in this little project is palpable, and means more than you all know. We would not be here without it. 

Addie reads the latest post on the Where The Climate Things Are Substack about a recent trip to Vietnam for a wedding, and the very real climate impacts the country is facing from weeks of typhoons and flooding.

WTCTA Substack Article