8 Podcasts About Climate Change That Can Help You Remain Informed

In a report released in April 2019, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the UN agency for weather, climate and water resources, shared a not-so-encouraging update on global warming. With temperatures, concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and sea levels rising at record levels, last year was one of the worst years ever, literally. If you don't know as much about the global crisis as you'd like to, don't be hard on yourself, just subscribe to a few podcasts that can help you better understand climate change. Instead of spending your commute listening to that comedy or crime podcast that you love, save it for later and listen to something a bit more pressing and enlightening for a change.

While there's always time to switch back to that bone-chilling true crime story, or knee-slapping comedy special, we can't say the same for getting educated about climate change and learning crucial ways to change your lifestyle and make a difference in the world. Because the topic of climate change is deeply complex, it can be hard to digest news stories on the subject. Podcasts follow up the headline with a conversation, giving listeners a better chance to really understand what's going on, and why. Here are a few podcasts that really break climate change down into a topic you can comprehend in a tangible way.

Terrestrial

Terrestrial features host Ashley Ahearn's worldly travels and insight regarding environmental change. Using real stories from around the world, she teaches her listeners how to make smart choices that effect us all over the world, not just within our household.

Costing The Earth

This BBC podcast looks at our literal effect on the environment and how the environment reacts to our contemporary existence. In the podcast, everything from the environmental cost of golf courses to climate change's effect on reproductive health is covered. It's very broad, and very informative.

Climate Cast

In this podcast, MPR News meteorologist Paul Huttner talks listeners through the current news stories regarding climate change. This program creates an opportunity to break down complex topics, carefully and slowly, making the subject matter far less overwhelming than it can be.

A Climate Change Podcast

This podcast produced by Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s climate team. Because it's a university program, it's a bit more dynamic than other podcasts on the topic. While it's very educational, there' a lot more room for raising questions and discussions, rather than just providing answers. What's more, the team running the podcast are our future, so it's interesting to hear their fresh take and what changes they want to see implemented.

Climate Cash

Hosted by WWF-Australia's Conservation Direction, Dr. Gilly Llewellyn, this three series podcast includes conversations with business, government and community experts. The dialog serves as an effort to explore how climate change impacts are affecting South East Asia and the Pacific region. Though it's largely looking at what role Australia can take, it's educationally relevant for people in the US, too.

The Elephant

This podcast investigates solutions for climate change. Each episode explores a different element of climate change, featuring conversations with leading thinkers, experts, journalists, and scientists.

America Adapts

Unlike some of the other podcasts on the subject, like the title suggests, Doug Parson's America Adapts focuses on our adaptation to climate change. Featuring a range of interviews with experts of all levels who are in the field of adaptation, this podcast covers a lot of very educational ground.

Warm Regards

If you're looking for a very patient breakdown of what climate change really is, how its affecting our planet and how we are adding to it every day, look no farther than this podcast. Hosted by Jacquelyn Gill, a paleoecologist at the University of Maine, and Andy Revkin, a veteran journalist at ProPublica, it's impossible to listen to this podcast without learning a lot.