Despite the pandemic, carbon emissions are at an all-time high, topping records over the past 3.6 million years. For years, scientists have warned of humans approaching a critical tipping point of global warming – and it’s here. Sustainability scientist Dr. Kimberly Nicholas joins Viewpoints this week to break down the current climate landscape and explain why turning things around requires a collective effort.
21-16 Segment 2: The Growing Wealth Of The Billionaire Class
Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg added 41 billion dollars to his wealth over the past year. And that’s nothing compared to what Tesla CEO, Elon Musk raked in: 157 billion. The majority of humans on the planet can’t even fathom earning that amount of money. Yet, for many in the top .01 percent, it’s a never-ending cycle of holding onto and building their wealth for generations to come. As the rich get richer and take up a bigger piece of the pie, what’s left for the rest of us? How can leaders and laws slow this extreme wealth inequality?
21-15 Segment 1: Managing Mental Health In The Medical Field During A Pandemic
Physician burnout is still a very real problem in the U.S. – and the pandemic has only exacerbated these feelings in some of the hardest hit hospitals across the country. We speak with Dr. Greg Hammer at Stanford University about the pandemic’s lasting effects on mental health and systems that have been created to better support people working in medicine or in medical school.
21-15 Segment 2: End-Of-Life Planning: Have You Gotten Your Affairs In Order?
About 60 percent of Americans don’t yet have a written will in place. People spend a lifetime working hard, saving money, building assets, but often never think about what would happen in case they suddenly passed away. Viewpoints speaks with life planning expert, Abby Schneiderman, about the importance of organizing your life both on paper and online.
21-14 Segment 1: Entrepreneurship In The Adult-Use Cannabis Market
New York is the latest to legalize recreational marijuana. This move will create thousands of new jobs and is expected to generate billions of dollars in revenue after a lackluster year in tourism, real estate and business. And New York isn’t alone. Each year, more states are voting to allow both adult-use and medical marijuana sales. But, with this, comes challenges. In a fast-growing industry, how do you ensure that smaller entrepreneurs aren’t left behind? Or those who’ve been systemically affected by the war on cannabis are given greater opportunity?
21-14 Segment 2: Alphabetical Arrangement
Organizing people or items by A to Z is a common method all over the world. It’s used in schools, businesses, libraries and more. But why is this the predominant method today? What are some other systems that people of the past used? Historian Judith Flanders joins us this week to shed some light on the fascinating study of alphabetization.
21-13 Segment 2: Modern Adulthood
Whatever age you are, there’s always certain pressures to hit life milestones by set periods. It can mean moving out, getting married, having a family or even retiring by a ‘normal’ age. We discuss why these external pressures shouldn’t feed into personal decisions and how today’s generations and the challenges they face greatly differ from those of their parents or grandparents.
21-13 Segment 1: Siri, Self-Driving Cars and Disinformation on Social Media: The Ups & Downs of Artificial Intelligence
AI software is everywhere these days. It’s built into cars, tech, robotics and used in numerous fields from stock portfolio management to pharmaceuticals. But, what does the future of artificial intelligence hold as this technology expands? How will current problems be exacerbated? AI expert and New York Times journalist, Cade Metz joins Viewpoints this week.
21-12 Segment 2: The Mental Toll of a Full Work Inbox
On average, its estimated that the typical worker receives one email every six minutes. This constant stream of emails and instant messages throughout the day continuously pulls people away from their main tasks and leads to workout burnout. And the pandemic – with more people working from home – has only made this worse. Computer science and communication expert, Cal Newport joins us this week to break down the main issues and possible solutions.
21-12 Segment 1: The Deadly Texas Freeze: Does It Point To Larger Problems?
The wintry storm that crippled the entire state of Texas last month is estimated to cost 195 billion dollars in damages and has already been linked to dozens of deaths due to prolonged exposure of extreme cold. For several days, millions of Texans were left without heat in their homes, no running or clean water and food shortages. What factors fed into this statewide failure? Is this a weather pattern that will happen more frequently as the climate shifts?
