America Adapts - The Climate Change Podcast

In episode 93 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons interviews Dr. Carolyn Kousky, the Executive Director at the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center at the University of Pennsylvania.  In this lively discussion, Doug and Carolyn discuss: how wildfires in California drove their utility into bankruptcy and what policy reforms are needed to prevent this from happening again; who owns the legal risks of climate change; needed disaster aid reform; the dysfunctional nature of flood insurance and the need to help low income households get access to appropriate disaster insurance. These topics and much more! Donate to America Adapts Listen to America Adapts on your favorite app here! Topics covered: Climate change and California wildfires and that state’s unique legal liability to these threats. Who ‘owns’ risk when it come to climate impacts? What are the major shortcomings of disaster aid. The critical need to engage with decisionmakers early in the policy process. How do you make academic adaptat

In episode 92 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons interviews the CEO of Grist, Brady Walkinshaw.  Grist is the long time, online environmental news group.  Doug and Brady discuss the presidential politics of climate change; the race to define what the Green New Deal really is.  They also discuss how the Green New Deal address climate adaptation and Grist’s own coverage of the issue. They also discuss the challenges of covering environmental news in a non partisan way, and sharing some of the Grist news programs. Donate to America Adapts Listen to America Adapts on your favorite app here! Topics covered: What is Grist environmental news. A deep dive on the Green New Deal: substance, players and politics of it. “It’s a positive viewpoint of the future, not a negative one.” 2020 Presidential elections and climate politics. Should there be a climate presidential debate (yes)? Does the green new deal address climate adaptation? Is it impossible to do bipartisan Green New Deal? Is it time to play hard ball on thi

In episode 91 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons goes to the 2019 National Adaptation Forum in Madison, Wisconsin!  During this adaptation-palooza, Doug interviews a variety of conference participants.  Discover the topics and themes covered at this event and learn how diverse the adaptation community has become. Hear what presentations stood out and how adaptation professionals see this sector growing.  Doug also interviews several listeners of the podcast and gets their feedback on the conference.  If you couldn’t make the conference yourself, this is the next best thing, hearing dispatches from those in attendance on what makes the National Adaptation Forum the premiere adaptation event in the country.    Donate to America Adapts Interviewed in this episode: Lara Hansen, Executive Director of EcoAdapt and co-founder of NAF Amber Pairis, lead for the Climate Science Alliance, California Emily Wasley, Adaptation Professional Jesse Keenan, Harvard University Lisa Craig, Principal Lisa Craig Group Rohan Ha

In episode 90 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons travels to beautiful Saint Augustine, Florida for the Keeping History Above Water conference.  Doug interviews experts on the threat of sea level rise to cultural resources. Learn the innovative, proactive approaches the city of St. Augustine is taking to address sea level rise. The conference highlights the specific examples of adaptation planning that are happening at the local community level.  Discover how historic preservation will be a key catalyst for adapting the built environment to climate change. Learn how the Keeping History Above Water series is challenging the historic preservation sector to factor in the enormous challenges of sea level rise.   This episode of America Adapts was generously sponsored by Sponsored by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, Flagler College, and the University of Florida. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app! Donate to America Adapts Interviewed in this episode: Leslee Keys – Assistant Prof

In episode 89 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons interviews Yale-Nus College Asst. Professor of Environmental Studies Dr. Matthew Schneider-Mayerson about his recent literacy research on how “Cli-Fi”, or climate change science fiction, can influence a reader’s behavior. Doug is joined in this interview by Cli-Fi expert, Dr. Amy Brady, a previous guest on America Adapts.  In a bonus conversation, Doug interviews Laur Hesse Fisher, host of a new podcast, Today I Learned: Climate (TILClimate), based out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Discover how this new podcast is teaching climate fundamentals in short, science driven episodes. Donate to America Adapts Other Topics covered: Using “Cli-Fi” to influence a reader’s behavior. Amy Brady weighs in on need for empirical evidence in the cli fi genre. Matthew Schneider-Mayerson, says “the future is a distant country.” Using “Cli-Fi” to move people from just awareness to actual action. “Cli-Fi” can help bring people together to talk about climate ch

