Sustainable Planet https://splanetpod.com/ en © 2024 Sustainable Planet. All rights reserved. Sustainable Planet is a podcast hosted by Kimberly Weir and Jorden Dye. Kimberly has a PhD in political science and decades of experience as a university professor. Jorden is Director at a Canadian clean energy think tank. Delivered to you twice a month, they examine the issues that impact the future of our planet and discuss ways we can live more sustainable lives. Their combined experience allows them to offer an in-depth take on the economic, political, sociocultural, and environmental aspects of sustainability and development, covering topics including consumerism, climate change, waste, and food, water, raw materials, and energy security and conservation. https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/f91cc68c-faa1-11ee-9de4-139c9832223d/image/c54d708e10fc552589cc831d9594079f.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress Sustainable Planet https://splanetpod.com/ no episodic A Reasoned Approach to Environmental Issues Kimberly Weir Sustainable Planet is a podcast hosted by Kimberly Weir and Jorden Dye. Kimberly has a PhD in political science and decades of experience as a university professor. Jorden is Director at a Canadian clean energy think tank. Delivered to you twice a month, they examine the issues that impact the future of our planet and discuss ways we can live more sustainable lives. Their combined experience allows them to offer an in-depth take on the economic, political, sociocultural, and environmental aspects of sustainability and development, covering topics including consumerism, climate change, waste, and food, water, raw materials, and energy security and conservation. Sustainable Planet is a podcast hosted by Kimberly Weir and Jorden Dye. Kimberly has a PhD in political science and decades of experience as a university professor. Jorden is Director at a Canadian clean energy think tank.

Delivered to you twice a month, they examine the issues that impact the future of our planet and discuss ways we can live more sustainable lives. Their combined experience allows them to offer an in-depth take on the economic, political, sociocultural, and environmental aspects of sustainability and development, covering topics including consumerism, climate change, waste, and food, water, raw materials, and energy security and conservation.

]]> Kimberly Baranowski splanetpod@gmail.com Buzzkill: What’s Really Threatening Our Bees https://splanetpod.com/buzzkill-whats-really-threatening-our-bees Following the last episode’s general focus on pollinators, this episode zooms in on bees. From the ethics of beekeeping, why seedless watermelons make bees work overtime, and the unsettling nature of colony collapse disorder, Jorden and Kimberly consider the astonishing diversity of bees. In addition to the legislative acts that promote apiary conservation, individuals can do a lot that matters, including rewilding yards, reducing pesticides, leaving fallen wood, planting natives, supporting local honey, and even “adopting” a bee.   Recommended Resources About bees Bee stats The 3D-printed beehive Bee legislation Bee fences Kentucky bees Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 20 Nov 2025 09:57:00 -0000 Buzzkill: What’s Really Threatening Our Bees full 2 42 Kimberly Weir The backbone of global pollination, bees do the heavy lifting in the global food system. Instead of making their jobs harder, everyone can pitch in with some basic actions to restore bee populations. Following the last episode’s general focus on pollinators, this episode zooms in on bees. From the ethics of beekeeping, why seedless watermelons make bees work overtime, and the unsettling nature of colony collapse disorder, Jorden and Kimberly consider the astonishing diversity of bees. In addition to the legislative acts that promote apiary conservation, individuals can do a lot that matters, including rewilding yards, reducing pesticides, leaving fallen wood, planting natives, supporting local honey, and even “adopting” a bee.   Recommended Resources About bees Bee stats The 3D-printed beehive Bee legislation Bee fences Kentucky bees Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Following the last episode’s general focus on pollinators, this episode zooms in on bees. From the ethics of beekeeping, why seedless watermelons make bees work overtime, and the unsettling nature of colony collapse disorder, Jorden and Kimberly consider the astonishing diversity of bees. In addition to the legislative acts that promote apiary conservation, individuals can do a lot that matters, including rewilding yards, reducing pesticides, leaving fallen wood, planting natives, supporting local honey, and even “adopting” a bee.  

Recommended Resources

]]> 2463 no Why Pollinators Matter More Than You Think https://splanetpod.com/why-pollinators-matter-more-than-you-think Pollinators do far more than keep our gardens blooming — these tiny workers support global food systems, sustaining a third of the world’s food supply. In this episode, Jorden and Kimberly dig into what’s threatening bees, bats, butterflies, and more — and how rethinking our landscaping choices could help. The immense ecological and economic importance of pollination is worth over $230 billion in global production. The astonishing diversity of invertebrate and vertebrate pollinators range from bats to beetles to butterflies, yet climate change, habitat loss, pesticides, and cultural habits, like manicured lawns, threaten their survival. From planting clover or violets to creating “pollinator pathways” on balconies and rooftops, Jorden and Kimberly emphasize how small changes can make a big difference. Planting attracting plants, including buckwheat, canola, and sunflowers, is as important as cultural change Recommended Resources About pollinators More about pollinators Lots of 2024 stats Threats from climate change How we can help Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 06 Nov 2025 05:15:00 -0000 Why Pollinators Matter More Than You Think full 2 41 Kimberly Weir Bees get the headlines, but pollinators of all kinds keep our planet alive. Under threat from climate change, habitat loss, and pesticides, landscaping choices can make a big difference. Pollinators do far more than keep our gardens blooming — these tiny workers support global food systems, sustaining a third of the world’s food supply. In this episode, Jorden and Kimberly dig into what’s threatening bees, bats, butterflies, and more — and how rethinking our landscaping choices could help. The immense ecological and economic importance of pollination is worth over $230 billion in global production. The astonishing diversity of invertebrate and vertebrate pollinators range from bats to beetles to butterflies, yet climate change, habitat loss, pesticides, and cultural habits, like manicured lawns, threaten their survival. From planting clover or violets to creating “pollinator pathways” on balconies and rooftops, Jorden and Kimberly emphasize how small changes can make a big difference. Planting attracting plants, including buckwheat, canola, and sunflowers, is as important as cultural change Recommended Resources About pollinators More about pollinators Lots of 2024 stats Threats from climate change How we can help Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Pollinators do far more than keep our gardens blooming — these tiny workers support global food systems, sustaining a third of the world’s food supply. In this episode, Jorden and Kimberly dig into what’s threatening bees, bats, butterflies, and more — and how rethinking our landscaping choices could help.

The immense ecological and economic importance of pollination is worth over $230 billion in global production. The astonishing diversity of invertebrate and vertebrate pollinators range from bats to beetles to butterflies, yet climate change, habitat loss, pesticides, and cultural habits, like manicured lawns, threaten their survival. From planting clover or violets to creating “pollinator pathways” on balconies and rooftops, Jorden and Kimberly emphasize how small changes can make a big difference. Planting attracting plants, including buckwheat, canola, and sunflowers, is as important as cultural change

Recommended Resources

]]> 2057 no Rethinking the Quintessential Lawn https://splanetpod.com/rethinking-the-quintessential-lawn Lawns are cultural icons—but they’re also ecological dead zones. In this episode, Jordan Dye and Kimberly Weir explore how native planting, edible gardens, and rewilding can save water, cut emissions, support pollinators, and make neighborhoods more livable. From Nevada’s “Cash for Grass” program to backyard biodiversity, it’s time to rethink what a beautiful yard really looks like and how the cultural, ecological, and mental health benefits of reconnecting with nature right outside your door. Recommended Resources What Cambridge did What Nevada did What California did Colorado, Minnesota, and Maryland passed “pollinator-friendly” laws Lawn Alternatives for Dogs Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 23 Oct 2025 04:14:00 -0000 Rethinking the Quintessential Lawn full 2 40 Kimberly Weir Lawns are out, life is in. A shift to native plants, edible gardens, and alternative ground cover is the key to a more sustainable approach to landscaping. Lawns are cultural icons—but they’re also ecological dead zones. In this episode, Jordan Dye and Kimberly Weir explore how native planting, edible gardens, and rewilding can save water, cut emissions, support pollinators, and make neighborhoods more livable. From Nevada’s “Cash for Grass” program to backyard biodiversity, it’s time to rethink what a beautiful yard really looks like and how the cultural, ecological, and mental health benefits of reconnecting with nature right outside your door. Recommended Resources What Cambridge did What Nevada did What California did Colorado, Minnesota, and Maryland passed “pollinator-friendly” laws Lawn Alternatives for Dogs Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Lawns are cultural icons—but they’re also ecological dead zones. In this episode, Jordan Dye and Kimberly Weir explore how native planting, edible gardens, and rewilding can save water, cut emissions, support pollinators, and make neighborhoods more livable. From Nevada’s “Cash for Grass” program to backyard biodiversity, it’s time to rethink what a beautiful yard really looks like and how the cultural, ecological, and mental health benefits of reconnecting with nature right outside your door.

Recommended Resources

What Cambridge did

What Nevada did

What California did

Colorado, Minnesota, and Maryland passed “pollinator-friendly” laws

Lawn Alternatives for Dogs

Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post

]]> 2943 no The Hidden Costs of the Perfect Lawn https://splanetpod.com/the-hidden-costs-of-the-perfect-lawn We return home after our series of travel episodes, stepping foot on the environmental money pit disguised as curb appeal. This episode of Sustainable Planet, Jorden and Kimberly explore the historical roots of lawn aesthetics, the significant water and chemical usage associated with maintaining lawns, and the broader social inequities tied to lawn culture. What has become a status symbol, whose maintenance is often mandated by law, the modern lawn needs an update to be more sustainable. Recommended Resources The growth of lawn popularity in the US Paul Robbins’s sociological take on lawn culture Residential lawns in the US Resource stats for lawns Not just a US issue Why lawns are ecological deserts Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 09 Oct 2025 04:01:00 -0000 The Hidden Costs of the Perfect Lawn full 2 39 Kimberly Weir Lawns may look harmless, but they’re water-wasting, chemical-laden, carbon-emitting symbols of unsustainability. We return home after our series of travel episodes, stepping foot on the environmental money pit disguised as curb appeal. This episode of Sustainable Planet, Jorden and Kimberly explore the historical roots of lawn aesthetics, the significant water and chemical usage associated with maintaining lawns, and the broader social inequities tied to lawn culture. What has become a status symbol, whose maintenance is often mandated by law, the modern lawn needs an update to be more sustainable. Recommended Resources The growth of lawn popularity in the US Paul Robbins’s sociological take on lawn culture Residential lawns in the US Resource stats for lawns Not just a US issue Why lawns are ecological deserts Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post We return home after our series of travel episodes, stepping foot on the environmental money pit disguised as curb appeal. This episode of Sustainable Planet, Jorden and Kimberly explore the historical roots of lawn aesthetics, the significant water and chemical usage associated with maintaining lawns, and the broader social inequities tied to lawn culture. What has become a status symbol, whose maintenance is often mandated by law, the modern lawn needs an update to be more sustainable.


Recommended Resources

]]> 2612 no What Are You Leaving Behind? https://splanetpod.com/what-are-you-leaving-behind In the last of a four-part series on travel, Jorden and Kimberly finish out their journey, considering sustainable means of travel by focusing on the choices we make once we’ve arrived at our destination. They explore how supporting local businesses, opting for hostels or sleeper trains, and even simple decisions like how we handle laundry or sunscreen can make a meaningful difference for communities and ecosystems. Kimberly shares practical tips from years of international travel—like why letting locals handle your laundry may save water and support economies while Jorden emphasizes the power of spending money directly with small vendors instead of global chains. The conversation also highlights the hidden sustainability benefits of hostels, the allure of legendary train journeys like the Orient Express, and why reef-safe sunscreen is more than just a buzzword phrase. From intentional packing, minimizing waste, and balancing convenience with long-term environmental impact, the last travel installment considers how slowing down, traveling with purpose, and prioritizing local connections can turn vacations into richer and more sustainable experiences. Recommended Resources World Bank tourism data More World Bank visitor data Hosteling in Europe Amazing Southeast Asia and India train trips The importance of reef-safe sunscreen and comparisons Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 18 Sep 2025 04:01:00 -0000 What Are You Leaving Behind? full 2 38 Kimberly Weir Why hostels aren't just for the young, sleeper trains aren't just in murder mysteries, and sunscreen is worthy of a separate bullet point. In the last of a four-part series on travel, Jorden and Kimberly finish out their journey, considering sustainable means of travel by focusing on the choices we make once we’ve arrived at our destination. They explore how supporting local businesses, opting for hostels or sleeper trains, and even simple decisions like how we handle laundry or sunscreen can make a meaningful difference for communities and ecosystems. Kimberly shares practical tips from years of international travel—like why letting locals handle your laundry may save water and support economies while Jorden emphasizes the power of spending money directly with small vendors instead of global chains. The conversation also highlights the hidden sustainability benefits of hostels, the allure of legendary train journeys like the Orient Express, and why reef-safe sunscreen is more than just a buzzword phrase. From intentional packing, minimizing waste, and balancing convenience with long-term environmental impact, the last travel installment considers how slowing down, traveling with purpose, and prioritizing local connections can turn vacations into richer and more sustainable experiences. Recommended Resources World Bank tourism data More World Bank visitor data Hosteling in Europe Amazing Southeast Asia and India train trips The importance of reef-safe sunscreen and comparisons Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post In the last of a four-part series on travel, Jorden and Kimberly finish out their journey, considering sustainable means of travel by focusing on the choices we make once we’ve arrived at our destination. They explore how supporting local businesses, opting for hostels or sleeper trains, and even simple decisions like how we handle laundry or sunscreen can make a meaningful difference for communities and ecosystems. Kimberly shares practical tips from years of international travel—like why letting locals handle your laundry may save water and support economies while Jorden emphasizes the power of spending money directly with small vendors instead of global chains.

The conversation also highlights the hidden sustainability benefits of hostels, the allure of legendary train journeys like the Orient Express, and why reef-safe sunscreen is more than just a buzzword phrase. From intentional packing, minimizing waste, and balancing convenience with long-term environmental impact, the last travel installment considers how slowing down, traveling with purpose, and prioritizing local connections can turn vacations into richer and more sustainable experiences.


Recommended Resources

World Bank tourism data

More World Bank visitor data

Hosteling in Europe

Amazing Southeast Asia and India train trips

The importance of reef-safe sunscreen and comparisons

Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post

]]> 3456 no Where is our Wanderlust Taking Us? https://splanetpod.com/where-is-our-wanderlust-taking-us In the third of a four-part series on travel, Jorden and Kimberly head abroad, considering the top tourist destinations, whether to visit by land, sea, or air, and just how big of an impact our choices have on the planet. More people than ever are traveling abroad, and Americans are adding to the numbers, with 48% currently holding a valid passport, contributing to the tourist bucks that accounted for $10.9 trillion of the global GDP and 357 million jobs in 2024. From the most visited cities to the top international airport arrivals, destinations ranging from amusement parks to the world’s most popular landmarks, Jorden and Kimberly consider the impact that tourist traffic and climate change have on these destinations and how countries are coping, along with what airlines and cruise lines are doing (or not) to be more green.   Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Which country rules as King of Tourism What the most popular tourist destinations have that the others just don’t Why international flights are less terrible than domestic legs How airlines attempt to be sustainable despite less commitment to SAF Why public transportation will always be the greenest option How cruises are even worse for the ecosystem than we thought What Norway is doing to balance the scales of its dependence on tourism and protect its sights Recommended Resources Top tourist cities worldwide Top international arrivals cities Most popular country destinations Most sustainable destinations All about cruises and Norway’s new policy Alternative fuels and SAF and fees Excellent small group travel companies (Exodus, Intrepid) Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 04 Sep 2025 04:01:00 -0000 Where is our Wanderlust Taking Us? full 2 37 Kimberly Weir We're headed abroad to the world's most visited destinations. From flight guilt to cruise ship chaos, we explore how travel choices reshape the planet and what sustainable journeys really look like. In the third of a four-part series on travel, Jorden and Kimberly head abroad, considering the top tourist destinations, whether to visit by land, sea, or air, and just how big of an impact our choices have on the planet. More people than ever are traveling abroad, and Americans are adding to the numbers, with 48% currently holding a valid passport, contributing to the tourist bucks that accounted for $10.9 trillion of the global GDP and 357 million jobs in 2024. From the most visited cities to the top international airport arrivals, destinations ranging from amusement parks to the world’s most popular landmarks, Jorden and Kimberly consider the impact that tourist traffic and climate change have on these destinations and how countries are coping, along with what airlines and cruise lines are doing (or not) to be more green.   Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Which country rules as King of Tourism What the most popular tourist destinations have that the others just don’t Why international flights are less terrible than domestic legs How airlines attempt to be sustainable despite less commitment to SAF Why public transportation will always be the greenest option How cruises are even worse for the ecosystem than we thought What Norway is doing to balance the scales of its dependence on tourism and protect its sights Recommended Resources Top tourist cities worldwide Top international arrivals cities Most popular country destinations Most sustainable destinations All about cruises and Norway’s new policy Alternative fuels and SAF and fees Excellent small group travel companies (Exodus, Intrepid) Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post In the third of a four-part series on travel, Jorden and Kimberly head abroad, considering the top tourist destinations, whether to visit by land, sea, or air, and just how big of an impact our choices have on the planet.

More people than ever are traveling abroad, and Americans are adding to the numbers, with 48% currently holding a valid passport, contributing to the tourist bucks that accounted for $10.9 trillion of the global GDP and 357 million jobs in 2024. From the most visited cities to the top international airport arrivals, destinations ranging from amusement parks to the world’s most popular landmarks, Jorden and Kimberly consider the impact that tourist traffic and climate change have on these destinations and how countries are coping, along with what airlines and cruise lines are doing (or not) to be more green.

 

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • Which country rules as King of Tourism
  • What the most popular tourist destinations have that the others just don’t
  • Why international flights are less terrible than domestic legs
  • How airlines attempt to be sustainable despite less commitment to SAF
  • Why public transportation will always be the greenest option
  • How cruises are even worse for the ecosystem than we thought
  • What Norway is doing to balance the scales of its dependence on tourism and protect its sights

Recommended Resources

]]> 4802 no How to Enjoy the Stay Sustainably https://splanetpod.com/how-to-enjoy-the-stay-sustainably The domestic journey continues in the second of a four-part series on travel, considering the dilemmas that choosing accommodations, dining, and souvenirs raise for sustainably-minded travelers. As U.S. domestic travel rebounded to $918 billion in 2022 and is projected to hit over $1 trillion in 2027, the choices voyagers make matter even more as the climate change situation worsens. But to still have a great time, Jorden and Kimberly discuss practical ways travelers can minimize their carbon footprint while maximizing their positive impact.  Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: How Jorden and Kimberly have greened-up their souvenir-buying habits over the years Whether hotel chains or local boutiques are better eco-choices How all-inclusive resort experiences can be very sustainable or very destructive How vacation rental platforms like Airbnb impact people and the planet Just how popular glamping has become Recommended Resources AAA 2025 projections US resort locations Stats for Airbnb and the huge vacation rental growth industry Glamping v. camping stats 2023 Global souvenir sales Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 21 Aug 2025 04:01:00 -0000 How to Enjoy the Stay Sustainably full 2 36 Kimberly Weir Where to go, how to get there: Sorted. Now it's time to choose some digs, get some food, and pick up some souvenirs to remember the trip---all of which can be done sustainably, with a bit of thought. The domestic journey continues in the second of a four-part series on travel, considering the dilemmas that choosing accommodations, dining, and souvenirs raise for sustainably-minded travelers. As U.S. domestic travel rebounded to $918 billion in 2022 and is projected to hit over $1 trillion in 2027, the choices voyagers make matter even more as the climate change situation worsens. But to still have a great time, Jorden and Kimberly discuss practical ways travelers can minimize their carbon footprint while maximizing their positive impact.  Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: How Jorden and Kimberly have greened-up their souvenir-buying habits over the years Whether hotel chains or local boutiques are better eco-choices How all-inclusive resort experiences can be very sustainable or very destructive How vacation rental platforms like Airbnb impact people and the planet Just how popular glamping has become Recommended Resources AAA 2025 projections US resort locations Stats for Airbnb and the huge vacation rental growth industry Glamping v. camping stats 2023 Global souvenir sales Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post The domestic journey continues in the second of a four-part series on travel, considering the dilemmas that choosing accommodations, dining, and souvenirs raise for sustainably-minded travelers. As U.S. domestic travel rebounded to $918 billion in 2022 and is projected to hit over $1 trillion in 2027, the choices voyagers make matter even more as the climate change situation worsens. But to still have a great time, Jorden and Kimberly discuss practical ways travelers can minimize their carbon footprint while maximizing their positive impact. 

