Ask MIT Climate

Winters are warming faster than any other season here in the U.S. So why are some winter storms getting even more intense? Today, we’re going to explore the connections between climate change and extreme winter weather. For this episode, we sat down with atmospheric science expert Dr. Jennifer Francis of the Woodwell Climate Research Center.Dr. Jennifer Francis is a senior scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, and her research is focused on the rapidly changing Arctic. This work engages in why change is occurring, how those changes are affecting the Arctic as well as temperate regions across Earth where billions live. Dr. Francis has devoted more time in recent years towards effective science communication acoss media and helping non-scientists and public officials to gain deeper understanding of why the climate is changing and how it will continue to affect each of us.For more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, as well as educator guides, sources and further reading, visit https://tilclimate.mit.edu. To receive notifications about new episodes, follow us on Twitter @tilclimate.CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerAdam Nacov, Student Production AssistantSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistMichelle Harris, Fact CheckerMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

What if you could pay someone else to cancel out your carbon emissions? As countries, organizations, and even individuals around the world commit to lowering their impact on the climate, many have been doing just that. So today, we’re going to look at how “carbon offsets” work and whether they are an effective tool for slowing climate change. For this episode, we sat down with carbon trading and offsets expert Dr. Barbara Haya from the University of California Berkeley. Dr. Barbara Haya is a Research Fellow at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California Berkeley. She leads the Berkeley Carbon Trading Project, which studies the effectiveness of offset programs and carbon trading with the goal of ensuring these programs and policies support effective climate action. Dr. Haya is also helping the University of California to develop its own strategy of using offsets to meet their carbon neutrality goals. Haya received her PhD at UC Berkeley’s Energy and Resources Group, and has previously worked with NGOs to help support international offset program reform. For more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. To receive notifications about new episodes, follow us on Twitter @tilclimate.CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerAdam Nacov, Student Production AssistantSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistMichelle Harris, Fact CheckerMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

Roughly ten percent of the world’s CO2 emissions come from passenger vehicles: cars, pickups, motorcycles, buses, and taxis. So today, we’re going to zoom in on how people get around every day and what to consider when thinking about reducing carbon emissions from everyday travel. For this episode, we sat down with our former MIT colleague and transportation expert Dr. Joanna Moody.For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/til-about-mobilityFor more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerBarrett Golding, Script WriterIlana Hirschfeld, Production AssistantMichelle Harris, Fact CheckerSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

Electric vehicles (EVs) are being touted as a major solution to climate change. But why is that? How do they work and what kinds of changes are needed as more EVs hit the road? To dig into this, we brought in MIT Sloan Prof. David Keith, who studies transportation technology. For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/til-about-electric-carsFor more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerBarrett Golding, Script WriterIlana Hirschfeld, Production AssistantMichelle Harris, Fact CheckerSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

Hydrogen gas acts like a fossil fuel, but with no carbon emissions. Is it the silver bullet we’ve been waiting for? Prof. Svetlana Ikonnikova of the Technical University of Munich joins us to bring light to how hydrogen works and its potential in the energy transition.For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/til-about-hydrogenFor more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu.  CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerNatalie Jones, Script WriterIlana Hirschfeld, Production AssistantMichelle Harris, Fact CheckerSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

The ocean is a critical piece of the climate change puzzle. It's estimated that the ocean has absorbed about one third of the excess CO2 humans have added to the atmosphere and more than 90% of trapped heat in the atmosphere. So, today, we’re going underwater to talk about the ocean and climate change with renowned oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle.For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/til-about-the-oceanFor more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerNatalie Jones, Script WriterIlana Hirschfeld, Production AssistantCarolyn Shea, Fact CheckerSylvia Scharf, Climate Education SpecialistMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

The ocean is a critical piece of the climate change puzzle. It's estimated that the ocean has absorbed about one third of the excess CO2 humans have added to the atmosphere and more than 90% of trapped heat in the atmosphere. So, today, we’re going underwater to talk about the ocean and climate change with renowned oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle.For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/til-about-the-oceanFor more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerNatalie Jones, Script WriterIlana Hirschfeld, Production AssistantCarolyn Shea, Fact CheckerSylvia Scharf, Climate Education SpecialistMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

At MIT, we have a commitment to sharing what we know about climate change. That’s why, this summer, we’ll be back soon with a fourth season of TILclimate, bringing you new episodes that dive into even more climate topics, like the role the ocean plays in our climate, solutions for reducing transportation emissions, the future of hydrogen energy, and a whole lot more. All around 10-15 minutes, with real scientists and experts.For more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerIlana Hirschfeld, Student Production AssistantNatalie Jones, Script WriterBarrett Golding, Script WriterSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistCarolyn Shea, Fact checkerMichelle Harris, Fact checkerMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

Today’s episode is about the money of climate change. When people talk about how much it costs to stop climate change, what are we paying for? And who’s paying, exactly? And if we don’t pay to stop climate change – how much will that cost us? To answer these questions, we spoke with Dr. Barbara Buchner from the Climate Policy Initiative.For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/til-what-it-costsFor more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerIlana Hirschfeld, Production AssistantCarolyn Shea, Fact CheckerSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol

Today we bring climate change to the dining room table. In this episode, we reinvited Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig onto the TILclimate podcast to tell us just a little more about the connections between the food we eat and climate change.For a deeper dive and additional resources related to this episode, visit: https://climate.mit.edu/podcasts/til-about-what-I-eatFor more episodes of TILclimate by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, visit tilclimate.mit.edu. CreditsLaur Hesse Fisher, Host and ProducerDavid Lishansky, Editor and ProducerAaron Krol, Associate ProducerIlana Hirschfeld, Production AssistantCarolyn Shea, Fact CheckerSylvia Scharf, Education SpecialistMusic by Blue Dot SessionsArtwork by Aaron Krol