In episode 88 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons interviews Dr. Marcy Rockman, cultural resource and climate adaptation expert. Marcy, until recently, was the Cultural Resources Adaptation Coordinator for the National Park Service and is now the IPCC Team Lead with the International Council on Monuments and Sites Climate Change and Heritage Working Group. Marcy and I discuss her time at the Park Service, developing the first of its kind cultural resource and climate change white paper. We also talk about how climate change will impact historic sites and how it’s a threat multiplier.  Marcy also discusses the tension at the Park Service between natural resources and cultural resources which ultimately led to her leaving the NPS. Hear about these issues and much more! Donate to America Adapts Other Topics covered: Is time more important than resources? When do historic sites stop making history? Climate change is a threat multiplier for cultural history. Has the NPS ever let a park or resource ‘go’ due to

In episode 87 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons interviews Dr. Kyle Powys Whyte. Kyle is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Community Sustainability and a faculty affiliate of the American Indian & Indigenous Studies and Environmental Science & Policy programs at Michigan State University. Kyle is also an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Kyle and I discuss how indigenous people define urgency in the face of climate change, managed retreat for tribal communities, the national climate assessment and tribal issues, the sometimes controversial relationship between tribes and climate scientists, climate change’s role in ongoing colonization of indigenous people, effective tribal engagement and much more in a fascinating and sometimes raw conversation. Donate to America Adapts Other Topics covered: Fundamentals of indigenous people and climate adaptation. Tribal people have historically ‘adapted’ to environmental change many times. What does managed retreat mean for tribal people?

He’s back! In episode 86 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons interviews famed climatologist Dr. Michael Mann.  Dr. Mann is the author of the famous ‘hockey stick’ climate research that has become one of the iconic images in the climate movement. This is Dr. Mann’s second appearance on America Adapts. In this episode, we discuss: winning the Tyler Prize (the environmental equivalent of the Nobel Prize); the quickly emerging issue of climate adaptation; Trump’s climate policies being worse than our worst case predictions; academic freedom and climate denial; the new generation of outspoken climate scientists and the worldwide climate youth movement!      Donate to America Adapts Other Topics covered: Discussing the Tyler Prize and his co winner Dr. Warren Washington, a trailblazer in climate modeling. Discussing people living with climate impacts today and how that undermines President Trump’s climate skepticism. Climate trolls and how to counter them. Climate deniers harassment has led to a new generation of

In episode 85 of America Adapts – a true event episode - Doug Parsons interviews the hosts of some of your favorite climate change podcasts!  Warm Regards, Climactic, No Place Like Home, Climate Ready, Climate One, The Climate and Security Podcast, MIT’s Climate Conversations and Reversing Climate change all join Doug on the pod to share their stories.  Learn what inspired them to start their podcasts, the types of guests they host and their insight on why podcasts are a great platform to create awareness around  climate change. This episode will truly inspire you as you go behind the scenes on what it takes to host a climate podcast.  The hosts are scientists, journalists, activists and educators, all bringing their unique style to their shows. For the first time in a podcast, a single episode highlights some of your favorite climate podcasters. You’re going to love this episode!  Podcasters, in order of appearance: Warm Regards (02:02) with host Jacquelyn Gill Listen on Apple Podcasts Climactic (17:52)

In episode 84 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons interviews Dr. Jesse Keenan, from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. Jesse recently published a book Climate Adaptation Finance and  Investment in California. Also, Jesse answers questions from listeners on the general “State of Adaptation.” Topics covered in this episode:  adaptation finance, understanding ‘maladaptation’, differences between finance and funding; social equity and much, much more!    Donate to America Adapts Other Topics covered: Defining the field of climate finance relating to adaptation. What we give up by not adapting. California’s approach to mitigation and adaptation Financing large scale climate communications. Social equity and the opportunity adaptation provides. The current state of climate change podcasts and much, much more! The role of foundations in experimenting in adaptation planning. Disaster capitalism and could we see an Enron type situation in adaptation. Subscribe to America Adapts, text “adapters” to 31996! Links i