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • How Jorden and Kimberly have greened-up their souvenir-buying habits over the years
  • Whether hotel chains or local boutiques are better eco-choices
  • How all-inclusive resort experiences can be very sustainable or very destructive
  • How vacation rental platforms like Airbnb impact people and the planet
  • Just how popular glamping has become

Recommended Resources

]]> 2367 no Why We're Hooked on Travel https://splanetpod.com/why-were-hooked-on-travel In the first of a four-part series on travel, Jorden and Kimberly begin with what goes into planning a journey to consider how to have a great vacation that’s also more sustainable. With the number of travelers continuing the upward trend interrupted by the pandemic, more tourists are making domestic and international trips. In planning the journey, this episode focuses on domestic travel, checking out where people go and how they choose to get there. Jorden and Kimberly then turn to the impact of heading to these top destinations and suggestions on strategizing to have a great time while helping to conserve the places we love to visit.  Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Just how much domestic tourism has rebounded since the pandemic What are the most popular cities, favorite attractions, most visited national and amusement parks, and top beach destinations What The Ultimate Road Trip involves How train travel is making a comeback, while air travel rates continue to soar Why when we go matters more than we might think How just a few considerations can make a difference Recommended Resources AAA 2025 projections Top tourist cities in NA Top US National Park Service destinations US NP funding cuts impact Top Canadian National Park destinations Top amusement and theme park destinations US domestic flight trends US Amtrak trends Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 07 Aug 2025 04:01:00 -0000 Why We're Hooked on Travel full 2 35 Kimberly Weir It's vacation time. On this tour of North America, delve into the top destinations, how tourists get there, and why we can have just as much fun while taking a more sustainable journey along the way. In the first of a four-part series on travel, Jorden and Kimberly begin with what goes into planning a journey to consider how to have a great vacation that’s also more sustainable. With the number of travelers continuing the upward trend interrupted by the pandemic, more tourists are making domestic and international trips. In planning the journey, this episode focuses on domestic travel, checking out where people go and how they choose to get there. Jorden and Kimberly then turn to the impact of heading to these top destinations and suggestions on strategizing to have a great time while helping to conserve the places we love to visit.  Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Just how much domestic tourism has rebounded since the pandemic What are the most popular cities, favorite attractions, most visited national and amusement parks, and top beach destinations What The Ultimate Road Trip involves How train travel is making a comeback, while air travel rates continue to soar Why when we go matters more than we might think How just a few considerations can make a difference Recommended Resources AAA 2025 projections Top tourist cities in NA Top US National Park Service destinations US NP funding cuts impact Top Canadian National Park destinations Top amusement and theme park destinations US domestic flight trends US Amtrak trends Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post In the first of a four-part series on travel, Jorden and Kimberly begin with what goes into planning a journey to consider how to have a great vacation that’s also more sustainable.

With the number of travelers continuing the upward trend interrupted by the pandemic, more tourists are making domestic and international trips. In planning the journey, this episode focuses on domestic travel, checking out where people go and how they choose to get there. Jorden and Kimberly then turn to the impact of heading to these top destinations and suggestions on strategizing to have a great time while helping to conserve the places we love to visit. 

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

Just how much domestic tourism has rebounded since the pandemic

What are the most popular cities, favorite attractions, most visited national and amusement parks, and top beach destinations

What The Ultimate Road Trip involves

How train travel is making a comeback, while air travel rates continue to soar

Why when we go matters more than we might think

How just a few considerations can make a difference

Recommended Resources

AAA 2025 projections

Top tourist cities in NA

Top US National Park Service destinations

US NP funding cuts impact

Top Canadian National Park destinations

Top amusement and theme park destinations

US domestic flight trends

US Amtrak trends

Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post

]]> 4993 no Jorden and Kimberly's Excellent Adventures https://splanetpod.com/jorden-and-kimberlys-excellent-adventures Jorden and Kimberly are taking a vacation break and will return on August 7th. If you're new to the show, while we think all of our episodes are fantastic, we have a few favorites we recommend that you check out during our brief hiatus. Recommendations Episode 14, From Castles to Concrete: Not All Sand is Created Equally Episode 19, The Purge Episode 26, Disposable Planet Episode 24, A Space Race to Unsustainability Before Jorden joined as co-host, Michael Baranowski was Kimberly's inaugural co-host. He has since graciously stayed on as the tech guy responsible for the amazing audio quality for SP and The Politics Guys-a podcast he started over a decade ago and well worth a listen. Michael and Kimberly recorded over a dozen episodes. Since they set the direction for Sustainable Planet, if you're new to the podcast, even if you're listening because Jorden is your environmental hero, here are a few listener favorites you might want to check out. Recommendations Episode 1, What is Sustainability? Episode 2, Why We Buy So Much Stuff Episode 8, and one of Kimberly's favorites, which inspired her to start her Substack newsletter, SpongeBob in China? Creating Sustainable Cities Episode 13, Are You a Climate Anxiety Sufferer? Thu, 24 Jul 2025 04:01:00 -0000 full Kimberly Weir Summer Vacations 2025 Jorden and Kimberly are taking a vacation break and will return on August 7th. If you're new to the show, while we think all of our episodes are fantastic, we have a few favorites we recommend that you check out during our brief hiatus. Recommendations Episode 14, From Castles to Concrete: Not All Sand is Created Equally Episode 19, The Purge Episode 26, Disposable Planet Episode 24, A Space Race to Unsustainability Before Jorden joined as co-host, Michael Baranowski was Kimberly's inaugural co-host. He has since graciously stayed on as the tech guy responsible for the amazing audio quality for SP and The Politics Guys-a podcast he started over a decade ago and well worth a listen. Michael and Kimberly recorded over a dozen episodes. Since they set the direction for Sustainable Planet, if you're new to the podcast, even if you're listening because Jorden is your environmental hero, here are a few listener favorites you might want to check out. Recommendations Episode 1, What is Sustainability? Episode 2, Why We Buy So Much Stuff Episode 8, and one of Kimberly's favorites, which inspired her to start her Substack newsletter, SpongeBob in China? Creating Sustainable Cities Episode 13, Are You a Climate Anxiety Sufferer? Jorden and Kimberly are taking a vacation break and will return on August 7th.

If you're new to the show, while we think all of our episodes are fantastic, we have a few favorites we recommend that you check out during our brief hiatus.

Recommendations

Before Jorden joined as co-host, Michael Baranowski was Kimberly's inaugural co-host. He has since graciously stayed on as the tech guy responsible for the amazing audio quality for SP and The Politics Guys-a podcast he started over a decade ago and well worth a listen.

Michael and Kimberly recorded over a dozen episodes. Since they set the direction for Sustainable Planet, if you're new to the podcast, even if you're listening because Jorden is your environmental hero, here are a few listener favorites you might want to check out.

Recommendations

]]> 98 no From Bitter to Sweet: Sustainable Chocolate https://splanetpod.com/from-bitter-to-sweet-sustainable-chocolate Cocoa trees naturally promote environmental sustainability. However, without international support, farmers necessarily resort to less sustainable methods and labor exploitation. In the second segment of chocolate production, Jorden and Kimberly consider sustainability strategies and innovations for producers and, especially, for the manufacturers who have far greater means to effect change. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why fair-trade cacao cooperatives are better for the environment and community How Ghana's Kuapa Kokoo 135,000-strong farmer’s cooperative inspires neighboring Cote d’Ivoire and Indonesia How intercropping increases cacao yields, supports biodiversity, and feeds the locals What MNCs can learn from small chocolate-makers about renewable energies Why 75% of a cacao pod is tossed, when it can be used, and what that would mean for farmers’ income Why producers get the blame when manufacturers are the less sustainable of the two Recommended Resources Innovations in Grenada and Amsterdam  Biomass energy in Cote d’Ivoire and Uganda Processing stats and water usage Cocoa growing and production alternatives, along with full sun cultivation developments Upcycling pods to reduce waste and increase farmer earnings For more stats, see resource links for the first segment  Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Kimberly’s list of widely-available ethically-sourced chocolate producers she can vouch for and their availability The Endangered Species Chocolate- her go-to daily dose and widely available: Kroger, Walmart, Vitacost Target, Whole Foods, iHerb Blue Stripes- Whole Foods; unique in that they upcycle to use most of the cacao pod; they now also make cereal, which is quite good Chocolove- Kroger, Walmart, Vitacost, Walgreens Divine- Walmart, Whole Foods, Vitacost; produced by the Kuapa Kokoo Cooperative in Ghana, they have an amazing story worth checking out, as well as their chocolate bars (the darks are the favorites, but the 70% Dark Mint Crisp is excellent) Justin’s and Unreal -for candy bar chocolates, both widely available Tcho- Available in some natural foods and specialty stores, but buy direct for a discount on these premium chocolate bars that worth the price (highly recommend Dark & Salty, and though not dark chocolate, Perfect Matcha is quite good) For a wide variety of others, including Alter Eco (for a variety of fair trade products), Equal Exchange, and Theo, Slave Free Chocolate has a useful list Thu, 17 Jul 2025 04:01:00 -0000 From Bitter to Sweet: Sustainable Chocolate full Kimberly Weir Fair-trade cooperatives and innovative processing can transform chocolate into a sustainable food, but the industry-from farmers to big companies-need international support and pressure. Cocoa trees naturally promote environmental sustainability. However, without international support, farmers necessarily resort to less sustainable methods and labor exploitation. In the second segment of chocolate production, Jorden and Kimberly consider sustainability strategies and innovations for producers and, especially, for the manufacturers who have far greater means to effect change. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why fair-trade cacao cooperatives are better for the environment and community How Ghana's Kuapa Kokoo 135,000-strong farmer’s cooperative inspires neighboring Cote d’Ivoire and Indonesia How intercropping increases cacao yields, supports biodiversity, and feeds the locals What MNCs can learn from small chocolate-makers about renewable energies Why 75% of a cacao pod is tossed, when it can be used, and what that would mean for farmers’ income Why producers get the blame when manufacturers are the less sustainable of the two Recommended Resources Innovations in Grenada and Amsterdam  Biomass energy in Cote d’Ivoire and Uganda Processing stats and water usage Cocoa growing and production alternatives, along with full sun cultivation developments Upcycling pods to reduce waste and increase farmer earnings For more stats, see resource links for the first segment  Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Kimberly’s list of widely-available ethically-sourced chocolate producers she can vouch for and their availability The Endangered Species Chocolate- her go-to daily dose and widely available: Kroger, Walmart, Vitacost Target, Whole Foods, iHerb Blue Stripes- Whole Foods; unique in that they upcycle to use most of the cacao pod; they now also make cereal, which is quite good Chocolove- Kroger, Walmart, Vitacost, Walgreens Divine- Walmart, Whole Foods, Vitacost; produced by the Kuapa Kokoo Cooperative in Ghana, they have an amazing story worth checking out, as well as their chocolate bars (the darks are the favorites, but the 70% Dark Mint Crisp is excellent) Justin’s and Unreal -for candy bar chocolates, both widely available Tcho- Available in some natural foods and specialty stores, but buy direct for a discount on these premium chocolate bars that worth the price (highly recommend Dark & Salty, and though not dark chocolate, Perfect Matcha is quite good) For a wide variety of others, including Alter Eco (for a variety of fair trade products), Equal Exchange, and Theo, Slave Free Chocolate has a useful list Cocoa trees naturally promote environmental sustainability. However, without international support, farmers necessarily resort to less sustainable methods and labor exploitation. In the second segment of chocolate production, Jorden and Kimberly consider sustainability strategies and innovations for producers and, especially, for the manufacturers who have far greater means to effect change.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • Why fair-trade cacao cooperatives are better for the environment and community
  • How Ghana's Kuapa Kokoo 135,000-strong farmer’s cooperative inspires neighboring Cote d’Ivoire and Indonesia
  • How intercropping increases cacao yields, supports biodiversity, and feeds the locals
  • What MNCs can learn from small chocolate-makers about renewable energies
  • Why 75% of a cacao pod is tossed, when it can be used, and what that would mean for farmers’ income
  • Why producers get the blame when manufacturers are the less sustainable of the two

Recommended Resources

Kimberly’s list of widely-available ethically-sourced chocolate producers she can vouch for and their availability

  • The Endangered Species Chocolate- her go-to daily dose and widely available: Kroger, Walmart, Vitacost Target, Whole Foods, iHerb
  • Blue Stripes- Whole Foods; unique in that they upcycle to use most of the cacao pod; they now also make cereal, which is quite good
  • Chocolove- Kroger, Walmart, Vitacost, Walgreens
  • Divine- Walmart, Whole Foods, Vitacost; produced by the Kuapa Kokoo Cooperative in Ghana, they have an amazing story worth checking out, as well as their chocolate bars (the darks are the favorites, but the 70% Dark Mint Crisp is excellent)
  • Justin’s and Unreal -for candy bar chocolates, both widely available
  • Tcho- Available in some natural foods and specialty stores, but buy direct for a discount on these premium chocolate bars that worth the price (highly recommend Dark & Salty, and though not dark chocolate, Perfect Matcha is quite good)
  • For a wide variety of others, including Alter Eco (for a variety of fair trade products), Equal Exchange, and Theo, Slave Free Chocolate has a useful list
]]> 3057 no From Bean to Bar: Cacao to Chocolate https://splanetpod.com/from-bean-to-bar-cacao-to-chocolate In celebration of July 7th, World Chocolate Day, Jorden and Kimberly consider all things chocolate. What should be a sustainable contribution to the planet’s welfare instead exploits the environment and producers. To combat labor issues and promote sustainability, the Harkin-Engel Protocol aimed to address this complex and often troubling system of cacao and chocolate production. Despite the challenges, there's hope for positive change through better sourcing practices and conscious consumption. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: What information should appear on a candy bar wrapper, but doesn’t How two US Congressmen pushed to end child slave labor in the cacao industry Why farmers earn only a fraction of the profits from chocolate How the same volatile market for farmers earns corporations billions a year How a bafflingly huge percentage of wasted cacao pods can be upcycled Just how many other food crops can be grown with cacao trees Who grows the most cacao and who’s closing in quickly Why cacao production should be more sustainable than it is Recommended Resources Chocolate manufacturers’ Score Card, ranking corporations’ sustainability and a summary article The futures market on chocolate Country producer rankings The International Cocoa Organization’s farming review and development projects The World Cocoa Foundation  Cocoa sustainability report, 2022 Cocoa growing and production alternatives, along with full sun cultivation developments Upcycling cacao pods to reduce waste and increase farmer earnings Chocolate consumption and trends The Future of Cacao Farming Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post   Thu, 10 Jul 2025 04:01:00 -0000 From Bean to Bar: Cacao to Chocolate full Kimberly Weir Expected to hit $167B in sales in 2025, it’s time for us to rethink our relationship with chocolate. The industry can shift from exploitative to sustainable for farmers and the planet. In celebration of July 7th, World Chocolate Day, Jorden and Kimberly consider all things chocolate. What should be a sustainable contribution to the planet’s welfare instead exploits the environment and producers. To combat labor issues and promote sustainability, the Harkin-Engel Protocol aimed to address this complex and often troubling system of cacao and chocolate production. Despite the challenges, there's hope for positive change through better sourcing practices and conscious consumption. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: What information should appear on a candy bar wrapper, but doesn’t How two US Congressmen pushed to end child slave labor in the cacao industry Why farmers earn only a fraction of the profits from chocolate How the same volatile market for farmers earns corporations billions a year How a bafflingly huge percentage of wasted cacao pods can be upcycled Just how many other food crops can be grown with cacao trees Who grows the most cacao and who’s closing in quickly Why cacao production should be more sustainable than it is Recommended Resources Chocolate manufacturers’ Score Card, ranking corporations’ sustainability and a summary article The futures market on chocolate Country producer rankings The International Cocoa Organization’s farming review and development projects The World Cocoa Foundation  Cocoa sustainability report, 2022 Cocoa growing and production alternatives, along with full sun cultivation developments Upcycling cacao pods to reduce waste and increase farmer earnings Chocolate consumption and trends The Future of Cacao Farming Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post   In celebration of July 7th, World Chocolate Day, Jorden and Kimberly consider all things chocolate. What should be a sustainable contribution to the planet’s welfare instead exploits the environment and producers. To combat labor issues and promote sustainability, the Harkin-Engel Protocol aimed to address this complex and often troubling system of cacao and chocolate production. Despite the challenges, there's hope for positive change through better sourcing practices and conscious consumption.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • What information should appear on a candy bar wrapper, but doesn’t
  • How two US Congressmen pushed to end child slave labor in the cacao industry
  • Why farmers earn only a fraction of the profits from chocolate
  • How the same volatile market for farmers earns corporations billions a year
  • How a bafflingly huge percentage of wasted cacao pods can be upcycled
  • Just how many other food crops can be grown with cacao trees
  • Who grows the most cacao and who’s closing in quickly
  • Why cacao production should be more sustainable than it is

Recommended Resources

 

]]> 2551 no Beyond Growth: Reining in the Tides of Capitalism https://splanetpod.com/beyond-growth-reining-in-the-tides-of-capitalism Having laid out the fundamentals of Steady State and Degrowth, Part II of this segment explores why critics of the capitalist system advocate that these approaches are necessary both to achieve a sustainable planet and improve quality of life for people. Jorden and Kimberly consider where we see evidence of governments and communities applying Steady State and Degrowth approaches, with the hope of countering the ills of a broken system. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: How Jorden missed the fact that there is a thriving degrowth community lurking in his own backyard Why Congestion Charges promote sustainability without devolving into communism How local movements—from community gardens to ecovillages—challenge the underlying principles of capitalism Why the Fair Trade movement might be the best global-scale example of sustainability advocacy policy at work How one international agreement managed to revitalize a dying elephant population Recommended Resources Steady State’s organization page and more about Steady State The origins of Decroissance and more about Degrowth Community Land Trusts The Fair Trade Story video The Global Ecovillage Network and a list of ecovillages Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 03 Jul 2025 04:01:00 -0000 Beyond Growth: Reining in the Tides of Capitalism full Kimberly Weir How governments and grassroots movements are implementing steady-state and degrowth strategies to counter capitalism's environmental and social costs. Having laid out the fundamentals of Steady State and Degrowth, Part II of this segment explores why critics of the capitalist system advocate that these approaches are necessary both to achieve a sustainable planet and improve quality of life for people. Jorden and Kimberly consider where we see evidence of governments and communities applying Steady State and Degrowth approaches, with the hope of countering the ills of a broken system. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: How Jorden missed the fact that there is a thriving degrowth community lurking in his own backyard Why Congestion Charges promote sustainability without devolving into communism How local movements—from community gardens to ecovillages—challenge the underlying principles of capitalism Why the Fair Trade movement might be the best global-scale example of sustainability advocacy policy at work How one international agreement managed to revitalize a dying elephant population Recommended Resources Steady State’s organization page and more about Steady State The origins of Decroissance and more about Degrowth Community Land Trusts The Fair Trade Story video The Global Ecovillage Network and a list of ecovillages Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Having laid out the fundamentals of Steady State and Degrowth, Part II of this segment explores why critics of the capitalist system advocate that these approaches are necessary both to achieve a sustainable planet and improve quality of life for people. Jorden and Kimberly consider where we see evidence of governments and communities applying Steady State and Degrowth approaches, with the hope of countering the ills of a broken system.


Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

How Jorden missed the fact that there is a thriving degrowth community lurking in his own backyard

Why Congestion Charges promote sustainability without devolving into communism

How local movements—from community gardens to ecovillages—challenge the underlying principles of capitalism

Why the Fair Trade movement might be the best global-scale example of sustainability advocacy policy at work

How one international agreement managed to revitalize a dying elephant population

Recommended Resources

Steady State’s organization page and more about Steady State

The origins of Decroissance and more about Degrowth

Community Land Trusts

The Fair Trade Story video

The Global Ecovillage Network and a list of ecovillages

Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post

]]> 2610 no Why Degrowth isn’t Communism https://splanetpod.com/why-degrowth-isnt-communism Economists and governments have long equated ‘development’ with ‘economic development’, ignoring the implications of pure economic pursuit. Now facing climate change and planetary resource exhaustion, Jorden and Kimberly consider how Steady State and Degrowth advocates strive to put ‘sustainable’ into ‘development’. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why Jorden hates Degrowth Why Kimberly hates the GDP measure How Steady State and Degrowth differ Why Degrowth isn’t communism, but a Japanese philosopher pushing to combine the two What kind of growth the GN and GS countries need Just how many varieties of Cheez-Its and Oreos we need What has come to define ‘the good life’ and why we should rethink it Recommended Resources Steady State’s organization page and more about Steady State The origins of Decroissance and more about Degrowth The World Economic Forum on Degrowth Kohei Saito’s ‘Degrowth Communism’ Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 26 Jun 2025 04:01:00 -0000 Why Degrowth isn’t Communism full Kimberly Weir Mountains of garbage pile up while we face shortages of resources. Steady State and Degrowth advocate for sustainable production and consumption, but not everyone buys their arguments. Economists and governments have long equated ‘development’ with ‘economic development’, ignoring the implications of pure economic pursuit. Now facing climate change and planetary resource exhaustion, Jorden and Kimberly consider how Steady State and Degrowth advocates strive to put ‘sustainable’ into ‘development’. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why Jorden hates Degrowth Why Kimberly hates the GDP measure How Steady State and Degrowth differ Why Degrowth isn’t communism, but a Japanese philosopher pushing to combine the two What kind of growth the GN and GS countries need Just how many varieties of Cheez-Its and Oreos we need What has come to define ‘the good life’ and why we should rethink it Recommended Resources Steady State’s organization page and more about Steady State The origins of Decroissance and more about Degrowth The World Economic Forum on Degrowth Kohei Saito’s ‘Degrowth Communism’ Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Economists and governments have long equated ‘development’ with ‘economic development’, ignoring the implications of pure economic pursuit. Now facing climate change and planetary resource exhaustion, Jorden and Kimberly consider how Steady State and Degrowth advocates strive to put ‘sustainable’ into ‘development’.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • Why Jorden hates Degrowth
  • Why Kimberly hates the GDP measure
  • How Steady State and Degrowth differ
  • Why Degrowth isn’t communism, but a Japanese philosopher pushing to combine the two
  • What kind of growth the GN and GS countries need
  • Just how many varieties of Cheez-Its and Oreos we need
  • What has come to define ‘the good life’ and why we should rethink it

Recommended Resources

]]> 2462 no Encouraging Progress toward Circular Economy Production https://splanetpod.com/encouraging-progress-toward-circular-economy-production Part II of Circular Economy focuses on the ‘lifecycle’ of products, with the intention of minimizing resource use and waste. From major industry sectors to small companies, Jorden and Kimberly consider businesses serving as role models, along with a variety of ways governments, IGOs, NGOs, and MNCs can strive to implement circular economy production. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Just how far we’re moving in the wrong direction when it comes circularity What Celestial Seasonings and Unilever, companies small and large, have to offer Why IKEA still deserves criticism, but at least they’re one of the more conscientious Why ‘small wins’ may be the ultimate path to sustainability Recommended Resources Deloitte’s extensive 2024 Circularity Gap Report Some industry examples of working toward a circular economy The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an early and avid advocate for circular economy  Bloomberg’s BNEF rankings for brand owners and plastics producers Check out Kimberly's interview with Akshat Rathi, author of Climate Capitalism, for more on Unilever's sustainability commitment Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 19 Jun 2025 04:01:00 -0000 Encouraging Progress toward Circular Economy Production full Kimberly Weir Moving in the wrong direction, the world needs to reset its sights to follow the leaders--from Japanese construction recycling to Unilever's palm oil policy--to implement circular economy practices. Part II of Circular Economy focuses on the ‘lifecycle’ of products, with the intention of minimizing resource use and waste. From major industry sectors to small companies, Jorden and Kimberly consider businesses serving as role models, along with a variety of ways governments, IGOs, NGOs, and MNCs can strive to implement circular economy production. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Just how far we’re moving in the wrong direction when it comes circularity What Celestial Seasonings and Unilever, companies small and large, have to offer Why IKEA still deserves criticism, but at least they’re one of the more conscientious Why ‘small wins’ may be the ultimate path to sustainability Recommended Resources Deloitte’s extensive 2024 Circularity Gap Report Some industry examples of working toward a circular economy The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an early and avid advocate for circular economy  Bloomberg’s BNEF rankings for brand owners and plastics producers Check out Kimberly's interview with Akshat Rathi, author of Climate Capitalism, for more on Unilever's sustainability commitment Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Part II of Circular Economy focuses on the ‘lifecycle’ of products, with the intention of minimizing resource use and waste. From major industry sectors to small companies, Jorden and Kimberly consider businesses serving as role models, along with a variety of ways governments, IGOs, NGOs, and MNCs can strive to implement circular economy production.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • Just how far we’re moving in the wrong direction when it comes circularity
  • What Celestial Seasonings and Unilever, companies small and large, have to offer
  • Why IKEA still deserves criticism, but at least they’re one of the more conscientious
  • Why ‘small wins’ may be the ultimate path to sustainability

Recommended Resources

]]> 3152 no Closing the Loop on Waste: Considering a Circular Economy https://splanetpod.com/closing-the-loop-on-waste-considering-a-circular-economy Following up on landfills, planned obsolescence, and the right to repair, a circular economy offers a world where thoughtfully designed goods and their packaging result in practically no waste. Requiring a system overhaul unlikely to happen, in Part I of this segment on regenerative economy, Jorden and Kimberly focus on what we can take away from the challenges of shifting to a circular economy.   Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Just how many Rs we should be practicing How a circular economy is like an inverted pyramid connected to an inverted Q Why pursuing a circular economy is like replacing the entire hull of a ship at sea Why the world needs to reuse a whole lot more than the measly current 9% How waste streams around the world keep the system in stasis Why integrating a circular economy is unlikely to happen, but worth pursuing Recommended Resources About a circular economy, with visuals! About Germany’s Green Dot system and the Eurostat data The WEF details of a circular economy The ambitious 10 R’s of a circular economy The 7 pillars of the circular economy Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 12 Jun 2025 04:01:00 -0000 Closing the Loop on Waste: Considering a Circular Economy full Kimberly Weir In a world that expects waste management to save us from resource exhaustion, a circular economy shifts the emphasis to reducing waste on the front end of production. Following up on landfills, planned obsolescence, and the right to repair, a circular economy offers a world where thoughtfully designed goods and their packaging result in practically no waste. Requiring a system overhaul unlikely to happen, in Part I of this segment on regenerative economy, Jorden and Kimberly focus on what we can take away from the challenges of shifting to a circular economy.   Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Just how many Rs we should be practicing How a circular economy is like an inverted pyramid connected to an inverted Q Why pursuing a circular economy is like replacing the entire hull of a ship at sea Why the world needs to reuse a whole lot more than the measly current 9% How waste streams around the world keep the system in stasis Why integrating a circular economy is unlikely to happen, but worth pursuing Recommended Resources About a circular economy, with visuals! About Germany’s Green Dot system and the Eurostat data The WEF details of a circular economy The ambitious 10 R’s of a circular economy The 7 pillars of the circular economy Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Following up on landfills, planned obsolescence, and the right to repair, a circular economy offers a world where thoughtfully designed goods and their packaging result in practically no waste. Requiring a system overhaul unlikely to happen, in Part I of this segment on regenerative economy, Jorden and Kimberly focus on what we can take away from the challenges of shifting to a circular economy.

 

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • Just how many Rs we should be practicing
  • How a circular economy is like an inverted pyramid connected to an inverted Q
  • Why pursuing a circular economy is like replacing the entire hull of a ship at sea
  • Why the world needs to reuse a whole lot more than the measly current 9%
  • How waste streams around the world keep the system in stasis
  • Why integrating a circular economy is unlikely to happen, but worth pursuing

Recommended Resources

]]> 2729 no The Fight for the Right to Repair: Challenging Planned Obsolescence https://splanetpod.com/the-fight-for-the-right-to-repair-challenging-planned-obsolescence The first segment of our episode focused on how and why manufacturers intentionally design products into obsolescence. From hobbyists to environmentalists, a rising movement fights for the right to repair and modify their purchases, extending the life of their belongings. In Part II, Jorden and Kimberly consider how, despite corporate resistance, RTR advocates persist with community initiatives and a push for government intervention. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why "smart" appliances should be dumber How the increasing shortage of skilled repair labor benefits MNCs Why MNCs hate iFixit How community initiatives promote repair culture Why ‘you fix it’ equals ‘you break it’ for warranties How the economic pressures and unexpected free time of COVID renewed interest in DIY repairs Just how big the gap is between consumer needs and manufacturer support Recommended Resources About RTR  Stats on the lack of skilled labor for repair work Just how long Sweden’s been ahead in the RTR game The EU’s RTR Directive The US on RTR Interesting findings revealing the surprising costs of RTR Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 05 Jun 2025 04:01:00 -0000 The Fight for the Right to Repair: Challenging Planned Obsolescence full Kimberly Weir DIY enthusiasts, frustrated consumers, and the sustainably-minded unite to combat countless roadblocks strategically used by corporations to undermine the Right to Repair with Planned Obsolescence. The first segment of our episode focused on how and why manufacturers intentionally design products into obsolescence. From hobbyists to environmentalists, a rising movement fights for the right to repair and modify their purchases, extending the life of their belongings. In Part II, Jorden and Kimberly consider how, despite corporate resistance, RTR advocates persist with community initiatives and a push for government intervention. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why "smart" appliances should be dumber How the increasing shortage of skilled repair labor benefits MNCs Why MNCs hate iFixit How community initiatives promote repair culture Why ‘you fix it’ equals ‘you break it’ for warranties How the economic pressures and unexpected free time of COVID renewed interest in DIY repairs Just how big the gap is between consumer needs and manufacturer support Recommended Resources About RTR  Stats on the lack of skilled labor for repair work Just how long Sweden’s been ahead in the RTR game The EU’s RTR Directive The US on RTR Interesting findings revealing the surprising costs of RTR Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post The first segment of our episode focused on how and why manufacturers intentionally design products into obsolescence. From hobbyists to environmentalists, a rising movement fights for the right to repair and modify their purchases, extending the life of their belongings. In Part II, Jorden and Kimberly consider how, despite corporate resistance, RTR advocates persist with community initiatives and a push for government intervention.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • Why "smart" appliances should be dumber
  • How the increasing shortage of skilled repair labor benefits MNCs
  • Why MNCs hate iFixit
  • How community initiatives promote repair culture
  • Why ‘you fix it’ equals ‘you break it’ for warranties
  • How the economic pressures and unexpected free time of COVID renewed interest in DIY repairs
  • Just how big the gap is between consumer needs and manufacturer support

Recommended Resources

]]> 2976 no Planned into Obsolescence: Deliberately Designed to Fail https://splanetpod.com/planned-into-obsolescence-deliberately-designed-to-fail Ever wondered why your grandparents' furniture is still standing while your furniture barely makes it through one move? In the capitalist competition to grow, corporations prioritize profits over durability. Following their episodes on landfills, Jorden and Kimberly consider why so much stuff ends up in the waste management stream. Part I begins the story in the 1920s, when lightbulb companies realized they were potentially sitting on a goldmine if they only made a few tweaks, starting the corporate trend of planned obsolescence. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: How one lightbulb made us believe we were being duped Why every industry does it, everyone knows they do, but they still get away with it Why no one is spared in the pursuit of obsolescence, even Henry Ford How many varieties of one product do we really need Whether it’s possible to enumerate how many strategies MNCs use to gain an edge How planned obsolescence fits right in with our disposable culture Why profit-driven design beats quality manufacturing almost every day, but some companies have bucked the trend and live to tell about it Recommended Resources About Planned Obsolescence  Practices in the computer industry that widely apply The environmental impact of planned obsolescence Your New $3,000 Couch Might Be Garbage in Three Years. This Is Why. Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 29 May 2025 04:01:00 -0000 Planned into Obsolescence: Deliberately Designed to Fail full Kimberly Weir From electronics to furniture and everything in between, corporations strategize to compete in saturated markets, hedging their bets by planning the lifespan of their products. Ever wondered why your grandparents' furniture is still standing while your furniture barely makes it through one move? In the capitalist competition to grow, corporations prioritize profits over durability. Following their episodes on landfills, Jorden and Kimberly consider why so much stuff ends up in the waste management stream. Part I begins the story in the 1920s, when lightbulb companies realized they were potentially sitting on a goldmine if they only made a few tweaks, starting the corporate trend of planned obsolescence. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: How one lightbulb made us believe we were being duped Why every industry does it, everyone knows they do, but they still get away with it Why no one is spared in the pursuit of obsolescence, even Henry Ford How many varieties of one product do we really need Whether it’s possible to enumerate how many strategies MNCs use to gain an edge How planned obsolescence fits right in with our disposable culture Why profit-driven design beats quality manufacturing almost every day, but some companies have bucked the trend and live to tell about it Recommended Resources About Planned Obsolescence  Practices in the computer industry that widely apply The environmental impact of planned obsolescence Your New $3,000 Couch Might Be Garbage in Three Years. This Is Why. Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Ever wondered why your grandparents' furniture is still standing while your furniture barely makes it through one move? In the capitalist competition to grow, corporations prioritize profits over durability. Following their episodes on landfills, Jorden and Kimberly consider why so much stuff ends up in the waste management stream. Part I begins the story in the 1920s, when lightbulb companies realized they were potentially sitting on a goldmine if they only made a few tweaks, starting the corporate trend of planned obsolescence.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • How one lightbulb made us believe we were being duped
  • Why every industry does it, everyone knows they do, but they still get away with it
  • Why no one is spared in the pursuit of obsolescence, even Henry Ford
  • How many varieties of one product do we really need
  • Whether it’s possible to enumerate how many strategies MNCs use to gain an edge
  • How planned obsolescence fits right in with our disposable culture
  • Why profit-driven design beats quality manufacturing almost every day, but some companies have bucked the trend and live to tell about it

Recommended Resources

]]> 3961 no Regulating Landfills for a Happy Retirement https://splanetpod.com/regulating-landfills-for-a-happy-retirement Out of sight, out of mind is the way developed countries deal with the mountains of waste produced daily. But what happens after the trash can is emptied at the curb? In Part II of Landfills, Jorden and Kimberly dig into the many layers of landfill management and what happens when the site is filled to capacity. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: What invisible environmental threats lurk beneath our feet Why leachate is a dirty word The stark contrast between waste management capabilities in developed and developing countries Just how many protective layers make up a landfill How to power garbage trucks from captured methane emissions What to do with a retired landfill Recommended Resources The anatomy of a landfill Groundwater contamination and management   What to do with a retired landfill Or turn it into a solar farm   Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 22 May 2025 04:01:00 -0000 Regulating Landfills for a Happy Retirement full Kimberly Weir The convey of trucks might give away an operational one, but once retired, it's hiding in plain sight, disguised as a golf course, park, solar farm, or retail outlet. What am I? A landfill. Out of sight, out of mind is the way developed countries deal with the mountains of waste produced daily. But what happens after the trash can is emptied at the curb? In Part II of Landfills, Jorden and Kimberly dig into the many layers of landfill management and what happens when the site is filled to capacity. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: What invisible environmental threats lurk beneath our feet Why leachate is a dirty word The stark contrast between waste management capabilities in developed and developing countries Just how many protective layers make up a landfill How to power garbage trucks from captured methane emissions What to do with a retired landfill Recommended Resources The anatomy of a landfill Groundwater contamination and management   What to do with a retired landfill Or turn it into a solar farm   Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Out of sight, out of mind is the way developed countries deal with the mountains of waste produced daily. But what happens after the trash can is emptied at the curb? In Part II of Landfills, Jorden and Kimberly dig into the many layers of landfill management and what happens when the site is filled to capacity.


Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • What invisible environmental threats lurk beneath our feet
  • Why leachate is a dirty word
  • The stark contrast between waste management capabilities in developed and developing countries
  • Just how many protective layers make up a landfill
  • How to power garbage trucks from captured methane emissions
  • What to do with a retired landfill

Recommended Resources

]]> 2022 no Landfills: More than Just Dumps https://splanetpod.com/landfills-more-than-just-dumps The statistics are shocking: Humans produce over 2 billion tons of waste annually, with a projected 45% increase in municipal waste over the next 25 years. Yet surprisingly, only 13% of urban waste is converted into energy, while 80% of landfill contents could potentially be recycled or composted. In Part 1 of Landfills, Jorden and Kimberly consider the sophisticated management of modern landfills. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: The profitable side of waste management Innovative waste-to-energy technologies Successful municipal initiatives making a difference Cultural differences in waste handling between North America and Europe How landfills can power vehicles Recommended Resources An armchair landfill visit video The EPA’s Municipal Solid Waste requirements The UN’s Municipal Solid Waste report The EPA’s waste data The UNEP’s waste report Criticisms of Waste-to-Energy conversion Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 15 May 2025 04:01:00 -0000 Landfills: More than Just Dumps full Kimberly Weir With annual global waste production equaling the weight of 20,000 aircraft carriers and a lack of reusable resource harvesting, the world needs more cutting-edge landfills. The statistics are shocking: Humans produce over 2 billion tons of waste annually, with a projected 45% increase in municipal waste over the next 25 years. Yet surprisingly, only 13% of urban waste is converted into energy, while 80% of landfill contents could potentially be recycled or composted. In Part 1 of Landfills, Jorden and Kimberly consider the sophisticated management of modern landfills. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: The profitable side of waste management Innovative waste-to-energy technologies Successful municipal initiatives making a difference Cultural differences in waste handling between North America and Europe How landfills can power vehicles Recommended Resources An armchair landfill visit video The EPA’s Municipal Solid Waste requirements The UN’s Municipal Solid Waste report The EPA’s waste data The UNEP’s waste report Criticisms of Waste-to-Energy conversion Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post The statistics are shocking: Humans produce over 2 billion tons of waste annually, with a projected 45% increase in municipal waste over the next 25 years. Yet surprisingly, only 13% of urban waste is converted into energy, while 80% of landfill contents could potentially be recycled or composted. In Part 1 of Landfills, Jorden and Kimberly consider the sophisticated management of modern landfills.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • The profitable side of waste management
  • Innovative waste-to-energy technologies
  • Successful municipal initiatives making a difference
  • Cultural differences in waste handling between North America and Europe
  • How landfills can power vehicles

Recommended Resources

]]> 2459 no Navigating the Complex Waters of Sustainable Aquaculture https://splanetpod.com/navigating-the-complex-waters-of-sustainable-aquaculture Explore where government, corporate, and organization interests clash and align over fish production. And don’t forget the little people: Millions of consumers depend on small-scale fisheries for jobs and food. Wade into Part II of aquaculture with Jorden and Kimberly to consider the challenges of sustainably producing seafood, whether it’s farmed or wild-caught. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why multiple sustainability standards and labels add to the complexities How competition between NGOs hampers presenting a united front How corporations like Cargill and Mowi dominate the aquaculture industry Why small-scale fisheries are integral to the equation How Global South countries attempt to balance economic growth with sustainable aquatic farming Recommended Resources The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Guide to how and where to find sustainability-sourced seafood  WorldFish Center    The Global Salmon Initiative The Aquaculture Stewardship Council    The FAO’s 2024 Report on the aquaculture industry Global aquaculture production statistics Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 08 May 2025 04:01:00 -0000 Navigating the Complex Waters of Sustainable Aquaculture full Kimberly Weir Whether farmed or wild-caught, the future of aquatic food security hinges on the battle between sustainability and corporate interests. Explore where government, corporate, and organization interests clash and align over fish production. And don’t forget the little people: Millions of consumers depend on small-scale fisheries for jobs and food. Wade into Part II of aquaculture with Jorden and Kimberly to consider the challenges of sustainably producing seafood, whether it’s farmed or wild-caught. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why multiple sustainability standards and labels add to the complexities How competition between NGOs hampers presenting a united front How corporations like Cargill and Mowi dominate the aquaculture industry Why small-scale fisheries are integral to the equation How Global South countries attempt to balance economic growth with sustainable aquatic farming Recommended Resources The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Guide to how and where to find sustainability-sourced seafood  WorldFish Center    The Global Salmon Initiative The Aquaculture Stewardship Council    The FAO’s 2024 Report on the aquaculture industry Global aquaculture production statistics Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Explore where government, corporate, and organization interests clash and align over fish production. And don’t forget the little people: Millions of consumers depend on small-scale fisheries for jobs and food. Wade into Part II of aquaculture with Jorden and Kimberly to consider the challenges of sustainably producing seafood, whether it’s farmed or wild-caught.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • Why multiple sustainability standards and labels add to the complexities
  • How competition between NGOs hampers presenting a united front
  • How corporations like Cargill and Mowi dominate the aquaculture industry
  • Why small-scale fisheries are integral to the equation
  • How Global South countries attempt to balance economic growth with sustainable aquatic farming

Recommended Resources

]]> 2748 no Aquaculture as the Key to Sustainable Seafood https://splanetpod.com/aquaculture-as-the-key-to-sustainable-seafood Not long after agriculture was domesticated, aquaculture emerged. This multi-billion-dollar industry is expanding to meet growing demand. Dominated by Asian countries, aquaculture production threatens Blue Carbon Zones from Chile to Egypt, Australia to Mexico. In Part I of this episode, Jorden and Kimberly consider how aquaculture is a threat to the planet, but can be the key to sustainable freshwater and saltwater food production.   Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: How to save a fishing industry from total collapse Why not all farmed fish is spawned equally How a Japanese university beat the odds on tuna ranching Why the sustainability issues aquaculture faces aren’t far from those for agriculture Why aquaculture might be the best way to promote ocean and freshwater conservation Recommended Resources The FAO’s 2024 Report on the aquaculture industry Global aquaculture production statistics Africa’s aquaculture leader, interestingly, in a 2025 Foreign Service Report by the US Dept. of Agriculture Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 01 May 2025 04:01:00 -0000 Aquaculture as the Key to Sustainable Seafood full Kimberly Weir From small trout hatcheries to industrial-scale operations, aquaculture-based seafood production will make or break the planet. Not long after agriculture was domesticated, aquaculture emerged. This multi-billion-dollar industry is expanding to meet growing demand. Dominated by Asian countries, aquaculture production threatens Blue Carbon Zones from Chile to Egypt, Australia to Mexico. In Part I of this episode, Jorden and Kimberly consider how aquaculture is a threat to the planet, but can be the key to sustainable freshwater and saltwater food production.   Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: How to save a fishing industry from total collapse Why not all farmed fish is spawned equally How a Japanese university beat the odds on tuna ranching Why the sustainability issues aquaculture faces aren’t far from those for agriculture Why aquaculture might be the best way to promote ocean and freshwater conservation Recommended Resources The FAO’s 2024 Report on the aquaculture industry Global aquaculture production statistics Africa’s aquaculture leader, interestingly, in a 2025 Foreign Service Report by the US Dept. of Agriculture Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Not long after agriculture was domesticated, aquaculture emerged. This multi-billion-dollar industry is expanding to meet growing demand. Dominated by Asian countries, aquaculture production threatens Blue Carbon Zones from Chile to Egypt, Australia to Mexico. In Part I of this episode, Jorden and Kimberly consider how aquaculture is a threat to the planet, but can be the key to sustainable freshwater and saltwater food production.  