21-11 Segment 1: Dealing with Conflict
Conflict is part of life, but it doesn’t have to be a completely negative experience; it can be an opportunity for personal growth and forging deeper relationships. We speak with two experts who specializing in studying conflict to better understand how to resolve disagreements with a spouse, family member, or with colleagues in the workplace.
21-11 Segment 2: The Power Of Persevering Through Life’s Challenges
Life has many challenges – but it’s how you respond to these obstacles that truly matter. Characteristics like passion, perseverance and grit can all factor into the end result and can make all the difference rather than focusing on pure talent or intelligence.
21-10 Segment 1: What May Lie Ahead: The Pandemic’s Effect On The Economy
How has a year-long pandemic affected the U.S. economy? Will it bounce back as more people get vaccinated or will there be long-term ramifications? Economist James Rickards joins Viewpoints this week to share his insights on the post-pandemic economy.
21-10 Segment 2: Working Within The Oil Sector
The oil and gas industry employs millions of workers. In 2018, 6.7 million Americans worked within the traditional energy sector. Yet, when we often hear about the industry, it’s entangled in political and environmental news. Rarely does it look at the workers themselves and the challenging and physical barriers of the job. In 2013, Michael Patrick Smith moved from Brooklyn, New York to Williston, North Dakota to work as an oil swamper. He joins us this week on Viewpoints.
21-09 Segment 1: A Shifting Suburbia: The Impact Of Covid-19
Congested roads. Crumbling parking lots. Vacant strip malls. These are some of the challenges that suburbs across the country are facing today. What to do with the vacant retail and office space? How do you make people less dependent on cars and more active? Architect June Williamson is a proponent of mixed-use developments that create more efficient suburbia. This vision creates a 15-minute suburb where basic amenities and activities are walkable, and spaces bring people together rather than dividing them with large, empty lawns, lots and physical structures.
21-09 Segment 2: The Arctic Then vs. Now
Over the last two decades, Arctic melt has increased by about 60 percent. It’s estimated that if all of the glaciers and ice caps were to disappear into the ocean, sea level would rise by 230 feet, wiping out all of the coastal cities and town around the globe. Journalist and author, Andrea Pitzer shares the history of Arctic exploration and how the landscape has changed over time – but not for the better.
21-08 Segment 1: The Tulsa Race Massacre
In the early 1900’s, the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma was commonly referred to as the ‘Black Wall Street’. It was a predominantly African American town that was booming due to the nearby discovery of oil. It was a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family – but that all changed on May 31, 1921. In a matter of hours, the town was burnt to ashes and its estimated that up to 300 people were murdered. Historian Scott Ellsworth tells the largely untold story of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
21-08 Segment 2: A Newsfeed Overload
How often do you skim a headline and feel like that’s all you need to know? Or gather your daily news from a Twitter or Facebook feed? Economist & journalist Tim Harford joins Viewpoints this week to share the impacts of sensationalized or one-sided information and how we can all become more inquisitive consumers of content.
21-07 Segment 1: The Path To Europa
The Jupiter moon, Europa is 390 million miles away from Earth. In 2025, the NASA Europa Clipper mission launches and is estimated to arrive in Jupiter’s orbit by 2031. Why Europa? Underneath its radiated surface, the icy moon is believed to host a vast ocean similar to Earth’s that has ample conditions for complex life. Author David W. Brown joins Viewpoints this week to shed some light on the Jovian moon and some of the challenges that came with the lengthy approval of this deep space mission.
21-07 Segment 2: The Joys Of Being Back In The Classroom
As some schools return back to in-person learning, we take a look at a few of the ways teaching has changed this year, including new safety precautions and the use of continued e-learning technology. Kelly Rigg is an eighth-grade teacher in Ephrata, Pennsylvania and shares what’s it’s been like to be back teaching in the classroom full-time during a pandemic.