In episode 83 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons interviews planner Deanna Moran and environmental lawyer, Elena Mihaly, from the Conservation Law Foundation.  Deanna and Elena come on to talk about their new report, Climate Adaptation and Legal Liability. Other topics include:  current court cases relevant to adaptation and climate change; using legal liability as a tool to affect policy decisions; the need to update building codes to reflect climate threats; what industries and sectors are most vulnerable to adaptation litigation and how will the legal system evolve with adaptation court cases. These topics and much, much more! Subscribe to America Adapts, text “adapters” to 31996! Donate to America Adapts Topics covered: Using legal liability to change social behavior. History of their adaptation and liability report How the law will impact the diversity of sectors involved with adaptation. New climate tools make it easier to use this type of evidence in court cases. Discuss current Exxon case before th

In episode 82 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons interviews Signe Nielsen, a landscape architect based in New York City.  Signe has been working on projects in NYC for decades and we discuss how climate change adaptation is being addressed in the city.  We discuss the impact of Superstorm Sandy and the challenges of keeping people safe and ensuring the people of New York are not cut off from the coasts by rising seas and rising sea walls.  We also talk about managed retreat, rethinking ecological systems, the new ethics of climate change for landscape architects and much, much more! Subscribe to America Adapts, text “adapters” to 31996! Donate to America Adapts Topics covered: The 3 basic principles for designing for the future. The long term impact of Hurricane Sandy on New York’s infrastructure and psyche. What sea level rise means for a landscape architect. Pondering NYC’s future with sea walls surrounding the city. The role of the city’s Public Design Commission in dealing with climate change. How to n

Subscribe to America Adapts, text “adapters” to 31996! In episode 81 of America Adapts - the third in a 4-part flooding series sponsored by World Wildlife Fund - Doug Parsons attends the Natural and Nature-Based Features (NNBF) Symposium in Santa Cruz, California. The Symposium was hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineering, with disaster and flooding experts participating from all over the world. Doug and Anita Van Breda, of World Wildlife Fund, interviewed these experts on topics ranging from nature based solutions, community engagement, to the history the Army Corps. We also visited some field sites to learn about on the ground adaptation efforts in the San Francisco Bay area.  Donate to America Adapts Topics covered: The role of Nature based solutions in flood risk management. The critical role of community and stakeholder engagement. History of flood management with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Collaborating with international partners on nature based solutions to flooding. International examples

In episode 80 of America Adapts, Doug Parson joins World Wildlife Fund’s Shaun Martin to take a behind the scenes look at how WWF is adapting conservation to the new realities of climate change and helping governments prepare for the future in ways that ensure a place for nature. During this 8-month journey, Doug follows how WWF is developing a simple process to integrate climate change risks into its strategies and documents the challenges and triumphs they face along the way. This episode features WWF staff from 20 countries on 5 continents, telling stories on a wide range of topics including elephants, super-typhoons, and urban water scarcity – all served up with a strong dose of instant coffee and a side of chicken gizzards! Subscribe to America Adapts, text “adapters” to 31996! Donate to America Adapts Featured in this Episode (in order of appearance) Shaun Martin, WWF US Kate Teperman, WWF Vietnam Eduardo Rendón Salinas, WWF Mexico Harisoa Hasina Rakotondrazafy, WWF Madagascar Gia Ibay, WWF Philippin

Subscribe to America Adapts, text “adapters” to 31996! In episode 79 of America Adapts, we’re celebrating the third annual Holiday Special.  Professor Ladd Keith of the University of Arizona and Shaun Martin, of World Wildlife Fund, join Doug in person at “Rancho Adapto” to discuss each of their top 3 climate stories of the year; their favorite America Adapts episode for the past year and the state of adaptation. It’s a lively and entertaining conversation with three adaptation pros!  Bonus section, Dr. Lara Hansen and Lauren Lynch, of EcoAdapt, come on to give a preview of the 2019 National Adaptation Forum, which occur April 23-25th in Madison, Wisconsin.  Donate to America Adapts Experts in this episode: Shaun Martin, Senior Director of Adaptation and Resilience at World Wildlife Fund Ladd Keith, Chair of the Sustainable Built Environments program and Planning Lecturer at the University of Arizona Links in this episode: https://www.worldwildlife.org/experts/shaun-martin http://www.laddkeith.com/ http://