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • How to save a fishing industry from total collapse
  • Why not all farmed fish is spawned equally
  • How a Japanese university beat the odds on tuna ranching
  • Why the sustainability issues aquaculture faces aren’t far from those for agriculture
  • Why aquaculture might be the best way to promote ocean and freshwater conservation

Recommended Resources

]]> 2314 no Protecting Mangroves, Guardians of the Coasts and Planet https://splanetpod.com/protecting-mangroves-guardians-of-the-coasts-and-planet The first segment on Mangroves focused on the vital role of mangroves, why they’re often overlooked, and the main contributing factors jeopardizing this ecosystem. In Part II, Jorden and Kimberly discuss who’s working to protect—and in some cases revitalize mangroves, by delving into the challenges that abound in protecting Blue Carbon zones. To succeed, corporate and grassroots sustainability initiatives need to be bolstered by robust intergovernmental standards. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why mangroves should be featured on every NGO’s annual freebie calendar Whether carbon trading is a valuable market instrument or just enables more polluting Why the UN’s Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) has a huge stake in mangrove conservation Indonesia’s realization that 8 million acres of mangroves is worth a lot more alive than deforested Why corporations are investing in mangrove conservation—and it’s not just for a philanthropy tax write-off Which came first: The Blue Man Group or the Blue Carbon Group? Recommended Resources All things carbon trading and mangroves From the Blue Carbon Group to Global Mangrove Alliance to the Mangrove Action Project, plenty of NGOs work to conserve and educate Just how endowed Indonesia is with mangroves and what they’re doing about it Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post     Thu, 24 Apr 2025 04:01:00 -0000 Protecting Mangroves, Guardians of the Coasts and Planet full 28 Kimberly Weir Part II of Mangroves examines who’s working to conserve mangroves, whether carbon trading can help save Blue Carbon, and why investment in mangroves pays out far more than their deforestation. The first segment on Mangroves focused on the vital role of mangroves, why they’re often overlooked, and the main contributing factors jeopardizing this ecosystem. In Part II, Jorden and Kimberly discuss who’s working to protect—and in some cases revitalize mangroves, by delving into the challenges that abound in protecting Blue Carbon zones. To succeed, corporate and grassroots sustainability initiatives need to be bolstered by robust intergovernmental standards. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why mangroves should be featured on every NGO’s annual freebie calendar Whether carbon trading is a valuable market instrument or just enables more polluting Why the UN’s Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) has a huge stake in mangrove conservation Indonesia’s realization that 8 million acres of mangroves is worth a lot more alive than deforested Why corporations are investing in mangrove conservation—and it’s not just for a philanthropy tax write-off Which came first: The Blue Man Group or the Blue Carbon Group? Recommended Resources All things carbon trading and mangroves From the Blue Carbon Group to Global Mangrove Alliance to the Mangrove Action Project, plenty of NGOs work to conserve and educate Just how endowed Indonesia is with mangroves and what they’re doing about it Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post     The first segment on Mangroves focused on the vital role of mangroves, why they’re often overlooked, and the main contributing factors jeopardizing this ecosystem. In Part II, Jorden and Kimberly discuss who’s working to protect—and in some cases revitalize mangroves, by delving into the challenges that abound in protecting Blue Carbon zones. To succeed, corporate and grassroots sustainability initiatives need to be bolstered by robust intergovernmental standards.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • Why mangroves should be featured on every NGO’s annual freebie calendar
  • Whether carbon trading is a valuable market instrument or just enables more polluting
  • Why the UN’s Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) has a huge stake in mangrove conservation
  • Indonesia’s realization that 8 million acres of mangroves is worth a lot more alive than deforested
  • Why corporations are investing in mangrove conservation—and it’s not just for a philanthropy tax write-off
  • Which came first: The Blue Man Group or the Blue Carbon Group?


Recommended Resources





 


 

