Fahrenheit 140° Podcast, Episode 6

Climate change is one of the greatest environmental challenges the world has ever faced. What can you do? A whole lot, as it turns out. Hosts Robert Mace and Carrie Thompson speak with Dr. Thomas Ptak, an Assistant Geography Professor at Texas State University, about the daily choices the average person can take to make a big difference in fighting climate change.

In this episode, our hosts cover several topics:

• Armadillos are invading Illinois to take advantage of the wetter climate (03:29)
• Texas is in an energy revolution and we are adapting in cost-effective ways, for example there are days where wind power accounts for more than 50% of the state’s energy source (07:02)
• New Zealand is looking to tax cow and sheep burps – nearly half of the country’s emissions is methane from agriculture (and cow and sheep burps) (10:28)
• A study that tracked 7 million sleep records found that where the temperatures are higher, people are losing hours of sleep (13:04)
• There’s been a fivefold increase in burned acres from 2 million in 1985 to 10 million in 2020 (14:46)
• Western forests are ~50% drier due to climate change (15:49)
• Texas ranked as the most natural disaster-prone state in the country, with 368 disasters since 1953 (20:01)

An interview with Dr. Thomas Ptak:

• Get involved in local issues – most cities have a climate initiative that people can join (26:23)
• Food has a huge impact on carbon emissions – we can make choices based on the carbon intensity of various foods (27:02)
• We can be conscious about our energy practices – like passive heating or cooling, closing your blinds, and turning up the thermostat can have a major impact on the energy grid (27:31)
• We can all ride a bike, walk, and not use single-use plastics – collectively they have a huge impact, but we have to feel empowered about our contributions (28:54)
• Disinformation plays a huge role into people feeling that they’re not really connected to the problem of climate change (30:11)
• Climate change is complex and the reporting about skepticism is very sophisticated, so people not working in this space can have a hard time making the distinction between human-induced climate change and what is naturally occurring (31:13)
• If you want to feel empowered about climate change, look at cities across the country who have made pledges to go 100% carbon neutral as a result of people organizing and bringing concerns to their local representatives (39:48)
• Fighting climate change will look different for different people – it will take everyone with all of their skills, whatever they are, to develop holistic solutions (43:41)
• There isn’t a single solution. It’s the same for power, it’s the same for water. (54:04)

Along with some feel-good stories to leave you inspired, like:

• Austin Water unveiled OSCAR and CLARA, which is expected to reduce the building’s potable water use by up to 75% (01:01)
• UK started piloting a 32-hour work week, which is estimated to cut emissions by 20% (01:06)

Articles Mentioned in this Episode:

• Armadillos have arrived in downstate Illinois and are heading north (Chicago Tribune)
• The Temperature Is the Least Surprising Part of the Texas Heat Wave (Bloomberg)
• In a first, New Zealand proposes to tax farmers for livestock burps (Down To Earth)
• Rising temperatures erode human sleep globally (One Earth)
• Water, Wildfire, and Climate Change (Union of Concerned Scientists)
• Relocating or retiring? Know the risks in the most natural disaster prone US states (Yahoo!)
• The average person’s daily choices can still make a big difference in fighting climate change – and getting governments and utilities to tackle it, too (The Conversation)
• OSCAR and CLARA: The Future of Climate-Water Resilience (Hotter Than A Jalapeño)
• 30 British companies will work 4 days a week this summer—and then try to make it the law (Fast Company)