Subscribe to America Adapts, text “adapters” to 31996! In episode 78 of America Adapts - the second in a 4-part flooding series sponsored by World Wildlife Fund - Doug Parsons talks with three experts using art to communicate the risks associated with flooding.  Catherine Sarah Young, Dr. Elizabeth Miller and Dr. Vidya Venkataramanan join the podcast to discuss their experiences using art and design for community engagement and how that can be relevant to flood managers.   Donate to America Adapts Experts in this episode: Anita Van Breda, WWF Catherine Sarah Young Dr. Elizabeth Miller, a Documentary Maker & Professor in Communication Studies based at Concordia, in Montreal, Canada Dr. Vidya Venkataramanan, postdoctoral fellow in the anthropology department at Northwestern University. Topics covered: Addressing flood risk through creative communication. Flooding and the role of community engagement for outreach. Video and audio resources for community engagement around flood management. Getting comfor

In episode 77 of America Adapts, Doug Parsons is joined by author and professor, Elizabeth Rush. Elizabeth discusses her recent book, Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore. Doug and Elizabeth dig in to the positive reaction it’s received, her book tour, and they take a deep dive on how vulnerability to climate change relates to the #MeToo movement. It’s a provocative and enlightening conversation. And we have a bit of fun too.   Donate to America Adapts To Subscribe to the America Adapts podcast, text “adapters” to “31996”! Topics covered: The origins of the book Rising. How communities are ‘letting go’ and retreating from coastlines. What Hurricane Katrina means for New Orleans’ identity. When “resilience” is a dirty word.  “Parallel vulnerabilities,” comparing sexual harassment with sea level rise vulnerability...yes, you have to listen to understand this provocative thought. Dealing with sexual harassment as a writer and professor. Those at risk of sexual harassment, and those at risk in highly

In episode 76 of America Adapts, Doug Parsons takes a journey to Queensland, Australia to learn how Natural Resource Management (NRM) bodies are adapting to climate change. Learn how these unique organizations are engaging with their rural communities on this important topic. Doug talks with experts from these NRM bodies ; aboriginal efforts at adaptation and carbon sequestration; and hear from two long time outback ranchers on what it means to work the land, how climate change is impacting that landscape and how to engage with rural communities. It’s an amazing episode with some truly unique Australian characters. Donate to America Adapts Subscribe to America Adapts, text “adapters” to 31996! Topics covered: Natural Resource Management bodies and their role in Queensland The role of NRM bodies in climate adaptation. Challenges of bringing various sectors, e.g., agriculture and conservation, sector together. First nation efforts at adaptation and carbon sequestration. Life on a cattle and sheep ranch in out

“We just had a 500 year flood. Well, we’ve had eight 500 or 100 year floods in the last two years. What does that mean? I think it’s time to stop calling it that and just start calling it…life.”  Cherri Foytlin, of Diné and Cherokee Tribes. Donate to America Adapts In episode 75 of America Adapts, Doug Parsons takes a journey with the Freedom to Breath bus tour on location in New Orleans. During his visit, Doug attends a town hall on women and minority groups talking about climate resilience; a visit to Africatown to learn about the legacy of racism and environmental pollution and a visit to a protest community that is also serving as a gateway for refugees fleeing storm events and climate change. Women, tribal members, people of color and members of the LGBT community talk about how climate uniquely impacts them and what steps they are taking to adapt to climate change. It’s an exciting episode, with interviews with minority voices on the front lines of climate change.  Subscribe to America Adapts, text “ada

Donate to America Adapts In episode 74 of America Adapts, Doug Parsons talks with flood management experts, both in the US and abroad.  Discover the history of flood management in the US.  We also learn how the Netherlands plans for 1 in 10,000 year flood events.  The guests in this episode also discuss nature based solutions to flood management. World Wildlife Fund’s Anita Van Breda shares information on the recently released Natural and Nature-Based Flood Management: A Green Guide (aka the Flood Green Guide), developed by WWF and its partners, as a tool for natural based solutions to flooding.  This is the first episode in a 3 part series, sponsored by World Wildlife Fund. Subscribe to America Adapts, text “adapters” to 31996! Experts in this episode: Anita Van Breda, WWF Dr. Steve Stockton Dr. Bregje van Wesenbeeck Dr. Jeff Opperman Topics covered: Discuss history of flood management. How developing and developed countries approach flood management. What do we know about the effectiveness of green infrast