]]> 2575 no The Lesser-Heard Save the Mangroves, Part I https://splanetpod.com/the-lesser-heard-save-the-mangroves-part-i Celebrating the One Year Anniversary of the podcast, Jorden and Kimberly turn their attention to the amazing, yet underappreciated mangroves forests.  Remarkable coastal ecosystems that can capture 5 times more CO2 than rainforests, mangroves provide a powerful defense against climate change and coastal erosion in over 120 countries. Changing up the format, Sustainable Planet will drop weekly, covering topics in two parts. Part I focuses on the vital role of mangroves, why they’re often overlooked, and the main contributing factors jeopardizing this ecosystem. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why rainforests get all the glamour while mangroves do the heavier lifting Just how many amazing attributes this marine ecosystem has What the biggest threats to mangrove conservation are How much more money mangrove conservation reaps than deforestation (to the tune of $80,000 per hectare!) How mangroves affect everyone’s well-being—no matter how long it takes to reach the beach Recommended Resources NOAA’s CoastalBlue Carbon assessment and conservation How mangrove conservation in Acapulco would have mitigated the effects of Hurricane Otis Mangrove deforestation in Southeast Asia For those new to carbon trading, a summary and an entire Sustainable Planet episode on the Cap & Trade System by your favorite podcasters Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Episode Transcript Kimberly Welcome to our celebratory one -year anniversary episode of Sustainable Planet. I'm political scientist Kimberly Weir and my co -host is Jordan Dye, a guy who knows an awful lot about sustainability issues. With Earth Day approaching, hopefully sustainability is on more people's minds. Anyone paying attention knows we should save the rainforests. But what about mangroves, an even more vital ecosystem? But Jordan, I bet you've heard about mangroves long before I even suggested this topic.   Jorden I got really excited when you suggested this topic, Kimberly. And I have a little bit of a long and random story into this, so bear with me. But my discovery of mangroves started a long time ago with Bjorn Lumberg and his obsession with the idea of building dikes everywhere to protect from coastal erosion and rising sea levels. It was an easy solution. And I was young enough that I was like, well, it sounds reasonable. Like, why are we not doing this then? And it was the start of a fundamental lesson for me in climate change, which is if somebody is saying there's a super simple, reasonable way to fix this massive problem, then everyone has already looked into it because no one is passing up the super simple solutions. And I often think of a quote from Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America, a false but clear and precise idea always has more power in the world than one which is true and complex. And I think that can be used in so much, but especially here. The funny thing is, as I looked into dykes and found out that they couldn't be built around a lot of small developing islands because of either coastline features or cost, and that they just don't work in a lot of places, it led me to find out that we already had something that worked, mangroves. And a lot of our discussion around that is going to be around we don't need to engineer a new crazy solution. We need to protect and enhance the natural solution that's doing it so well.   Kimberly Yeah, instead of destroying it. The thing is, is it mangroves? This is a topic that I regularly introduced to my classes when I was teaching introduction to international relations, because it's multifaceted, right? It's an environmental issue, but it's got economic implications. It's got human rights implications. It's got environment. Also, it's like, you know, like health implications. Yeah, I was gonna say world health implications and also even security implications, right? So across the board, it hit on all of these international general issues. And I would start out oftentimes the class by using this. And for the longest time, one or two people would raise their hands to say they knew what mangroves were before we started talking about them in class, like almost out of classes of 45 students. As time has gone on I've seen a little bit more like of an increase in the number of people who are familiar with them. But generally speaking, still, it was quite a minority. And so my joke was always, you know, like they're the less sexy thing. When you think about what's going to make the calendar for the environmental cause, is it going to be the, you know, multicolored, awesome looking frogs or birds? Or is it going to be the bland looking, unless you know what you're looking at, mangroves, mangrove forests?   Jorden No, exactly. And I think that even amongst a lot of people I know, you know, other ecosystems such as you mentioned forests already, but even wetlands tend to get a lot more focus and people know about them. And I think it reflects a weird view because, I mean, mangroves are found in 121 of the 195 countries globally. They are pervasive. I mean, their distribution is concentrated, right? I mean, 40 % of all global mangroves are found in just four countries, Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria, and Mexico. It's surprising there's dispersion and how most countries have an example of them, but people have no idea about them in their own ecosystems.   Kimberly Well, and it's their tropical and subtropical forests. So a lot of times they're not really in, we don't see them nearly as prevalent in global north countries. It's the global south countries, developing countries, emerging economies, but the continent of Australia has got a lot of mangroves too, right? So you sort of see that, but mostly the attention is just, we hadn't gotten a lot of attention because for example, in the United States, where a lot of the mangroves were, was Florida. And they were all ripped out because people wanted long stretches of sandy beaches. They didn't want mosquitoes, right? All of those things that the reasons why the mangroves are there are all of the problems Florida is having now in terms of beach erosion and having to try to shore up during tropical storms because they've lost that natural barrier protection. And also just the biodiversity that was just off in the process of this. And so when it comes to these tropical and subtropical forests, another thing that goes along with them is the fact that they also protect the seaweed and the sea grasses and the salty marshes that are in the same brackish areas, which are also really great because these are carbon sinks. These are blue carbon areas. And these are so important. We talk about, everybody hears about. Blue zones for supposedly that these are the healthiest people in the world where these are in fact blue zones, legitimate blue zones. These blue carbons, areas that are carbon sinks that capture and sequester basically and store more CO2 than rainforest do. And that's what really started to get people's attention in my classes was that they had no idea that these trap three to five times more CO2 emissions than rainforest do. They'll reinforce get all the attention.   Jorden And I think this is actually where you see it reflected in the scientific literature over the last 15 years. Mangroves have a lot of attention in the scientific literature because of their recognized importance. It hasn't translated to the broader public. And on the carbon point, I want to put this in context for people. So I was trying to find different comparisons. And I think the best one was in a single square mile of mangroves, they remove and sequester roughly the same emission as 90 ,000 cars. So when we and I want to put this in context for, you know, North American audience. So when you're looking at Florida and the destruction there, this is even finding out. So I was like, oh, there's 800 square miles of mangroves still left in Florida, very dispersed and fractured and being lost. And seeing how much of that is what was there even a decade ago is sad. But let's looking at that 800 square miles that you have the capacity to annually remove and store the equivalent of 72 million cars. which is roughly 25 % of America's total commercial and personal vehicle fleet in what is just remaining. So like the actual carbon impact of these areas is just massive. And I really like 25 % of all personal and commercial and passenger vehicles. I don't think that there's very few other natural processes that are in concentrated areas that I can point to that have that level of impact.   Kimberly And that's the thing is that. The rainforests got a lot of attention, and rightly so, because they are also really important. And they were being deforested, cut down at a breakneck speed rate for the hardwoods that they harvest and all of the other. There are an awful lot of renewable resources in rainforests. And as countries were sort of persuaded, and that was why, you know, 1994, that's why the UNEP had its sustainable development. meeting in Rio de Janeiro was to draw attention to that, to say, hey, we need to have more attention because Brazil's rainforest, one of the biggest places with rainforest was just being cut down at really high rate. And that was actually turned around and doing really well for a while. And then when Bolsonaro came in, he reversed everything. But now that Lulu's back in power again, like that's been reversed again. So it's hopeful again.   Jorden It's hopeful, but I think it really drives to how short -term politics can have massive long -term consequences on some of these issues, right?   Kimberly Yes, for certain.   Jorden You mentioned biodiversity. And one of the things that I thought is the coolest about these, and I got really excited when we were going to talk about it, is that just by their nature, like the mangroves themselves represent one of the most interesting forms of biodiversity on the planet because they are all specialized trees and shrubs. So we're saying mangroves, which is a broad definition of an ecosystem on brackish water that has specialized trees and shrubs. In the States, for example, there were four types primarily of trees and shrubs that exist in mangroves. And why they're so cool is they have literally evolved processes to deal with that high saline water. So, you know, some of them filter the salt out before the roots fully absorb the water. Others actually sweat and excrete the excess salt from their bodies and through their leaves. And it's just like such an interesting and unique type of plant life on our planet.   Kimberly Well, and it's really cool too, because for anyone who has seen mangroves, they have really long root systems that come up above the soil or the sand or wherever they're kind of situated. And so they have these really long root systems. And those are really cool because they're protective areas then for fish and other things that swim in the sea. Sea life, I guess we can use that. There's a word for that. So other sea life, right? And also because of the root system, they provide for all, like we said, you know, you mentioned too, the grasses and the marsh, like all of those reeds and so forth that grow along there in that area. Then all of this stuff acts as a filtration system that really keeps the freshwater separate from the seawater. And that's such an important thing. When we look at that, the other thing that is just, I think, so important about, in addition to this, they act as a filtration system. They trap the sediments and heavy metals and pollutants and so forth. And keeping that fresh and salt water separate. The thing that really just amazes me that's so cool is that they, in storing. this carbon like they do it in the sediment and they do it in the like below and so it's there and and it's going to stay there and they are always continuing to suck up more and more and more and unlike in forests where you see like the trees die or there are forest fires and other natural causes or the town whatever in this instance like they just continue to keep storing that and doing that indefinitely unless you start ripping them out. And that's where we lose, not just it has that dually awful environmental repercussion of losing the thing that's actually sucking up the carbon as well as releasing everything that had been stored back into the atmosphere. And so that's bad news.   Jorden A hundred percent. I think it's really key to focus on there for a second that the natural process of how it stores is much more in that root system. So again, there's smaller trees and shrubs. So what we see above ground is normally always in terms of size, the root network is going to be bigger. But in the mangrove case, in terms of actual volume, right, a material where in natural more boreal forests or tropical forests. A lot of that carbon, excuse me, is stored in the actual trunks and the actual tree mass above ground. So when those die off and through natural processes release more back and create, I think, more of a fluctuation. Whereas to your point, this is eons that this can be stored in if it maintains a healthy habitat.   Kimberly Yes. And the thing is, is that when you want to create beaches or something, though, or if you're digging up for farming, like is what's going on, especially with Indonesia and Malaysia and other places, Brazil too. For palm oil production, they have to necessarily, in order to monocrop the palm oil trees, the date palm trees, they have to actually then uproot the whole system as well. And that's what's really bad, which is why it's also so much worse and so much more important to protect because the consequences are so much worse because all of that stored carbon is being released in a way that... As you just described, that's not the case if you're just cutting where the tree is storing most of it above ground.   Jorden Exactly. You know, we've hit on you think about what is lost there, right? In the destruction of a mangrove and the carbon, the biodiversity and the entire. So you think about the fishing communities are and we're going to go into this more later. But it's taking that out doesn't just lose one thing. And a lot of these issues, you know, we know are interconnected and we highlight that. But we can point out this is the big aspect of this. And I think mangroves are so interesting because as you said, you told your students. They have such big factors that are like such big benefits across multiple categories. It's not just a loss on one. And so one of the ones going back to my example of how I got into this is the storm barriers and that coastal defense. And I wanted to hit through there's really there's four ways that mangroves really drive coastal defense for, you know, shorelines. And that's across waves. So I found some really interesting stats here because they've broken this out for policymakers. So mangroves reduce wave height from by 13 to 66 percent per 100 meter of mangrove. So one of the things that's going to come out here right away is the depth of those mangroves is really, really important. So, again, 100 meters between 13 and 66 percent height reduction. 1 ,000 meters of mangroves needed for storm surge protection, which reduce between 5 to 50 centimeters of the height of the storm surge per kilometer. So now you're thinking about these damages from climate change on the coastal systems because we're putting them right up against it and taking out these natural barriers. And one of the ones that I think it gets a lot of attention when it happens is tsunamis. And I found it interesting that per 100 meters of mangroves, tsunami flood depth is reduced by 5 to 30 percent. So just massive benefits. And across all of these benefits are done at a far lower cost by protecting these than building out in the places it would work, massive engineered dike systems. And then at the ultimate side, it's the erosion. Those roots we've been talking about allow the sediment to be trapped and stay there. And with the removal of the mangroves, you start losing your coastlines even faster and facing greater acceleration. It's just it's crazy to me. It actually is crazy when you start talking about this. Well,   Kimberly it ties into two things that we've talked about before. One is sand because we talked about sand depletion. Right. And even though. This sort of sand isn't necessarily exactly the same sort of sand we talked about for construction. There is still this aspect of sand demand where there is coastline erosion. And that sand, every community that has beaches is trying to shore that up somehow and try to replace that sand. It's coming from somewhere because this other sand is being washed out, right? And even if they're going off the coast and doing it, I mean, this is way out of my depth, but I mean, I guess an appropriate pun here because you go out to the depths. Then you're uprooting and dredging to bring sand in. You're uprooting the whole ecosystem there, right? And causing lots of more effluents and particle particulates in the water. So there's that. But also the other thing too, is what we talked about in the episode with extreme weather. And we continue to see this. And most recently with the earthquakes in Burma, Myanmar and Thailand, but with lots of flooding that's going on and lots of... hurricanes and extreme weather patterns, that this coastal defense is so important because we see more people flocking to these areas. But now they're going there because they want beaches. And yet that whole natural defense is gone, which could be there and actually really help to decrease the impact. But instead of adding more mangroves in, we end up saying, oh, but I want to be able to walk on the beach and not be bitten by mosquitoes.   Jorden It's the ultimate irony of removing something for a disappearing beach, essentially, that you're going to enjoy for a generation or two before it's wiped out anyways. And to your point, you could have enjoyed your coastline. You could have enjoyed all the benefits if we had just strengthened those protections.   Kimberly Well, and we are the privileged people, right? Because most of the places where these mangroves are and these coastlines are, are developing countries. And they are trying to improve their livelihoods. They're trying to make ends meet. And so unless they have a good incentive to protect and conserve the mangroves, they're going to use those for those resources. And even if they're renewable resources, if they're borrowing into the future and overusing them, they're still going to end up contributing to deforestation of them and depletion of them.   Jorden Exactly. I think it's another great tie back to our sand episode, you know, with the disappearing river in Kerala in India, right, where they were dredging and removing sand for a short term economic gain that was entirely reasonable, but in the long run ended up costing them all more to have water brought in after the destruction of the river and the complete loss of that economic gain. So it is like in a lot of these, especially in developing countries, it's that short term economic pressure, which produces entirely reasonable outcomes. If you think about it from their perspective. but are separated from the long -term costs and consequences.   Kimberly Well, that would be like us, you know, anyone coming, it's always the do as we say, not as we did, right? For the United States, Canada, global North countries, especially ones that were colonizers and going out and exploiting these resources. And the people who are in these places are still doing exactly the same thing, basically. Because they produce cash crops for them, or they produce hardwoods for them, or because they don't have any other ways to make money because they've never owned the means of production. And so then that means that they are still making boats out of the wood. I mean, this is good wood that floats. That's what mangrove trees are. Of course, they're going to be buoyant. And so using those and using them for firewood and stuff, because that's their economic reality.   Jorden No, exactly. And, you know, in a lot of cases, because we extracted so much of the value that they couldn't move up the value chain of economics. Right. And so this gets to one of my favorite area of economics, though, because there's so much work now on trying to quantify the actual ecosystem service benefits to the economy so that we can show, you know, countries and communities. wait, no, here is the money that's generated for your economy from keeping this and that you're not seeing because no one's paying for that service and no one's being charged for it. And so when I looked at the 2022 systemic review of ecosystem service literatures on mangroves, and they had a wide range that ranged from 2 ,700 USD per hectare up to 80 ,000 USD per hectare of mangrove and ecosystem service benefits. That range really depended on the amount of ecosystem services included in the review. I mean, Kimberly, I really only touched on five. Some of these reviews looked at a total of 27 to 32 ecosystem services connected to mangroves. So that's how essential they are. When I was trying to find what's a better one that we could give people to think about as a mental placeholder, the National Institute of Health in America uses an average of 21 ,000 USD per hectare. And that's in line with an average from a number of other studies I looked at. So when we're thinking about this again, 21 and that's an annual ecosystem service benefit. So you think about that for every hectare lost, you have to essentially. And no one's doing it. But you'd have to pay $21 ,000 on average in most places to replace the benefits to water, to land. And in a lot of cases, you can't actually even do it. This is a way of economists of trying to quantify that. But you can't go back in and put in water filtration systems on the coast to do that for the plants, right?   Kimberly Well, and like you just talked about, to try to do it with dams and dykes and stuff. And that's certainly way more expensive. And it's certainly not nearly as environmentally friendly. And also, I mean, these are these externalities that we talk about every single episode that don't get quantified, that don't get included in. And here are the real costs that we're talking about. The World Bank valued it at approximately $50 ,000 for those who don't do hectares. Two and a half acres is a hectare. We're talking about livelihoods that actually through conservation could help the people whose resources were exploited and also promote sustainable development in the process and facilitate this. And so we need to do this because we all, everyone on the planet is at risk. And this was always one of the things that I would always say to my, you know, ask my students. Do you think that this, you know, here we are in the middle of, you know, Kentucky, the tri -state area, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, do you, are you affected by mangroves? And we would talk about this and I would always put it as an exam question then. And invariably, some people would still say, no, I'm not affected by this. And I was like, where were you when we were talking about this? Because how can you have sat through our whole discussion on the myriad ways that, that. Having mangroves, whether they're on your own, you know, in your own backyard or whether they're content in a way that they don't have an impact on your daily life. And they do because we see things like rising sea levels and the impact of that. And so with rising sea levels. We're not only losing mangroves, not only to deforestation, but because of the rising sea level. So they're, they're actually under threat from that. And the sad irony is that their conservation can actually help to stop this. And if we don't stop the, you know, protect the mangroves, then we're going to have more, but the mangroves are going to disappear. And that, that sort of catch 22. And so with rising sea levels, yeah. Okay. So, well, oh, here we are in the middle of the country like you, you know, in the middle of Canada. And why? So what? How are we going to be affected by that? Well, what about migration? You've got climate migration is a real thing. And so if you have people screaming about putting up borders and blocking out immigrants, then here's one more thing that's going to continue to contribute to that factor. Jorden Well, and at a simple level. Even if, you know, the most self -centered person who still believes in climate change, we'll use them as my example here, even for them, right? That I live in the middle of Canada. I live on a hill, you know, with no tornadoes, nothing. I'm good and I have my net zero house. Why do I care? It's the carbon at the end of the day. For every carbon sink that we lose on this planet, humans are going to have to reduce more emissions more rapidly to make up for that. So if you are the most self -centered climate activist in the world, which most aren't, it still dramatically affects what you will have to do in your lifetime to lose these amazing ecosystems.   Kimberly Right. Because right there, we're talking about with climate change, rising temperatures, dropping temperatures, extreme weather. It doesn't matter where you live, you're going to end up being affected by it.   Jorden And so before we dived into the drivers of the risks, I want to do a little level setting for everybody on the state of it, right? Because we've been talking about this just generally. So a couple important things that really helped contextualize this for me is that 20 to 30 % of global mangroves are already lost in the last 50 years. So everything that we're talking about today as totals is off of a 30 % reduction already, excuse me. And then looking forward, another 50 % of those remaining mangroves are at risk of collapse by 2050. And one of the things I struggle with in climate is everybody always talking about 2050 and saying how far away it feels, right? But again, that's really only 24 years away, right? And when we think that COVID already started five years ago,   Kimberly when we think that COVID already started five years ago, that that was the lockdown was five years. Five years ago does not feel like that long ago.   Jorden No, exactly. So these things, these dates that sound far off give a false sense of hope. So again, 50 % at risk by 2050. And diving in, 20 % of all global mangroves are in the critically endangered and endangered categories, like the cusp of actually collapsing. And so I just wanted to, like, that's what we're talking about. This is an ecosystem around the globe threatened, and a lot of it is on the edge as we go through some of these issues. I will in transparency, the only nice thing is that the rate of mangrove loss has halved over the last 30 years. So I think that's one area that humans are. And then to your point of the attention rising, I think that you can really track rising attention to mangroves and their benefits to that reduction in damage.   Kimberly And but so then when you start. Going through all of the whole list here of why they're at risk, in addition to rising sea levels, right? We've got the obvious one, deforestation. None of these are mutually exclusive because you look at that and say, oh, well, it's caused by these various other things. But in and of itself, the mangroves are depleted at three to five times faster than what tropical forests are. And yet they're only 0 .4 % of the overall forest area of the entire world. So we're looking at a minuscule amount of area. And yet it's going at a really high speed, even though it has been, you know, the brakes have been put on. And so, again, you know, that deforestation is that they're no longer there to process the emissions, the mangroves and the plants that the mangroves that protect. But then it releases all that CO2 back in that had been sequestered. So that's hugely problematic. But the deforestation is happening because of tourism. Right. We talked about already with beaches and. marinas and people who want to do water sports and so forth and want to be able to enjoy that without all of the biodiversity that comes along with the mangroves, like the mosquitoes, of course, are always going to be the number one.   Jorden People and mosquitoes. Yes. I mean, I'm from northern Canada originally. Trust me, they can drive you insane, but that's not a reason to cut anything down. And thinking about the impact of there, 62 % of that global loss of mangroves between 2000 and 2016 was driven by land use changes on both the deforestation for growth on one side. but also, as you mentioned, tourism and aquaculture on the other side. And so going back to my coastal defense, kind of talking about that, you know, everybody should think about how we're cutting the width down in two ways, right? The inland pressures on deforestation for wood, for harvesting, for cropland, and then the ocean side pressure. on the mangroves from wanting more tourist opportunities and aquaculture and they do interesting things like again because you need that depth to get those benefits you're either letting more of the ocean surge on to land in the first place or you're reducing its actual ability to stop it before it hits you know important infrastructure on the other side so that's how I started thinking about some of these losses   Kimberly Yeah. And so because of the commercial pressures through like aquaculture, that's a big and growing industry. Shrimp farming. I remember being in Thailand and seeing the shrimp farming and just areas they were clearing to be able to do that. And tuna ranching is actually a thing, too. And and these are really rough on the environment because they're in such small and it's like livestock, you know, factory farming for fish in these little tiny areas that are really concentrated with a lot of waste and so forth. And then also added to the fact that they're depleting the mangroves that actually could, if they were in place, help to deal with some of these issues caused by aquaculture. So that can be done in a sustainable way. It absolutely can. But because of the front financing and the pressures to produce more at a quicker rate at a lower overhead and race to the bottom, that's less likely to happen. The other big factor, especially because Indonesia has the largest set of mangrove acreage, hectareage, whatever you want to say, in the world is because of palm oil production. And in the 1990s, 2000s, I think it was mid -2000s when the USDA decided, banned trans fatty acids in processed foods. That was when we saw this huge, I forgot exactly when the year was, so don't quote me on that. Like somewhere between the mid -90s and the mid -2000s, right? Like we see this huge shift in demand for palm oil. And because of that, there was just a huge shift in places where it was already coming from. Indonesia and Malaysia are the biggest producers in the world. Now suddenly it's like, oh, we're going to monocrop this. And I remember flying over Borneo and just seeing whole areas that had been. tropical jungle tropical rainforest area and we're just literally row after row after row of mangrove and the only roads that were there were the roads that were connecting to the different like owned farms basically and so i mean everybody's heard of of that for sure in the orangutans and all of the other wildlife that's been displaced because of that and so so we see this this Increased demand for palm oil. Again, like I'm the average person here. How am I having not just being affected by, but how am I having an impact on what's going on also in the world? In this case, then it's like, well, if you don't want to pay for fairly trade, ethically sourced palm oil, then you're contributing to the factor and you're going to in turn then be affected by the fact that there are fewer mangroves.   Jorden Exactly. And as we mentioned in our Halloween episode, getting into some of the chocolate things, it's actually an area of looking for chocolate that either doesn't use palm oil as an additive or uses ethically sourced. And, you know, it's funny on the aquaculture and shrimping because I think in true sustainable planet fashion, I made a giant asterisk and said and have in all caps, we need to do an episode on this. Right.   Kimberly Right.   Jorden Because it is it is mind boggling. I like that you mentioned that it can be done sustainably and I kind of. I wanted to talk as a second as we're talking about these impacts that are driving the losses, you can actually think about how having mangroves around would actually reduce the impacts of these drivers, right? So tourism, you know, it's a narrow focus on just beaches and marinas because what they actually lose out on from losing the mangroves is coral reef protection and marine life. So if your tourism, if you have a dead beach at the end of the day that has no underwater activity and is lifeless, that's going to dry up your tourism, right? So it's a short -term trade -off when not realizing that actually the longer -term, more sustainable from a financial and actual enjoyment sense involves those mangroves. And similarly in the aquaculture, because one of the big problems is that these shrimp pens are temporary. So they end up cutting down this massive section of mangroves, building temporary pens, over farming it. And then they think, oh, we'll take them down and we do it in a new area. But nothing grows back because of that accumulated bio waste turns the area toxic. And now and again, a more natural, less intensive method that was actually used around the mangroves and use them for their benefit of that toxin filtering can produce a more sustainable system. And that's for each of these. It's like taking them away makes it worse. Right. drives further loss. And it's just sad.   Kimberly Yeah. And when we look at pollution, the biggest waste where this is happening also too, is from the aqua farming and obviously the tourism and the things we've mentioned, but also from industrial waste because industrial waste then is polluting the mangrove areas because the industries are, you know, like they're not, they don't need the beach, whatever, but they're still protected by these mangroves, but that industrial waste is going out and it's also causing these dead zones. And so, That is also contributing to the depletion of the mangroves. And we also have the soil erosion from that deforestation. So we've got lots of dead zones being created from these various activities that happen and either are when the mangroves have been cut down or they could still be standing and they're still being depleted.   Jorden And this is this is something that made me like, you know, we'll get I do have hope for the end of the episode, everyone. But one of the things that made me sad about this is that even though, as I said, the rate of loss is declining, has not hit zero, we're still losing roughly six percent of glow or zero point six, almost a full percent of global mangroves per year. But even as we change that, right, and we and we drive that down. The damage we've already caused and the drivers of climate change are increasing the natural, like up till now, natural loss of mangroves has been the lower factor. But there's worry that as we've reached tipping points and then as we go forward, that even though humans might now try to pull back and desperately try to save them, the natural drivers will continue that loss. And there's this sad climate irony of our, you know, we finally woken up and now we want to save it. I think that in life, we pretend there's always time to fix things. And in certain cases, there might not be.   Kimberly Yeah. And with this, we see the rising global temperatures. We see the increased spread of disease, the decreased availability from nutrition and fishing and the people who are dependent on that in these coastal areas who are typically poorer people to begin with. And we see the people who are fishing have to go out further to get the fish. And that puts them at an added disadvantage to be able to do that. We look at the global implications of deforestation and pollution and displaced persons and degrading habitats and migration due to insecurity. We look at these environmental, economic, health and security implications of the lack of mangrove conservation makes us, you know, really think we hope it's not too late to be able to do this.   Jorden No, exactly. And the concentration really drives the problem here, right? Climate migration in general, depending on what factor you're looking at, can be very dispersed. So like not hot spots, because that's what really drives major problems. But when looking at like sea level rise, loss of mangroves, and then the migration that will be triggered from that, you know, one study put it at about 3 % of the global population by 2100. But when you dive down into that, it's 100 % of the population in a number of countries, right? So like that smaller global number hides the fact that we're talking about mass migration problems out of a concentrated area and then typically into a neighboring region. Which, as we've already seen in the 21st century, drives massive, massive internal issues and stabilization. So some of these times we think about this as a climate issue or we frame it as that. And I often wonder if we leaned more on the national security and the global stability angle, would people get a little bit more concerned and wake up to some of this?   Kimberly And that's why I mentioned that, because climate migration is a real thing within, in place, displaced internally. as well as, right, so we see more crowding of cities and pressure on cities and then mass urbanization. And then we see what that does if you don't have a sustainable city. The other side of that is crossing borders and also battles over resources. And so we see actual civil wars and conflicts within regions and within countries, but across borders for these things. So with that, we're going to try something new with this episode. celebrating our one year anniversary of sustainable planet. And we decided that we're going to break our episode into two parts. So if you enjoyed part one, great. Part two of our mangroves episode will drop next Thursday. So until then, you can let us know how you feel about this, right? This would be the opportune time to do that. Email us at splanetpod at gmail .com. I promise you that one of us will respond to you. We're also on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. If you want to see show notes from today, look at the website. I will also give you some additional resources and you can check our data twice. You can read more on my Substack posts and we'd really appreciate if you take time to rate and review our Sustainable Planet podcast that we have for you. Thanks for listening and have a sustainable day and happy Earth Day. Thu, 17 Apr 2025 04:01:00 -0000 The Lesser-Heard Save the Mangroves, Part I full Kimberly Weir Most people have heard the siren call to Save the Rainforests! But far fewer are aware of just how important it is to Save the Mangroves, the miraculous Blue Carbon coastal sinks. Celebrating the One Year Anniversary of the podcast, Jorden and Kimberly turn their attention to the amazing, yet underappreciated mangroves forests.  