Viewpoints Radio
Award-winning reporting on current issues featuring America's leading experts.
Many people are worried that non-native plants and animals are invading the U.S. and preventing native species from thriving. Each year, a lot of money and time is spent trying to rid the land of these aliens - often to no avail. But, are these species present because they’re the only ones that can exist in that environment?
The average person ends up trashing 25 percent of the food they buy from the grocery store. This can mean fresh produce, expired dairy, stale bread – the list goes on and on. This cycle of food waste across households, grocery stores and restaurants adds up, resulting in more than 81 billion pounds of fresh, edible food being thrown away each year. What’s …
How often do you buy an item from the store that’s packaged in a plastic container or wrapped in plastic? Daily decisions like these add up and are feeding into the global plastic crisis. Scientists estimate that there’s anywhere between nine to 16 million tons of plastic on the sea floor, polluting the environment, harming species and releasing harmful …
In 2017, Sara Dykman biked more than 10,000 miles, following the path of the annual Monarch migration. Along her route, she stopped to educate and raise awareness about the beauty and fragility of the butterfly. Dykman joins us this week to teach us about the insect’s unique migration patterns across North America and how individuals can help this dwindling …
As more Americans look to decrease their carbon footprints, what’s one way to make a big difference? Flipping the narrative on the traditional American diet. Beef is more carbon-intensive to produce than chicken, but did you know that cheese is also worse than chicken? It’s this knowledge that can change people’s dietary decisions and decrease greenhouse gas …
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 …
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 …
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 …
The field of attribution science studies extreme weather events in order to uncover what role man-made climate change plays in the severity or likelihood of each disaster. We speak to renowned climatologist Dr. Friederike Otto to better understand the reasonings behind attribution science and the implications this research has on science, global politics and …
The northwestern coast of South Africa & Namibia has been a mining hub for diamonds since the 1900’s. Local workers labor through long shifts and hazardous working conditions in order to feed their families. The pay? Roughly five cents per carat of rough diamonds found. While some may argue that the industry stimulates the local economy, once a company …
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere leading to a warmer planet. The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions due to human activities is from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas for electricity, heat and transportation. In recent years, the increasingly dry and warm climate in the …
Hurricane Laura ramped up to a Category 4 hurricane late last month and was the strongest storm to hit the Louisiana coast in more than a hundred and sixty years. Each year, the most powerful storms during the Atlantic hurricane season typically form between the end of August and early October. We speak with two experts to better understand the history of …
This year’s wildfires in California are already worse than last year with still months left in peak fire season. This week on Viewpoints - we explore the growing climate challenges facing Californians and what the future holds for The Golden State.
Today, a greater number of architects and developers are not only thinking about profit and supply, but the additional - sometimes invisible - factors at play when it comes to new buildouts. These include the true benefits to humans, the environmental toll and the most practical designs that are symbiotic with nature.
With billions across the world staying home right now due to coronavirus, air pollution in many major cities has cleared making way for blue skies and new views of nature. This week, Viewpoints speaks with journalist and author Thomas Kostigen about the role of geoengineering in tackling another approaching global crisis: climate change.
One million animal and plant species now face the threat of extinction. As more than 80 percent of all global biodiversity lives on private land, what is the role of corporations when it comes to protecting these endangered species? Viewpoints speaks with Margaret O’ Gorman, president of the Wildlife Habitat Council, about the creative and adaptive policies …
Extreme forest fires in California; increased flooding throughout the Midwest; rising sea levels threatening much of the coastal United States. Viewpoints speaks with author Avanti Centrae and ecologist Alejandro Frid about some of these extreme weather patterns and how people across the world are changing the way they live in order to adapt to this new …
Have you ever wondered how to create the color purple using only natural pigments? Or why, amongst completely different languages, the third color term that’s identified after black and white is always red? Viewpoints’ speaks with two color experts about the theorized meanings behind certain hues and their natural origins.
It’s almost 2020. While many more Americans have grown to be increasingly eco-conscious, some things still remain the same. It seems like almost everyday a smoker can be seen stomping on a cigarette on the pavement or chucking a lighted butt out their car window. Did you know that more than one-third of all collected litter is cigarette butts? We speak with …
Strawberries are ubiquitous across the U.S. Supermarkets in every town stock cartons of fresh strawberries year round at a reasonable price. But this widespread availability may come to a halt in the near future as the industry faces several big challenges: labor shortages, climate change, sustainable farming legislation, etc. We discuss the history of the …
The retail giant, Forever 21 was once a prominent leader in the trendy style category for teens and young adults, boasting the latest fashions at bare bone prices. But earlier this month, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy citing decreased sales and increased online competition. For many industry analysts and experts, the recent news has also …
World-renowned cave diver Jill Heinerth led a team of divers inside the massive B-15 iceberg in Antarctica, and throughout her career has completed hundreds of other underwater dives across the globe. We speak with Heinerth about the beauty and dangers of cave diving and the importance of her work in helping scientists, biologists and researchers.
Around 90 percent of the plastic we use is left unrecycled and dumped in a landfill. Over time, this waste seeps into our oceans, harming its ecosystems and creating massive islands of floating garbage. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now more than twice the size of Texas. What small steps can we each take to reduce plastic consumption and get …
You want to eat healthily, but sometimes that’s not always possible. There’s nothing around that’s quick, affordable and above all, hits the spot. We cover how new models are creating a greater number of nutritious options and the challenges that comes with sustaining the profitability of these new systems.
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