What do bird populations, winter sports, and brewing have in common? They’re all impacted by climate change. In fact, as the recently concluded first season of the In This Climate (ITC) podcast demonstrates, there is practically no species, hobby, or beverage that is not affected by the global crisis. But as the podcast illustrates, there are plenty of reasons to feel hopeful about the future.
Through a mixture of conversation, interview, and narrative, ITC tackles the people, places, and problems of environmental change, from burning boreal forests near the Arctic Circle, to sustainable vineyards in California, to gentrifying neighborhoods in Brooklyn. In its 40-episode first season, ITC takes listeners to a variety of continents, cities, and communities, taking a closer look at the costs and complexities of climate change.
Wrapping one’s arms around such an all-encompassing problem seems a monumental undertaking, but, as the podcast demonstrates, conversation and storytelling may be the most direct route to understanding the consequences of climate change and how people are responding.
“I am proud of the breadth that we covered and the depth that we were able to go into in our first season,” said ITC producer Emily Miles. “People come to the climate change problem from all directions. Whether you’re interested in buying a climate-friendly beer or mitigating the effects of climate gentrification, we want to make it clear that there’s a place for you in this movement.”
A joint venture of the Environmental Resilience Institute and The Media School at IU, the podcast is available through the ITC website, Apple podcasts, and Spotify.
For newcomers to the podcast, Miles shared a few thoughts on her favorite episodes from Season 1:
The psychology of (climate) change – This episode examines the emotions that make commitment to climate action difficult and the strategies that can be used to support a movement trying to reimagine and create a more sustainable future.
What Miles says: “This episode gets to the root of what’s interesting about being a climate advocate to me and my friends: How can we be effective and get past our fear and anxiety about the future to bring about change and grow the movement? Our guests are awesome, and they talk specifically about the emotional, behavioral, and messaging challenges that every advocate must contend with.”
Beer, wine, and coffee – In its beverages series, ITC explores the climate-related challenges faced by the people who produce some of our favorite drinks and how they are responding to environmental changes and accounting for the environmental impacts of their industries.
What Miles says: “What’s cool about this series is that it illustrates how there’s nothing in your life that isn’t touched by climate change. In all three episodes, we talk about the ways that climate change has affected these industries and the ways that these industries are trying to adapt to lessen their carbon footprint.”
Building resilience through parks – This two-part series explores how we can manage public spaces to align with local ecology and neighborhood identity while simultaneously protecting residents from the effects of climate change.
What Miles says: “These episodes really end up being about public green space and how important our public space is in creating the scale of change that we need. We go into incredible depth on why this space is so important and how it can be used in US cities across a lot of different climates. Aside from the direct benefits parks provide, they can inspire people to go home and create beautiful spaces in their own yards, which is really what we need.”