Remarkable coastal ecosystems that can capture 5 times more CO2 than rainforests, mangroves provide a powerful defense against climate change and coastal erosion in over 120 countries. Changing up the format, Sustainable Planet will drop weekly, covering topics in two parts. Part I focuses on the vital role of mangroves, why they’re often overlooked, and the main contributing factors jeopardizing this ecosystem. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why rainforests get all the glamour while mangroves do the heavier lifting Just how many amazing attributes this marine ecosystem has What the biggest threats to mangrove conservation are How much more money mangrove conservation reaps than deforestation (to the tune of $80,000 per hectare!) How mangroves affect everyone’s well-being—no matter how long it takes to reach the beach Recommended Resources NOAA’s CoastalBlue Carbon assessment and conservation How mangrove conservation in Acapulco would have mitigated the effects of Hurricane Otis Mangrove deforestation in Southeast Asia For those new to carbon trading, a summary and an entire Sustainable Planet episode on the Cap & Trade System by your favorite podcasters Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Episode Transcript Kimberly Welcome to our celebratory one -year anniversary episode of Sustainable Planet. I'm political scientist Kimberly Weir and my co -host is Jordan Dye, a guy who knows an awful lot about sustainability issues. With Earth Day approaching, hopefully sustainability is on more people's minds. Anyone paying attention knows we should save the rainforests. But what about mangroves, an even more vital ecosystem? But Jordan, I bet you've heard about mangroves long before I even suggested this topic.   Jorden I got really excited when you suggested this topic, Kimberly. And I have a little bit of a long and random story into this, so bear with me. But my discovery of mangroves started a long time ago with Bjorn Lumberg and his obsession with the idea of building dikes everywhere to protect from coastal erosion and rising sea levels. It was an easy solution. And I was young enough that I was like, well, it sounds reasonable. Like, why are we not doing this then? And it was the start of a fundamental lesson for me in climate change, which is if somebody is saying there's a super simple, reasonable way to fix this massive problem, then everyone has already looked into it because no one is passing up the super simple solutions. And I often think of a quote from Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America, a false but clear and precise idea always has more power in the world than one which is true and complex. And I think that can be used in so much, but especially here. The funny thing is, as I looked into dykes and found out that they couldn't be built around a lot of small developing islands because of either coastline features or cost, and that they just don't work in a lot of places, it led me to find out that we already had something that worked, mangroves. And a lot of our discussion around that is going to be around we don't need to engineer a new crazy solution. We need to protect and enhance the natural solution that's doing it so well.   Kimberly Yeah, instead of destroying it. The thing is, is it mangroves? This is a topic that I regularly introduced to my classes when I was teaching introduction to international relations, because it's multifaceted, right? It's an environmental issue, but it's got economic implications. It's got human rights implications. It's got environment. Also, it's like, you know, like health implications. Yeah, I was gonna say world health implications and also even security implications, right? So across the board, it hit on all of these international general issues. And I would start out oftentimes the class by using this. And for the longest time, one or two people would raise their hands to say they knew what mangroves were before we started talking about them in class, like almost out of classes of 45 students. As time has gone on I've seen a little bit more like of an increase in the number of people who are familiar with them. But generally speaking, still, it was quite a minority. And so my joke was always, you know, like they're the less sexy thing. When you think about what's going to make the calendar for the environmental cause, is it going to be the, you know, multicolored, awesome looking frogs or birds? Or is it going to be the bland looking, unless you know what you're looking at, mangroves, mangrove forests?   Jorden No, exactly. And I think that even amongst a lot of people I know, you know, other ecosystems such as you mentioned forests already, but even wetlands tend to get a lot more focus and people know about them. And I think it reflects a weird view because, I mean, mangroves are found in 121 of the 195 countries globally. They are pervasive. I mean, their distribution is concentrated, right? I mean, 40 % of all global mangroves are found in just four countries, Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria, and Mexico. It's surprising there's dispersion and how most countries have an example of them, but people have no idea about them in their own ecosystems.   Kimberly Well, and it's their tropical and subtropical forests. So a lot of times they're not really in, we don't see them nearly as prevalent in global north countries. It's the global south countries, developing countries, emerging economies, but the continent of Australia has got a lot of mangroves too, right? So you sort of see that, but mostly the attention is just, we hadn't gotten a lot of attention because for example, in the United States, where a lot of the mangroves were, was Florida. And they were all ripped out because people wanted long stretches of sandy beaches. They didn't want mosquitoes, right? All of those things that the reasons why the mangroves are there are all of the problems Florida is having now in terms of beach erosion and having to try to shore up during tropical storms because they've lost that natural barrier protection. And also just the biodiversity that was just off in the process of this. And so when it comes to these tropical and subtropical forests, another thing that goes along with them is the fact that they also protect the seaweed and the sea grasses and the salty marshes that are in the same brackish areas, which are also really great because these are carbon sinks. These are blue carbon areas. And these are so important. We talk about, everybody hears about. Blue zones for supposedly that these are the healthiest people in the world where these are in fact blue zones, legitimate blue zones. These blue carbons, areas that are carbon sinks that capture and sequester basically and store more CO2 than rainforest do. And that's what really started to get people's attention in my classes was that they had no idea that these trap three to five times more CO2 emissions than rainforest do. They'll reinforce get all the attention.   Jorden And I think this is actually where you see it reflected in the scientific literature over the last 15 years. Mangroves have a lot of attention in the scientific literature because of their recognized importance. It hasn't translated to the broader public. And on the carbon point, I want to put this in context for people. So I was trying to find different comparisons. And I think the best one was in a single square mile of mangroves, they remove and sequester roughly the same emission as 90 ,000 cars. So when we and I want to put this in context for, you know, North American audience. So when you're looking at Florida and the destruction there, this is even finding out. So I was like, oh, there's 800 square miles of mangroves still left in Florida, very dispersed and fractured and being lost. And seeing how much of that is what was there even a decade ago is sad. But let's looking at that 800 square miles that you have the capacity to annually remove and store the equivalent of 72 million cars. which is roughly 25 % of America's total commercial and personal vehicle fleet in what is just remaining. So like the actual carbon impact of these areas is just massive. And I really like 25 % of all personal and commercial and passenger vehicles. I don't think that there's very few other natural processes that are in concentrated areas that I can point to that have that level of impact.   Kimberly And that's the thing is that. The rainforests got a lot of attention, and rightly so, because they are also really important. And they were being deforested, cut down at a breakneck speed rate for the hardwoods that they harvest and all of the other. There are an awful lot of renewable resources in rainforests. And as countries were sort of persuaded, and that was why, you know, 1994, that's why the UNEP had its sustainable development. meeting in Rio de Janeiro was to draw attention to that, to say, hey, we need to have more attention because Brazil's rainforest, one of the biggest places with rainforest was just being cut down at really high rate. And that was actually turned around and doing really well for a while. And then when Bolsonaro came in, he reversed everything. But now that Lulu's back in power again, like that's been reversed again. So it's hopeful again.   Jorden It's hopeful, but I think it really drives to how short -term politics can have massive long -term consequences on some of these issues, right?   Kimberly Yes, for certain.   Jorden You mentioned biodiversity. And one of the things that I thought is the coolest about these, and I got really excited when we were going to talk about it, is that just by their nature, like the mangroves themselves represent one of the most interesting forms of biodiversity on the planet because they are all specialized trees and shrubs. So we're saying mangroves, which is a broad definition of an ecosystem on brackish water that has specialized trees and shrubs. In the States, for example, there were four types primarily of trees and shrubs that exist in mangroves. And why they're so cool is they have literally evolved processes to deal with that high saline water. So, you know, some of them filter the salt out before the roots fully absorb the water. Others actually sweat and excrete the excess salt from their bodies and through their leaves. And it's just like such an interesting and unique type of plant life on our planet.   Kimberly Well, and it's really cool too, because for anyone who has seen mangroves, they have really long root systems that come up above the soil or the sand or wherever they're kind of situated. And so they have these really long root systems. And those are really cool because they're protective areas then for fish and other things that swim in the sea. Sea life, I guess we can use that. There's a word for that. So other sea life, right? And also because of the root system, they provide for all, like we said, you know, you mentioned too, the grasses and the marsh, like all of those reeds and so forth that grow along there in that area. Then all of this stuff acts as a filtration system that really keeps the freshwater separate from the seawater. And that's such an important thing. When we look at that, the other thing that is just, I think, so important about, in addition to this, they act as a filtration system. They trap the sediments and heavy metals and pollutants and so forth. And keeping that fresh and salt water separate. The thing that really just amazes me that's so cool is that they, in storing. this carbon like they do it in the sediment and they do it in the like below and so it's there and and it's going to stay there and they are always continuing to suck up more and more and more and unlike in forests where you see like the trees die or there are forest fires and other natural causes or the town whatever in this instance like they just continue to keep storing that and doing that indefinitely unless you start ripping them out. And that's where we lose, not just it has that dually awful environmental repercussion of losing the thing that's actually sucking up the carbon as well as releasing everything that had been stored back into the atmosphere. And so that's bad news.   Jorden A hundred percent. I think it's really key to focus on there for a second that the natural process of how it stores is much more in that root system. So again, there's smaller trees and shrubs. So what we see above ground is normally always in terms of size, the root network is going to be bigger. But in the mangrove case, in terms of actual volume, right, a material where in natural more boreal forests or tropical forests. A lot of that carbon, excuse me, is stored in the actual trunks and the actual tree mass above ground. So when those die off and through natural processes release more back and create, I think, more of a fluctuation. Whereas to your point, this is eons that this can be stored in if it maintains a healthy habitat.   Kimberly Yes. And the thing is, is that when you want to create beaches or something, though, or if you're digging up for farming, like is what's going on, especially with Indonesia and Malaysia and other places, Brazil too. For palm oil production, they have to necessarily, in order to monocrop the palm oil trees, the date palm trees, they have to actually then uproot the whole system as well. And that's what's really bad, which is why it's also so much worse and so much more important to protect because the consequences are so much worse because all of that stored carbon is being released in a way that... As you just described, that's not the case if you're just cutting where the tree is storing most of it above ground.   Jorden Exactly. You know, we've hit on you think about what is lost there, right? In the destruction of a mangrove and the carbon, the biodiversity and the entire. So you think about the fishing communities are and we're going to go into this more later. But it's taking that out doesn't just lose one thing. And a lot of these issues, you know, we know are interconnected and we highlight that. But we can point out this is the big aspect of this. And I think mangroves are so interesting because as you said, you told your students. They have such big factors that are like such big benefits across multiple categories. It's not just a loss on one. And so one of the ones going back to my example of how I got into this is the storm barriers and that coastal defense. And I wanted to hit through there's really there's four ways that mangroves really drive coastal defense for, you know, shorelines. And that's across waves. So I found some really interesting stats here because they've broken this out for policymakers. So mangroves reduce wave height from by 13 to 66 percent per 100 meter of mangrove. So one of the things that's going to come out here right away is the depth of those mangroves is really, really important. So, again, 100 meters between 13 and 66 percent height reduction. 1 ,000 meters of mangroves needed for storm surge protection, which reduce between 5 to 50 centimeters of the height of the storm surge per kilometer. So now you're thinking about these damages from climate change on the coastal systems because we're putting them right up against it and taking out these natural barriers. And one of the ones that I think it gets a lot of attention when it happens is tsunamis. And I found it interesting that per 100 meters of mangroves, tsunami flood depth is reduced by 5 to 30 percent. So just massive benefits. And across all of these benefits are done at a far lower cost by protecting these than building out in the places it would work, massive engineered dike systems. And then at the ultimate side, it's the erosion. Those roots we've been talking about allow the sediment to be trapped and stay there. And with the removal of the mangroves, you start losing your coastlines even faster and facing greater acceleration. It's just it's crazy to me. It actually is crazy when you start talking about this. Well,   Kimberly it ties into two things that we've talked about before. One is sand because we talked about sand depletion. Right. And even though. This sort of sand isn't necessarily exactly the same sort of sand we talked about for construction. There is still this aspect of sand demand where there is coastline erosion. And that sand, every community that has beaches is trying to shore that up somehow and try to replace that sand. It's coming from somewhere because this other sand is being washed out, right? And even if they're going off the coast and doing it, I mean, this is way out of my depth, but I mean, I guess an appropriate pun here because you go out to the depths. Then you're uprooting and dredging to bring sand in. You're uprooting the whole ecosystem there, right? And causing lots of more effluents and particle particulates in the water. So there's that. But also the other thing too, is what we talked about in the episode with extreme weather. And we continue to see this. And most recently with the earthquakes in Burma, Myanmar and Thailand, but with lots of flooding that's going on and lots of... hurricanes and extreme weather patterns, that this coastal defense is so important because we see more people flocking to these areas. But now they're going there because they want beaches. And yet that whole natural defense is gone, which could be there and actually really help to decrease the impact. But instead of adding more mangroves in, we end up saying, oh, but I want to be able to walk on the beach and not be bitten by mosquitoes.   Jorden It's the ultimate irony of removing something for a disappearing beach, essentially, that you're going to enjoy for a generation or two before it's wiped out anyways. And to your point, you could have enjoyed your coastline. You could have enjoyed all the benefits if we had just strengthened those protections.   Kimberly Well, and we are the privileged people, right? Because most of the places where these mangroves are and these coastlines are, are developing countries. And they are trying to improve their livelihoods. They're trying to make ends meet. And so unless they have a good incentive to protect and conserve the mangroves, they're going to use those for those resources. And even if they're renewable resources, if they're borrowing into the future and overusing them, they're still going to end up contributing to deforestation of them and depletion of them.   Jorden Exactly. I think it's another great tie back to our sand episode, you know, with the disappearing river in Kerala in India, right, where they were dredging and removing sand for a short term economic gain that was entirely reasonable, but in the long run ended up costing them all more to have water brought in after the destruction of the river and the complete loss of that economic gain. So it is like in a lot of these, especially in developing countries, it's that short term economic pressure, which produces entirely reasonable outcomes. If you think about it from their perspective. but are separated from the long -term costs and consequences.   Kimberly Well, that would be like us, you know, anyone coming, it's always the do as we say, not as we did, right? For the United States, Canada, global North countries, especially ones that were colonizers and going out and exploiting these resources. And the people who are in these places are still doing exactly the same thing, basically. Because they produce cash crops for them, or they produce hardwoods for them, or because they don't have any other ways to make money because they've never owned the means of production. And so then that means that they are still making boats out of the wood. I mean, this is good wood that floats. That's what mangrove trees are. Of course, they're going to be buoyant. And so using those and using them for firewood and stuff, because that's their economic reality.   Jorden No, exactly. And, you know, in a lot of cases, because we extracted so much of the value that they couldn't move up the value chain of economics. Right. And so this gets to one of my favorite area of economics, though, because there's so much work now on trying to quantify the actual ecosystem service benefits to the economy so that we can show, you know, countries and communities. wait, no, here is the money that's generated for your economy from keeping this and that you're not seeing because no one's paying for that service and no one's being charged for it. And so when I looked at the 2022 systemic review of ecosystem service literatures on mangroves, and they had a wide range that ranged from 2 ,700 USD per hectare up to 80 ,000 USD per hectare of mangrove and ecosystem service benefits. That range really depended on the amount of ecosystem services included in the review. I mean, Kimberly, I really only touched on five. Some of these reviews looked at a total of 27 to 32 ecosystem services connected to mangroves. So that's how essential they are. When I was trying to find what's a better one that we could give people to think about as a mental placeholder, the National Institute of Health in America uses an average of 21 ,000 USD per hectare. And that's in line with an average from a number of other studies I looked at. So when we're thinking about this again, 21 and that's an annual ecosystem service benefit. So you think about that for every hectare lost, you have to essentially. And no one's doing it. But you'd have to pay $21 ,000 on average in most places to replace the benefits to water, to land. And in a lot of cases, you can't actually even do it. This is a way of economists of trying to quantify that. But you can't go back in and put in water filtration systems on the coast to do that for the plants, right?   Kimberly Well, and like you just talked about, to try to do it with dams and dykes and stuff. And that's certainly way more expensive. And it's certainly not nearly as environmentally friendly. And also, I mean, these are these externalities that we talk about every single episode that don't get quantified, that don't get included in. And here are the real costs that we're talking about. The World Bank valued it at approximately $50 ,000 for those who don't do hectares. Two and a half acres is a hectare. We're talking about livelihoods that actually through conservation could help the people whose resources were exploited and also promote sustainable development in the process and facilitate this. And so we need to do this because we all, everyone on the planet is at risk. And this was always one of the things that I would always say to my, you know, ask my students. Do you think that this, you know, here we are in the middle of, you know, Kentucky, the tri -state area, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, do you, are you affected by mangroves? And we would talk about this and I would always put it as an exam question then. And invariably, some people would still say, no, I'm not affected by this. And I was like, where were you when we were talking about this? Because how can you have sat through our whole discussion on the myriad ways that, that. Having mangroves, whether they're on your own, you know, in your own backyard or whether they're content in a way that they don't have an impact on your daily life. And they do because we see things like rising sea levels and the impact of that. And so with rising sea levels. We're not only losing mangroves, not only to deforestation, but because of the rising sea level. So they're, they're actually under threat from that. And the sad irony is that their conservation can actually help to stop this. And if we don't stop the, you know, protect the mangroves, then we're going to have more, but the mangroves are going to disappear. And that, that sort of catch 22. And so with rising sea levels, yeah. Okay. So, well, oh, here we are in the middle of the country like you, you know, in the middle of Canada. And why? So what? How are we going to be affected by that? Well, what about migration? You've got climate migration is a real thing. And so if you have people screaming about putting up borders and blocking out immigrants, then here's one more thing that's going to continue to contribute to that factor. Jorden Well, and at a simple level. Even if, you know, the most self -centered person who still believes in climate change, we'll use them as my example here, even for them, right? That I live in the middle of Canada. I live on a hill, you know, with no tornadoes, nothing. I'm good and I have my net zero house. Why do I care? It's the carbon at the end of the day. For every carbon sink that we lose on this planet, humans are going to have to reduce more emissions more rapidly to make up for that. So if you are the most self -centered climate activist in the world, which most aren't, it still dramatically affects what you will have to do in your lifetime to lose these amazing ecosystems.   Kimberly Right. Because right there, we're talking about with climate change, rising temperatures, dropping temperatures, extreme weather. It doesn't matter where you live, you're going to end up being affected by it.   Jorden And so before we dived into the drivers of the risks, I want to do a little level setting for everybody on the state of it, right? Because we've been talking about this just generally. So a couple important things that really helped contextualize this for me is that 20 to 30 % of global mangroves are already lost in the last 50 years. So everything that we're talking about today as totals is off of a 30 % reduction already, excuse me. And then looking forward, another 50 % of those remaining mangroves are at risk of collapse by 2050. And one of the things I struggle with in climate is everybody always talking about 2050 and saying how far away it feels, right? But again, that's really only 24 years away, right? And when we think that COVID already started five years ago,   Kimberly when we think that COVID already started five years ago, that that was the lockdown was five years. Five years ago does not feel like that long ago.   Jorden No, exactly. So these things, these dates that sound far off give a false sense of hope. So again, 50 % at risk by 2050. And diving in, 20 % of all global mangroves are in the critically endangered and endangered categories, like the cusp of actually collapsing. And so I just wanted to, like, that's what we're talking about. This is an ecosystem around the globe threatened, and a lot of it is on the edge as we go through some of these issues. I will in transparency, the only nice thing is that the rate of mangrove loss has halved over the last 30 years. So I think that's one area that humans are. And then to your point of the attention rising, I think that you can really track rising attention to mangroves and their benefits to that reduction in damage.   Kimberly And but so then when you start. Going through all of the whole list here of why they're at risk, in addition to rising sea levels, right? We've got the obvious one, deforestation. None of these are mutually exclusive because you look at that and say, oh, well, it's caused by these various other things. But in and of itself, the mangroves are depleted at three to five times faster than what tropical forests are. And yet they're only 0 .4 % of the overall forest area of the entire world. So we're looking at a minuscule amount of area. And yet it's going at a really high speed, even though it has been, you know, the brakes have been put on. And so, again, you know, that deforestation is that they're no longer there to process the emissions, the mangroves and the plants that the mangroves that protect. But then it releases all that CO2 back in that had been sequestered. So that's hugely problematic. But the deforestation is happening because of tourism. Right. We talked about already with beaches and. marinas and people who want to do water sports and so forth and want to be able to enjoy that without all of the biodiversity that comes along with the mangroves, like the mosquitoes, of course, are always going to be the number one.   Jorden People and mosquitoes. Yes. I mean, I'm from northern Canada originally. Trust me, they can drive you insane, but that's not a reason to cut anything down. And thinking about the impact of there, 62 % of that global loss of mangroves between 2000 and 2016 was driven by land use changes on both the deforestation for growth on one side. but also, as you mentioned, tourism and aquaculture on the other side. And so going back to my coastal defense, kind of talking about that, you know, everybody should think about how we're cutting the width down in two ways, right? The inland pressures on deforestation for wood, for harvesting, for cropland, and then the ocean side pressure. on the mangroves from wanting more tourist opportunities and aquaculture and they do interesting things like again because you need that depth to get those benefits you're either letting more of the ocean surge on to land in the first place or you're reducing its actual ability to stop it before it hits you know important infrastructure on the other side so that's how I started thinking about some of these losses   Kimberly Yeah. And so because of the commercial pressures through like aquaculture, that's a big and growing industry. Shrimp farming. I remember being in Thailand and seeing the shrimp farming and just areas they were clearing to be able to do that. And tuna ranching is actually a thing, too. And and these are really rough on the environment because they're in such small and it's like livestock, you know, factory farming for fish in these little tiny areas that are really concentrated with a lot of waste and so forth. And then also added to the fact that they're depleting the mangroves that actually could, if they were in place, help to deal with some of these issues caused by aquaculture. So that can be done in a sustainable way. It absolutely can. But because of the front financing and the pressures to produce more at a quicker rate at a lower overhead and race to the bottom, that's less likely to happen. The other big factor, especially because Indonesia has the largest set of mangrove acreage, hectareage, whatever you want to say, in the world is because of palm oil production. And in the 1990s, 2000s, I think it was mid -2000s when the USDA decided, banned trans fatty acids in processed foods. That was when we saw this huge, I forgot exactly when the year was, so don't quote me on that. Like somewhere between the mid -90s and the mid -2000s, right? Like we see this huge shift in demand for palm oil. And because of that, there was just a huge shift in places where it was already coming from. Indonesia and Malaysia are the biggest producers in the world. Now suddenly it's like, oh, we're going to monocrop this. And I remember flying over Borneo and just seeing whole areas that had been. tropical jungle tropical rainforest area and we're just literally row after row after row of mangrove and the only roads that were there were the roads that were connecting to the different like owned farms basically and so i mean everybody's heard of of that for sure in the orangutans and all of the other wildlife that's been displaced because of that and so so we see this this Increased demand for palm oil. Again, like I'm the average person here. How am I having not just being affected by, but how am I having an impact on what's going on also in the world? In this case, then it's like, well, if you don't want to pay for fairly trade, ethically sourced palm oil, then you're contributing to the factor and you're going to in turn then be affected by the fact that there are fewer mangroves.   Jorden Exactly. And as we mentioned in our Halloween episode, getting into some of the chocolate things, it's actually an area of looking for chocolate that either doesn't use palm oil as an additive or uses ethically sourced. And, you know, it's funny on the aquaculture and shrimping because I think in true sustainable planet fashion, I made a giant asterisk and said and have in all caps, we need to do an episode on this. Right.   Kimberly Right.   Jorden Because it is it is mind boggling. I like that you mentioned that it can be done sustainably and I kind of. I wanted to talk as a second as we're talking about these impacts that are driving the losses, you can actually think about how having mangroves around would actually reduce the impacts of these drivers, right? So tourism, you know, it's a narrow focus on just beaches and marinas because what they actually lose out on from losing the mangroves is coral reef protection and marine life. So if your tourism, if you have a dead beach at the end of the day that has no underwater activity and is lifeless, that's going to dry up your tourism, right? So it's a short -term trade -off when not realizing that actually the longer -term, more sustainable from a financial and actual enjoyment sense involves those mangroves. And similarly in the aquaculture, because one of the big problems is that these shrimp pens are temporary. So they end up cutting down this massive section of mangroves, building temporary pens, over farming it. And then they think, oh, we'll take them down and we do it in a new area. But nothing grows back because of that accumulated bio waste turns the area toxic. And now and again, a more natural, less intensive method that was actually used around the mangroves and use them for their benefit of that toxin filtering can produce a more sustainable system. And that's for each of these. It's like taking them away makes it worse. Right. drives further loss. And it's just sad.   Kimberly Yeah. And when we look at pollution, the biggest waste where this is happening also too, is from the aqua farming and obviously the tourism and the things we've mentioned, but also from industrial waste because industrial waste then is polluting the mangrove areas because the industries are, you know, like they're not, they don't need the beach, whatever, but they're still protected by these mangroves, but that industrial waste is going out and it's also causing these dead zones. And so, That is also contributing to the depletion of the mangroves. And we also have the soil erosion from that deforestation. So we've got lots of dead zones being created from these various activities that happen and either are when the mangroves have been cut down or they could still be standing and they're still being depleted.   Jorden And this is this is something that made me like, you know, we'll get I do have hope for the end of the episode, everyone. But one of the things that made me sad about this is that even though, as I said, the rate of loss is declining, has not hit zero, we're still losing roughly six percent of glow or zero point six, almost a full percent of global mangroves per year. But even as we change that, right, and we and we drive that down. The damage we've already caused and the drivers of climate change are increasing the natural, like up till now, natural loss of mangroves has been the lower factor. But there's worry that as we've reached tipping points and then as we go forward, that even though humans might now try to pull back and desperately try to save them, the natural drivers will continue that loss. And there's this sad climate irony of our, you know, we finally woken up and now we want to save it. I think that in life, we pretend there's always time to fix things. And in certain cases, there might not be.   Kimberly Yeah. And with this, we see the rising global temperatures. We see the increased spread of disease, the decreased availability from nutrition and fishing and the people who are dependent on that in these coastal areas who are typically poorer people to begin with. And we see the people who are fishing have to go out further to get the fish. And that puts them at an added disadvantage to be able to do that. We look at the global implications of deforestation and pollution and displaced persons and degrading habitats and migration due to insecurity. We look at these environmental, economic, health and security implications of the lack of mangrove conservation makes us, you know, really think we hope it's not too late to be able to do this.   Jorden No, exactly. And the concentration really drives the problem here, right? Climate migration in general, depending on what factor you're looking at, can be very dispersed. So like not hot spots, because that's what really drives major problems. But when looking at like sea level rise, loss of mangroves, and then the migration that will be triggered from that, you know, one study put it at about 3 % of the global population by 2100. But when you dive down into that, it's 100 % of the population in a number of countries, right? So like that smaller global number hides the fact that we're talking about mass migration problems out of a concentrated area and then typically into a neighboring region. Which, as we've already seen in the 21st century, drives massive, massive internal issues and stabilization. So some of these times we think about this as a climate issue or we frame it as that. And I often wonder if we leaned more on the national security and the global stability angle, would people get a little bit more concerned and wake up to some of this?   Kimberly And that's why I mentioned that, because climate migration is a real thing within, in place, displaced internally. as well as, right, so we see more crowding of cities and pressure on cities and then mass urbanization. And then we see what that does if you don't have a sustainable city. The other side of that is crossing borders and also battles over resources. And so we see actual civil wars and conflicts within regions and within countries, but across borders for these things. So with that, we're going to try something new with this episode. celebrating our one year anniversary of sustainable planet. And we decided that we're going to break our episode into two parts. So if you enjoyed part one, great. Part two of our mangroves episode will drop next Thursday. So until then, you can let us know how you feel about this, right? This would be the opportune time to do that. Email us at splanetpod at gmail .com. I promise you that one of us will respond to you. We're also on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. If you want to see show notes from today, look at the website. I will also give you some additional resources and you can check our data twice. You can read more on my Substack posts and we'd really appreciate if you take time to rate and review our Sustainable Planet podcast that we have for you. Thanks for listening and have a sustainable day and happy Earth Day. Celebrating the One Year Anniversary of the podcast, Jorden and Kimberly turn their attention to the amazing, yet underappreciated mangroves forests.  Remarkable coastal ecosystems that can capture 5 times more CO2 than rainforests, mangroves provide a powerful defense against climate change and coastal erosion in over 120 countries.

