Weathered: Earth’s Extremes

Life on the ground following natural disasters is often chaotic and scary. And with global warming gradually adding energy to our atmosphere, driving more extreme weather and worse disasters, it’s logical that people would be concerned. This got us thinking: does owning firearms actually make you safer following a disaster?

Both climate models and the laws of physics are clear: more greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere means warmer air and oceans, which means more energy for bigger, stronger hurricanes. So why haven’t we seen a clear signal from climate change in the hurricane record? This episode explores groundbreaking research on this question and looks ahead at what we can expect in the coming decades.

For decades, conventional wisdom has told us that fuels reduction is key to protecting communities. However, the latest research shows that weather actually plays a big role as well. In fact, the vast majority of structures are destroyed in wind-driven fires. Tune in to learn how we’ve been focusing on the wrong problem and what we can do about it.

In this episode we are going to dive into this unjust history of housing discrimination and see what it can teach us about how to keep cities cooler and save lives. We’ll visit Richmond, Virginia and Portland, Oregon to understand the problem and solutions. Innovative solutions are being carried out at the Science Museum of Virginia and by the Portland organization, Friends of Trees.

A “tipping point” is when a system, with just a small amount of additional energy, is pushed from one stable state to another suddenly and dramatically. This can be a chair falling backwards. Or it can be a major earth system collapsing. The IPCC recently identified 15 potential climate-related tipping points that scientists have grown increasingly worried we are getting close to crossing.

As global warming continues, we are going to continue seeing record droughts and many places are, simply, going to have to live with far less water. But, more specifically, it means we are going to need to innovate both how cities and agriculture do business. So, we discuss how water is used in agriculture and how the greatest gains in water use efficiency will have to come from irrigation.

Subduction zone earthquakes are the largest and most destructive on earth. In the Pacific northwest lurks the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which has been dormant for centuries and is overdue for its next “big one.” So, In this episode, we’re going to tell you what experts think is the best way to survive this inevitable disaster.

We try to get to the bottom of this paradox and unravel the role that climate change is truly playing in our increasingly erratic weather and precipitation patterns. We also look at large climatological elements like atmospheric rivers and Hadley cells to see the roles they are playing in these changes. And we look back on the worst flood to ever hit the United States.

As our seas rise and hurricanes get stronger, it is important that we understand more about storm surge – the most dangerous part of a hurricane. In this episode of Weathered we tell the story behind the best video we’ve ever seen of storm surge – or any storm footage for that matter – captured by storm chaser Max Olson’s probe. And we’ll tell you why it matters.

For this episode we wanted to see where we are in terms of “business as usual,” and if we are still headed towards an apocalypse of sorts. Or if, perhaps, all of the technological innovations in renewables and EVs along with new climate policy such as the Paris Agreement might have bent down the curve on global warming. So, tune in to see where we’ve been in our race against the clock.

Climate Change is increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters all around the world. And in the United States, more and more people seem to be moving to the places that are projected to be most impacted by climate change, from hazards such as flooding, wildfire, storms, drought and extreme heat; and leaving the most climate-resilient areas.

Arctic air is warming, causing scientists to worry that melting arctic ice and snow could also lead to a sudden permafrost thaw and release of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) that forms a climate tipping point or feedback loop. And the trigger temperature may be coming much sooner than expected.

A variety of exotic marine life have begun to move in, now able to live in the warmer waters. And while this may serve as a boon to some of the inhabitants of the region and its fishing economy, it also signals profound and likely permanent ecosystem changes and points toward the kinds of tipping points we may see if we continue emitting greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.

Climate scientists are clear that we need to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. And in order to do this, we’re going to need to electrify everything and green the grid. But what will this clean, green future look like? Can we pull off this massive transition in time before some seriously dire tipping points are reached?

We’ve all heard that we should keep global climate change under 2 degrees of warming, but did you know that there are many places around the globe that have already surpassed that? Some places around the globe are experiencing extreme warming, while other places have actually seen some cooling. So what’s with all the variation?

As climate change continues warming the planet, a new and invisible killer is emerging: extreme wet bulb temperatures. This refers to a potentially lethal combination of heat and humidity that, until now, have appeared somewhat infrequently around the world. But models predict that they are likely to become an increasingly big problem in the coming years.

Remember the 2008 Financial Crisis? Experts warn that the same thing may be happening again, but this time, CLIMATE CHANGE is the culprit. Increasing natural hazards, from wildfires and hurricanes to rising sea levels and catastrophic flooding are threatening the very foundation of our real estate system in huge swaths of the country.