Changing up the format, Sustainable Planet will drop weekly, covering topics in two parts. Part I focuses on the vital role of mangroves, why they’re often overlooked, and the main contributing factors jeopardizing this ecosystem.


Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • Why rainforests get all the glamour while mangroves do the heavier lifting
  • Just how many amazing attributes this marine ecosystem has
  • What the biggest threats to mangrove conservation are
  • How much more money mangrove conservation reaps than deforestation (to the tune of $80,000 per hectare!)
  • How mangroves affect everyone’s well-being—no matter how long it takes to reach the beach


Recommended Resources


Episode Transcript


Kimberly

Welcome to our celebratory one -year anniversary episode of

Sustainable Planet. I'm political scientist Kimberly Weir and my co -host is

Jordan Dye, a guy who knows an awful lot about sustainability issues. With

Earth Day approaching, hopefully sustainability is on more people's minds.

Anyone paying attention knows we should save the rainforests. But what about

mangroves, an even more vital ecosystem? But Jordan, I bet you've heard about

mangroves long before I even suggested this topic.

 

Jorden

I got really excited when you suggested this topic,

Kimberly. And I have a little bit of a long and random story into this, so bear

with me. But my discovery of mangroves started a long time ago with Bjorn

Lumberg and his obsession with the idea of building dikes everywhere to protect

from coastal erosion and rising sea levels. It was an easy solution. And I was

young enough that I was like, well, it sounds reasonable. Like, why are we not

doing this then? And it was the start of a fundamental lesson for me in climate

change, which is if somebody is saying there's a super simple, reasonable way

to fix this massive problem, then everyone has already looked into it because

no one is passing up the super simple solutions. And I often think of a quote

from Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America, a false but clear and

precise idea always has more power in the world than one which is true and

complex. And I think that can be used in so much, but especially here. The

funny thing is, as I looked into dykes and found out that they couldn't be

built around a lot of small developing islands because of either coastline

features or cost, and that they just don't work in a lot of places, it led me

to find out that we already had something that worked, mangroves. And a lot of

our discussion around that is going to be around we don't need to engineer a

new crazy solution. We need to protect and enhance the natural solution that's

doing it so well.

 

Kimberly

Yeah, instead of destroying it. The thing is, is it

mangroves? This is a topic that I regularly introduced to my classes when I was

teaching introduction to international relations, because it's multifaceted,

right? It's an environmental issue, but it's got economic implications. It's

got human rights implications. It's got environment. Also, it's like, you know,

like health implications. Yeah, I was gonna say world health implications and

also even security implications, right? So across the board, it hit on all of

these international general issues. And I would start out oftentimes the class

by using this. And for the longest time, one or two people would raise their

hands to say they knew what mangroves were before we started talking about them

in class, like almost out of classes of 45 students.

As time has gone on I've seen a little bit more like of an

increase in the number of people who are familiar with them. But generally

speaking, still, it was quite a minority. And so my joke was always, you know,

like they're the less sexy thing. When you think about what's going to make the

calendar for the environmental cause, is it going to be the, you know,

multicolored, awesome looking frogs or birds? Or is it going to be the bland

looking, unless you know what you're looking at, mangroves, mangrove forests?

 

Jorden

No, exactly. And I think that even amongst a lot of people I

know, you know, other ecosystems such as you mentioned forests already, but

even wetlands tend to get a lot more focus and people know about them. And I

think it reflects a weird view because, I mean, mangroves are found in 121 of

the 195 countries globally. They are pervasive. I mean, their distribution is

concentrated, right? I mean, 40 % of all global mangroves are found in just

four countries, Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria, and Mexico. It's surprising there's

dispersion and how most countries have an example of them, but people have no

idea about them in their own ecosystems.

 

Kimberly

Well, and it's their tropical and subtropical forests. So a

lot of times they're not really in, we don't see them nearly as prevalent in

global north countries. It's the global south countries, developing countries,

emerging economies, but the continent of Australia has got a lot of mangroves

too, right? So you sort of see that, but mostly the attention is just, we

hadn't gotten a lot of attention because for example, in the United States,

where a lot of the mangroves were, was Florida. And they were all ripped out

because people wanted long stretches of sandy beaches. They didn't want

mosquitoes, right? All of those things that the reasons why the mangroves are

there are all of the problems Florida is having now in terms of beach erosion

and having to try to shore up during tropical storms because they've lost that

natural barrier protection. And also just the biodiversity that was just off in

the process of this. And so when it comes to these tropical and subtropical

forests, another thing that goes along with them is the fact that they also

protect the seaweed and the sea grasses and the salty marshes that are in the

same brackish areas, which are also really great because these are carbon

sinks. These are blue carbon areas. And these are so important. We talk about,

everybody hears about. Blue zones for supposedly that these are the healthiest

people in the world where these are in fact blue zones, legitimate blue zones.

These blue carbons, areas that are carbon sinks that capture and sequester

basically and store more CO2 than rainforest do. And that's what really started

to get people's attention in my classes was that they had no idea that these

trap three to five times more CO2 emissions than rainforest do. They'll

reinforce get all the attention.

 

Jorden

And I think this is actually where you see it reflected in

the scientific literature over the last 15 years. Mangroves have a lot of

attention in the scientific literature because of their recognized importance.

It hasn't translated to the broader public. And on the carbon point, I want to

put this in context for people. So I was trying to find different comparisons.

And I think the best one was in a single square mile of mangroves, they remove

and sequester roughly the same emission as 90 ,000 cars. So when we and I want

to put this in context for, you know, North American audience. So when you're

looking at Florida and the destruction there, this is even finding out. So I

was like, oh, there's 800 square miles of mangroves still left in Florida, very

dispersed and fractured and being lost. And seeing how much of that is what was

there even a decade ago is sad. But let's looking at that 800 square miles that

you have the capacity to annually remove and store the equivalent of 72 million

cars. which is roughly 25 % of America's total commercial and personal vehicle

fleet in what is just remaining. So like the actual carbon impact of these

areas is just massive. And I really like 25 % of all personal and commercial

and passenger vehicles. I don't think that there's very few other natural

processes that are in concentrated areas that I can point to that have that

level of impact.

 

Kimberly

And that's the thing is that. The rainforests got a lot of

attention, and rightly so, because they are also really important. And they

were being deforested, cut down at a breakneck speed rate for the hardwoods

that they harvest and all of the other. There are an awful lot of renewable

resources in rainforests. And as countries were sort of persuaded, and that was

why, you know, 1994, that's why the UNEP had its sustainable development.

meeting in Rio de Janeiro was to draw attention to that, to say, hey, we need

to have more attention because Brazil's rainforest, one of the biggest places

with rainforest was just being cut down at really high rate. And that was

actually turned around and doing really well for a while. And then when

Bolsonaro came in, he reversed everything. But now that Lulu's back in power

again, like that's been reversed again. So it's hopeful again.

 

Jorden

It's hopeful, but I think it really drives to how short

-term politics can have massive long -term consequences on some of these

issues, right?

 

Kimberly

Yes, for certain.

 

Jorden

You mentioned biodiversity. And one of the things that I

thought is the coolest about these, and I got really excited when we were going

to talk about it, is that just by their nature, like the mangroves themselves

represent one of the most interesting forms of biodiversity on the planet

because they are all specialized trees and shrubs. So we're saying mangroves,

which is a broad definition of an ecosystem on brackish water that has

specialized trees and shrubs. In the States, for example, there were four types

primarily of trees and shrubs that exist in mangroves. And why they're so cool

is they have literally evolved processes to deal with that high saline water.

So, you know, some of them filter the salt out before the roots fully absorb

the water. Others actually sweat and excrete the excess salt from their bodies

and through their leaves. And it's just like such an interesting and unique

type of plant life on our planet.

 

Kimberly

Well, and it's really cool too, because for anyone who has

seen mangroves, they have really long root systems that come up above the soil

or the sand or wherever they're kind of situated. And so they have these really

long root systems. And those are really cool because they're protective areas

then for fish and other things that swim in the sea. Sea life, I guess we can

use that. There's a word for that. So other sea life, right? And also because

of the root system, they provide for all, like we said, you know, you mentioned

too, the grasses and the marsh, like all of those reeds and so forth that grow

along there in that area. Then all of this stuff acts as a filtration system

that really keeps the freshwater separate from the seawater. And that's such an

important thing. When we look at that, the other thing that is just, I think,

so important about, in addition to this, they act as a filtration system. They

trap the sediments and heavy metals and pollutants and so forth. And keeping

that fresh and salt water separate. The thing that really just amazes me that's

so cool is that they, in storing. this carbon like they do it in the sediment

and they do it in the like below and so it's there and and it's going to stay

there and they are always continuing to suck up more and more and more and

unlike in forests where you see like the trees die or there are forest fires

and other natural causes or the town whatever in this instance like they just

continue to keep storing that and doing that indefinitely unless you start

ripping them out. And that's where we lose, not just it has that dually awful

environmental repercussion of losing the thing that's actually sucking up the

carbon as well as releasing everything that had been stored back into the

atmosphere. And so that's bad news.

 

Jorden

A hundred percent. I think it's really key to focus on there

for a second that the natural process of how it stores is much more in that

root system. So again, there's smaller trees and shrubs. So what we see above

ground is normally always in terms of size, the root network is going to be

bigger. But in the mangrove case, in terms of actual volume, right, a material

where in natural more boreal forests or tropical forests. A lot of that carbon,

excuse me, is stored in the actual trunks and the actual tree mass above

ground. So when those die off and through natural processes release more back

and create, I think, more of a fluctuation. Whereas to your point, this is eons

that this can be stored in if it maintains a healthy habitat.

 

Kimberly

Yes. And the thing is, is that when you want to create

beaches or something, though, or if you're digging up for farming, like is

what's going on, especially with Indonesia and Malaysia and other places,

Brazil too. For palm oil production, they have to necessarily, in order to

monocrop the palm oil trees, the date palm trees, they have to actually then

uproot the whole system as well. And that's what's really bad, which is why

it's also so much worse and so much more important to protect because the consequences

are so much worse because all of that stored carbon is being released in a way

that... As you just described, that's not the case if you're just cutting where

the tree is storing most of it above ground.

 

Jorden

Exactly. You know, we've hit on you think about what is lost

there, right? In the destruction of a mangrove and the carbon, the biodiversity

and the entire. So you think about the fishing communities are and we're going

to go into this more later. But it's taking that out doesn't just lose one

thing. And a lot of these issues, you know, we know are interconnected and we

highlight that. But we can point out this is the big aspect of this. And I

think mangroves are so interesting because as you said, you told your students.

They have such big factors that are like such big benefits across multiple

categories. It's not just a loss on one. And so one of the ones going back to

my example of how I got into this is the storm barriers and that coastal

defense. And I wanted to hit through there's really there's four ways that

mangroves really drive coastal defense for, you know, shorelines. And that's

across waves. So I found some really interesting stats here because they've

broken this out for policymakers. So mangroves reduce wave height from by 13 to

66 percent per 100 meter of mangrove. So one of the things that's going to come

out here right away is the depth of those mangroves is really, really

important. So, again, 100 meters between 13 and 66 percent height reduction. 1

,000 meters of mangroves needed for storm surge protection, which reduce

between 5 to 50 centimeters of the height of the storm surge per kilometer. So

now you're thinking about these damages from climate change on the coastal

systems because we're putting them right up against it and taking out these

natural barriers. And one of the ones that I think it gets a lot of attention

when it happens is tsunamis. And I found it interesting that per 100 meters of

mangroves, tsunami flood depth is reduced by 5 to 30 percent. So just massive

benefits. And across all of these benefits are done at a far lower cost by

protecting these than building out in the places it would work, massive

engineered dike systems. And then at the ultimate side, it's the erosion. Those

roots we've been talking about allow the sediment to be trapped and stay there.

And with the removal of the mangroves, you start losing your coastlines even

faster and facing greater acceleration. It's just it's crazy to me. It actually

is crazy when you start talking about this. Well,

 

Kimberly

it ties into two things that we've talked about before. One

is sand because we talked about sand depletion. Right. And even though. This

sort of sand isn't necessarily exactly the same sort of sand we talked about

for construction. There is still this aspect of sand demand where there is

coastline erosion. And that sand, every community that has beaches is trying to

shore that up somehow and try to replace that sand. It's coming from somewhere

because this other sand is being washed out, right? And even if they're going

off the coast and doing it, I mean, this is way out of my depth, but I mean, I

guess an appropriate pun here because you go out to the depths. Then you're

uprooting and dredging to bring sand in. You're uprooting the whole ecosystem

there, right? And causing lots of more effluents and particle particulates in

the water. So there's that. But also the other thing too, is what we talked

about in the episode with extreme weather. And we continue to see this. And

most recently with the earthquakes in Burma, Myanmar and Thailand, but with

lots of flooding that's going on and lots of... hurricanes and extreme weather

patterns, that this coastal defense is so important because we see more people

flocking to these areas. But now they're going there because they want beaches.

And yet that whole natural defense is gone, which could be there and actually

really help to decrease the impact. But instead of adding more mangroves in, we

end up saying, oh, but I want to be able to walk on the beach and not be bitten

by mosquitoes.

 

Jorden

It's the ultimate irony of removing something for a

disappearing beach, essentially, that you're going to enjoy for a generation or

two before it's wiped out anyways. And to your point, you could have enjoyed

your coastline. You could have enjoyed all the benefits if we had just

strengthened those protections.

 

Kimberly

Well, and we are the privileged people, right? Because most

of the places where these mangroves are and these coastlines are, are

developing countries. And they are trying to improve their livelihoods. They're

trying to make ends meet. And so unless they have a good incentive to protect

and conserve the mangroves, they're going to use those for those resources. And

even if they're renewable resources, if they're borrowing into the future and

overusing them, they're still going to end up contributing to deforestation of

them and depletion of them.

 

Jorden

Exactly. I think it's another great tie back to our sand

episode, you know, with the disappearing river in Kerala in India, right, where

they were dredging and removing sand for a short term economic gain that was

entirely reasonable, but in the long run ended up costing them all more to have

water brought in after the destruction of the river and the complete loss of

that economic gain. So it is like in a lot of these, especially in developing

countries, it's that short term economic pressure, which produces entirely

reasonable outcomes. If you think about it from their perspective. but are

separated from the long -term costs and consequences.

 

Kimberly

Well, that would be like us, you know, anyone coming, it's

always the do as we say, not as we did, right? For the United States, Canada,

global North countries, especially ones that were colonizers and going out and

exploiting these resources. And the people who are in these places are still

doing exactly the same thing, basically. Because they produce cash crops for

them, or they produce hardwoods for them, or because they don't have any other

ways to make money because they've never owned the means of production. And so

then that means that they are still making boats out of the wood. I mean, this

is good wood that floats. That's what mangrove trees are. Of course, they're

going to be buoyant. And so using those and using them for firewood and stuff,

because that's their economic reality.

 

Jorden

No, exactly. And, you know, in a lot of cases, because we

extracted so much of the value that they couldn't move up the value chain of

economics. Right. And so this gets to one of my favorite area of economics,

though, because there's so much work now on trying to quantify the actual

ecosystem service benefits to the economy so that we can show, you know,

countries and communities. wait, no, here is the money that's generated for

your economy from keeping this and that you're not seeing because no one's paying

for that service and no one's being charged for it. And so when I looked at the

2022 systemic review of ecosystem service literatures on mangroves, and they

had a wide range that ranged from 2 ,700 USD per hectare up to 80 ,000 USD per

hectare of mangrove and ecosystem service benefits. That range really depended

on the amount of ecosystem services included in the review. I mean, Kimberly, I

really only touched on five. Some of these reviews looked at a total of 27 to

32 ecosystem services connected to mangroves. So that's how essential they are.

When I was trying to find what's a better one that we could give people to

think about as a mental placeholder, the National Institute of Health in

America uses an average of 21 ,000 USD per hectare. And that's in line with an

average from a number of other studies I looked at. So when we're thinking

about this again, 21 and that's an annual ecosystem service benefit. So you

think about that for every hectare lost, you have to essentially. And no one's

doing it. But you'd have to pay $21 ,000 on average in most places to replace

the benefits to water, to land. And in a lot of cases, you can't actually even

do it. This is a way of economists of trying to quantify that. But you can't go

back in and put in water filtration systems on the coast to do that for the

plants, right?

 

Kimberly

Well, and like you just talked about, to try to do it with

dams and dykes and stuff. And that's certainly way more expensive. And it's

certainly not nearly as environmentally friendly. And also, I mean, these are

these externalities that we talk about every single episode that don't get

quantified, that don't get included in. And here are the real costs that we're

talking about. The World Bank valued it at approximately $50 ,000 for those who

don't do hectares. Two and a half acres is a hectare.

We're talking about livelihoods that actually through

conservation could help the people whose resources were exploited and also

promote sustainable development in the process and facilitate this. And so we

need to do this because we all, everyone on the planet is at risk. And this was

always one of the things that I would always say to my, you know, ask my

students. Do you think that this, you know, here we are in the middle of, you

know, Kentucky, the tri -state area, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, do you, are you

affected by mangroves? And we would talk about this and I would always put it

as an exam question then. And invariably, some people would still say, no, I'm

not affected by this. And I was like, where were you when we were talking about

this? Because how can you have sat through our whole discussion on the myriad

ways that, that. Having mangroves, whether they're on your own, you know, in

your own backyard or whether they're content in a way that they don't have an

impact on your daily life. And they do because we see things like rising sea

levels and the impact of that. And so with rising sea levels. We're not only

losing mangroves, not only to deforestation, but because of the rising sea

level. So they're, they're actually under threat from that. And the sad irony

is that their conservation can actually help to stop this. And if we don't stop

the, you know, protect the mangroves, then we're going to have more, but the

mangroves are going to disappear. And that, that sort of catch 22. And so with

rising sea levels, yeah. Okay. So, well, oh, here we are in the middle of the

country like you, you know, in the middle of Canada. And why? So what? How are

we going to be affected by that? Well, what about migration? You've got climate

migration is a real thing. And so if you have people screaming about putting up

borders and blocking out immigrants, then here's one more thing that's going to

continue to contribute to that factor.

Jorden

Well, and at a simple level. Even if, you know, the most

self -centered person who still believes in climate change, we'll use them as

my example here, even for them, right? That I live in the middle of Canada. I

live on a hill, you know, with no tornadoes, nothing. I'm good and I have my

net zero house. Why do I care? It's the carbon at the end of the day. For every

carbon sink that we lose on this planet, humans are going to have to reduce

more emissions more rapidly to make up for that. So if you are the most self

-centered climate activist in the world, which most aren't, it still

dramatically affects what you will have to do in your lifetime to lose these

amazing ecosystems.

 

Kimberly

Right. Because right there, we're talking about with climate

change, rising temperatures, dropping temperatures, extreme weather. It doesn't

matter where you live, you're going to end up being affected by it.

 

Jorden

And so before we dived into the drivers of the risks, I want

to do a little level setting for everybody on the state of it, right? Because

we've been talking about this just generally. So a couple important things that

really helped contextualize this for me is that 20 to 30 % of global mangroves

are already lost in the last 50 years. So everything that we're talking about

today as totals is off of a 30 % reduction already, excuse me. And then looking

forward, another 50 % of those remaining mangroves are at risk of collapse by

2050. And one of the things I struggle with in climate is everybody always

talking about 2050 and saying how far away it feels, right? But again, that's

really only 24 years away, right? And when we think that COVID already started five

years ago,

 

Kimberly

when we think that COVID already started five years ago,

that that was the lockdown was five years. Five years ago does not feel like

that long ago.

 

Jorden

No, exactly. So these things, these dates that sound far off

give a false sense of hope. So again, 50 % at risk by 2050. And diving in, 20 %

of all global mangroves are in the critically endangered and endangered

categories, like the cusp of actually collapsing. And so I just wanted to,

like, that's what we're talking about. This is an ecosystem around the globe

threatened, and a lot of it is on the edge as we go through some of these

issues. I will in transparency, the only nice thing is that the rate of mangrove

loss has halved over the last 30 years. So I think that's one area that humans

are. And then to your point of the attention rising, I think that you can

really track rising attention to mangroves and their benefits to that reduction

in damage.

 

Kimberly

And but so then when you start. Going through all of the

whole list here of why they're at risk, in addition to rising sea levels,

right? We've got the obvious one, deforestation. None of these are mutually

exclusive because you look at that and say, oh, well, it's caused by these

various other things. But in and of itself, the mangroves are depleted at three

to five times faster than what tropical forests are. And yet they're only 0 .4

% of the overall forest area of the entire world. So we're looking at a

minuscule amount of area. And yet it's going at a really high speed, even

though it has been, you know, the brakes have been put on. And so, again, you

know, that deforestation is that they're no longer there to process the

emissions, the mangroves and the plants that the mangroves that protect. But

then it releases all that CO2 back in that had been sequestered. So that's

hugely problematic. But the deforestation is happening because of tourism.

Right. We talked about already with beaches and. marinas and people who want to

do water sports and so forth and want to be able to enjoy that without all of

the biodiversity that comes along with the mangroves, like the mosquitoes, of

course, are always going to be the number one.

 

Jorden

People and mosquitoes. Yes. I mean, I'm from northern Canada

originally. Trust me, they can drive you insane, but that's not a reason to cut

anything down. And thinking about the impact of there, 62 % of that global loss

of mangroves between 2000 and 2016 was driven by land use changes on both the

deforestation for growth on one side. but also, as you mentioned, tourism and

aquaculture on the other side. And so going back to my coastal defense, kind of

talking about that, you know, everybody should think about how we're cutting

the width down in two ways, right? The inland pressures on deforestation for

wood, for harvesting, for cropland, and then the ocean side pressure. on the

mangroves from wanting more tourist opportunities and aquaculture and they do interesting

things like again because you need that depth to get those benefits you're

either letting more of the ocean surge on to land in the first place or you're

reducing its actual ability to stop it before it hits you know important

infrastructure on the other side so that's how I started thinking about some of

these losses

 

Kimberly

Yeah. And so because of the commercial pressures through

like aquaculture, that's a big and growing industry. Shrimp farming. I remember

being in Thailand and seeing the shrimp farming and just areas they were

clearing to be able to do that. And tuna ranching is actually a thing, too. And

and these are really rough on the environment because they're in such small and

it's like livestock, you know, factory farming for fish in these little tiny

areas that are really concentrated with a lot of waste and so forth. And then

also added to the fact that they're depleting the mangroves that actually

could, if they were in place, help to deal with some of these issues caused by

aquaculture. So that can be done in a sustainable way. It absolutely can. But

because of the front financing and the pressures to produce more at a quicker

rate at a lower overhead and race to the bottom, that's less likely to happen.

The other big factor, especially because Indonesia has the largest set of

mangrove acreage, hectareage, whatever you want to say, in the world is because

of palm oil production. And in the 1990s, 2000s, I think it was mid -2000s when

the USDA decided, banned trans fatty acids in processed foods. That was when we

saw this huge, I forgot exactly when the year was, so don't quote me on that.

Like somewhere between the mid -90s and the mid -2000s, right? Like we see this

huge shift in demand for palm oil. And because of that, there was just a huge

shift in places where it was already coming from. Indonesia and Malaysia are

the biggest producers in the world. Now suddenly it's like, oh, we're going to

monocrop this. And I remember flying over Borneo and just seeing whole areas

that had been. tropical jungle tropical rainforest area and we're just

literally row after row after row of mangrove and the only roads that were

there were the roads that were connecting to the different like owned farms

basically and so i mean everybody's heard of of that for sure in the orangutans

and all of the other wildlife that's been displaced because of that and so so

we see this this Increased demand for palm oil. Again, like I'm the average

person here. How am I having not just being affected by, but how am I having an

impact on what's going on also in the world? In this case, then it's like,

well, if you don't want to pay for fairly trade, ethically sourced palm oil,

then you're contributing to the factor and you're going to in turn then be

affected by the fact that there are fewer mangroves.

 

Jorden

Exactly. And as we mentioned in our Halloween episode,

getting into some of the chocolate things, it's actually an area of looking for

chocolate that either doesn't use palm oil as an additive or uses ethically

sourced. And, you know, it's funny on the aquaculture and shrimping because I

think in true sustainable planet fashion, I made a giant asterisk and said and

have in all caps, we need to do an episode on this. Right.

 

Kimberly

Right.

 

Jorden

Because it is it is mind boggling. I like that you mentioned

that it can be done sustainably and I kind of. I wanted to talk as a second as

we're talking about these impacts that are driving the losses, you can actually

think about how having mangroves around would actually reduce the impacts of

these drivers, right? So tourism, you know, it's a narrow focus on just beaches

and marinas because what they actually lose out on from losing the mangroves is

coral reef protection and marine life. So if your tourism, if you have a dead

beach at the end of the day that has no underwater activity and is lifeless,

that's going to dry up your tourism, right? So it's a short -term trade -off

when not realizing that actually the longer -term, more sustainable from a financial

and actual enjoyment sense involves those mangroves. And similarly in the

aquaculture, because one of the big problems is that these shrimp pens are

temporary. So they end up cutting down this massive section of mangroves,

building temporary pens, over farming it. And then they think, oh, we'll take

them down and we do it in a new area. But nothing grows back because of that

accumulated bio waste turns the area toxic. And now and again, a more natural,

less intensive method that was actually used around the mangroves and use them

for their benefit of that toxin filtering can produce a more sustainable

system. And that's for each of these. It's like taking them away makes it

worse. Right. drives further loss. And it's just sad.

 

Kimberly

Yeah. And when we look at pollution, the biggest waste where

this is happening also too, is from the aqua farming and obviously the tourism

and the things we've mentioned, but also from industrial waste because

industrial waste then is polluting the mangrove areas because the industries

are, you know, like they're not, they don't need the beach, whatever, but

they're still protected by these mangroves, but that industrial waste is going

out and it's also causing these dead zones. And so, That is also contributing

to the depletion of the mangroves. And we also have the soil erosion from that

deforestation. So we've got lots of dead zones being created from these various

activities that happen and either are when the mangroves have been cut down or

they could still be standing and they're still being depleted.

 

Jorden

And this is this is something that made me like, you know,

we'll get I do have hope for the end of the episode, everyone. But one of the

things that made me sad about this is that even though, as I said, the rate of

loss is declining, has not hit zero, we're still losing roughly six percent of

glow or zero point six, almost a full percent of global mangroves per year. But

even as we change that, right, and we and we drive that down. The damage we've

already caused and the drivers of climate change are increasing the natural,

like up till now, natural loss of mangroves has been the lower factor. But

there's worry that as we've reached tipping points and then as we go forward,

that even though humans might now try to pull back and desperately try to save

them, the natural drivers will continue that loss. And there's this sad climate

irony of our, you know, we finally woken up and now we want to save it. I think

that in life, we pretend there's always time to fix things. And in certain

cases, there might not be.

 

Kimberly

Yeah. And with this, we see the rising global temperatures.

We see the increased spread of disease, the decreased availability from

nutrition and fishing and the people who are dependent on that in these coastal

areas who are typically poorer people to begin with. And we see the people who

are fishing have to go out further to get the fish. And that puts them at an

added disadvantage to be able to do that. We look at the global implications of

deforestation and pollution and displaced persons and degrading habitats and

migration due to insecurity. We look at these environmental, economic, health

and security implications of the lack of mangrove conservation makes us, you

know, really think we hope it's not too late to be able to do this.

 

Jorden

No, exactly. And the concentration really drives the problem

here, right? Climate migration in general, depending on what factor you're

looking at, can be very dispersed. So like not hot spots, because that's what

really drives major problems. But when looking at like sea level rise, loss of

mangroves, and then the migration that will be triggered from that, you know,

one study put it at about 3 % of the global population by 2100. But when you

dive down into that, it's 100 % of the population in a number of countries,

right? So like that smaller global number hides the fact that we're talking

about mass migration problems out of a concentrated area and then typically

into a neighboring region. Which, as we've already seen in the 21st century,

drives massive, massive internal issues and stabilization. So some of these

times we think about this as a climate issue or we frame it as that. And I

often wonder if we leaned more on the national security and the global

stability angle, would people get a little bit more concerned and wake up to

some of this?

 

Kimberly

And that's why I mentioned that, because climate migration

is a real thing within, in place, displaced internally. as well as, right, so

we see more crowding of cities and pressure on cities and then mass

urbanization. And then we see what that does if you don't have a sustainable

city. The other side of that is crossing borders and also battles over

resources. And so we see actual civil wars and conflicts within regions and

within countries, but across borders for these things. So with that, we're

going to try something new with this episode. celebrating our one year

anniversary of sustainable planet. And we decided that we're going to break our

episode into two parts. So if you enjoyed part one, great. Part two of our

mangroves episode will drop next Thursday. So until then, you can let us know

how you feel about this, right? This would be the opportune time to do that.

Email us at splanetpod at gmail .com. I promise you that one of us will respond

to you. We're also on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. If you want

to see show notes from today, look at the website. I will also give you some

additional resources and you can check our data twice. You can read more on my

Substack posts and we'd really appreciate if you take time to rate and review

our Sustainable Planet podcast that we have for you. Thanks for listening and

have a sustainable day and happy Earth Day.

]]> 2227 no What Freshwater Hell is This? https://splanetpod.com/what-freshwater-hell-is-this Some people have to think about it on a daily basis. The more fortune only think about it when a pipe bursts, there’s a drought warning, during a natural disaster, or if a contamination story hits the news. The reality is that freshwater supplies are dwindling, affecting everyone regardless of their personal situation. Jorden and Kimberly discuss the biggest threats, types of freshwater, the viability of alternative sources of potable water, the true cost of clean water, and who’s working to improve water security for the planet. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Some mind-blowing stats about water availability, usage, pollution, and fresh drinking water Whether Fiji should export its freshwater Why not all freshwater needs to be potable to be usable What accounts for the biggest ‘water footprint’ trades How most of the world’s freshwater is used Why tap water in developed countries is invariably safer to drink than bottled water How at-risk countries cope with potable water shortages Just how sustainable alternative water solutions actually are Recommended Resources Extensive UN 2018 review on water pollution from agriculture The UN’s Report on Freshwater Issues All about the UN World Water Forum Why WASH is worth supporting US EPA Water Funding 2024 Report A telling water scarcity map Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 03 Apr 2025 04:01:00 -0000 full 27 Kimberly Weir Towing icebergs, tapping glaciers, and desalination might seem more practical than mining asteroids for freshwater, but overcoming the ick factor of Toilet-to-Tap could be our only means of survival. Some people have to think about it on a daily basis. The more fortune only think about it when a pipe bursts, there’s a drought warning, during a natural disaster, or if a contamination story hits the news. The reality is that freshwater supplies are dwindling, affecting everyone regardless of their personal situation. Jorden and Kimberly discuss the biggest threats, types of freshwater, the viability of alternative sources of potable water, the true cost of clean water, and who’s working to improve water security for the planet. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Some mind-blowing stats about water availability, usage, pollution, and fresh drinking water Whether Fiji should export its freshwater Why not all freshwater needs to be potable to be usable What accounts for the biggest ‘water footprint’ trades How most of the world’s freshwater is used Why tap water in developed countries is invariably safer to drink than bottled water How at-risk countries cope with potable water shortages Just how sustainable alternative water solutions actually are Recommended Resources Extensive UN 2018 review on water pollution from agriculture The UN’s Report on Freshwater Issues All about the UN World Water Forum Why WASH is worth supporting US EPA Water Funding 2024 Report A telling water scarcity map Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Some people have to think about it on a daily basis. The more fortune only think about it when a pipe bursts, there’s a drought warning, during a natural disaster, or if a contamination story hits the news. The reality is that freshwater supplies are dwindling, affecting everyone regardless of their personal situation. Jorden and Kimberly discuss the biggest threats, types of freshwater, the viability of alternative sources of potable water, the true cost of clean water, and who’s working to improve water security for the planet.


Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • Some mind-blowing stats about water availability, usage, pollution, and fresh
  • drinking water
  • Whether Fiji should export its freshwater
  • Why not all freshwater needs to be potable to be usable
  • What accounts for the biggest ‘water footprint’ trades
  • How most of the world’s freshwater is used
  • Why tap water in developed countries is invariably safer to drink than bottled
  • water
  • How at-risk countries cope with potable water shortages
  • Just how sustainable alternative water solutions actually are


Recommended Resources

]]> 3537 no Disposable Planet: The True Cost of Convenience https://splanetpod.com/disposable-planet-the-true-cost-of-convenience The 5-Year Anniversary of the Coronavirus lockdown prompted consideration of the single-use disposable packaging situation. Convenience for the consumer and lower costs for the manufacturer backed us into an ecological hole. Focusing on the food industry, Jorden and Kimberly discuss the shift from a much more sustainable system of reuse to one of discard. From Kraft Singles and Lunchables, fast food and junk food, coffee runs and booze bombs, consumers are spoiled by modern conveniences. But the trade-off for eating on the run is heaps and tons of petroleum-based, disposable packaging. Despite the shocking statistics for single-use wrappers and containers, cups and lids, straws and stirrers, convenience is king. A variety of innovative biobased packaging solutions offer hope, but require supply chain changes that may prove too unappealing to MNCs without government dictates. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: How we became a ‘throw-away’ culture Why convenience dictates packaging Why the only sustainable way forward is to integrate alternative packaging Why integrating alternative packaging is an uphill battle, despite the multitude of benefits of biobased packaging What fast-food companies are doing to reduce single-use packaging Yet more ways that travel is a nightmare for the environment What we can do to reduce our dependence without giving up convenience Recommended Resources Susan Freinkel’s Plastic: A Toxic Love Story- Dated, but still worth the read A little history of disposables and a longer one Some fast food company packaging waste reduction strategies Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 20 Mar 2025 04:01:00 -0000 Disposable Planet: The True Cost of Convenience full 26 Kimberly Weir The trade-off for sustainable single-use packaging is two-fold. Products must remain convenient for consumers and cheap for corporations. Biobased packaging might be the answer to this dilemma. The 5-Year Anniversary of the Coronavirus lockdown prompted consideration of the single-use disposable packaging situation. Convenience for the consumer and lower costs for the manufacturer backed us into an ecological hole. Focusing on the food industry, Jorden and Kimberly discuss the shift from a much more sustainable system of reuse to one of discard. From Kraft Singles and Lunchables, fast food and junk food, coffee runs and booze bombs, consumers are spoiled by modern conveniences. But the trade-off for eating on the run is heaps and tons of petroleum-based, disposable packaging. Despite the shocking statistics for single-use wrappers and containers, cups and lids, straws and stirrers, convenience is king. A variety of innovative biobased packaging solutions offer hope, but require supply chain changes that may prove too unappealing to MNCs without government dictates. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: How we became a ‘throw-away’ culture Why convenience dictates packaging Why the only sustainable way forward is to integrate alternative packaging Why integrating alternative packaging is an uphill battle, despite the multitude of benefits of biobased packaging What fast-food companies are doing to reduce single-use packaging Yet more ways that travel is a nightmare for the environment What we can do to reduce our dependence without giving up convenience Recommended Resources Susan Freinkel’s Plastic: A Toxic Love Story- Dated, but still worth the read A little history of disposables and a longer one Some fast food company packaging waste reduction strategies Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post The 5-Year Anniversary of the Coronavirus lockdown prompted consideration of the single-use disposable packaging situation. Convenience for the consumer and lower costs for the manufacturer backed us into an ecological hole. Focusing on the food industry, Jorden and Kimberly discuss the shift from a much more sustainable system of reuse to one of discard.

From Kraft Singles and Lunchables, fast food and junk food, coffee runs and booze bombs, consumers are spoiled by modern conveniences. But the trade-off for eating on the run is heaps and tons of petroleum-based, disposable packaging. Despite the shocking statistics for single-use wrappers and containers, cups and lids, straws and stirrers, convenience is king. A variety of innovative biobased packaging solutions offer hope, but require supply chain changes that may prove too unappealing to MNCs without government dictates.


Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • How we became a ‘throw-away’ culture
  • Why convenience dictates packaging
  • Why the only sustainable way forward is to integrate alternative packaging
  • Why integrating alternative packaging is an uphill battle, despite the multitude of benefits of biobased packaging
  • What fast-food companies are doing to reduce single-use packaging
  • Yet more ways that travel is a nightmare for the environment
  • What we can do to reduce our dependence without giving up convenience


Recommended Resources

]]> 3348 no Are Organic Foods Worth the Price—and the Cost? https://splanetpod.com/are-organic-foods-worth-the-priceand-the-cost The results of a media search would have anyone believe that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are the worst things ever created, science experiments designing crops that destroy human health and the planet. Instead, the global food system is far more complex than the claim that conventionally-grown crops (a.k.a. GMOs) are Frankenfoods and organic crops will save the day. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: How the methods farmers have used since the domestication of agriculture morphed into GMO production How corporations gave genetically modified crops a bad name Which claims about organic farming are overblown or legitimate Whether to believe nutritional claims about organic produce Why Asians have the Green Revolution to thank for development Why monocropping is rotten, even if the crops are organic Why organic crops will never be able to feed the global population How the race to the bottom is the biggest enemy of the global food system Recommended Resources The Mayo Clinic’s take on organics Are Organic Foods Really More Nutritious? The USDA’s attempt to standardize organic certification Why farmers choose GMO crops A bit dated, but systematic policy review of GMOs A video on bioengineering of food Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 06 Mar 2025 05:01:00 -0000 Are Organic Foods Worth the Price—and the Cost? full 25 Kimberly Weir Consumers are led to believe that organic foods are better for our bodies, laborers, and the environment than those conventionally-grown. Jorden and Kimberly delve into the veracity of these claims. The results of a media search would have anyone believe that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are the worst things ever created, science experiments designing crops that destroy human health and the planet. Instead, the global food system is far more complex than the claim that conventionally-grown crops (a.k.a. GMOs) are Frankenfoods and organic crops will save the day. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: How the methods farmers have used since the domestication of agriculture morphed into GMO production How corporations gave genetically modified crops a bad name Which claims about organic farming are overblown or legitimate Whether to believe nutritional claims about organic produce Why Asians have the Green Revolution to thank for development Why monocropping is rotten, even if the crops are organic Why organic crops will never be able to feed the global population How the race to the bottom is the biggest enemy of the global food system Recommended Resources The Mayo Clinic’s take on organics Are Organic Foods Really More Nutritious? The USDA’s attempt to standardize organic certification Why farmers choose GMO crops A bit dated, but systematic policy review of GMOs A video on bioengineering of food Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post The results of a media search would have anyone believe that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are the worst things ever created, science experiments designing crops that destroy human health and the planet. Instead, the global food system is far more complex than the claim that conventionally-grown crops (a.k.a. GMOs) are Frankenfoods and organic crops will save the day.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • How the methods farmers have used since the domestication of agriculture morphed into GMO production
  • How corporations gave genetically modified crops a bad name
  • Which claims about organic farming are overblown or legitimate
  • Whether to believe nutritional claims about organic produce
  • Why Asians have the Green Revolution to thank for development
  • Why monocropping is rotten, even if the crops are organic
  • Why organic crops will never be able to feed the global population
  • How the race to the bottom is the biggest enemy of the global food system


Recommended Resources

]]> 3642 no A Space Race to Unsustainability https://splanetpod.com/a-space-race-to-unsustainability Most people might not consider blaming space pollution for disruptions in our daily lives. But the exponential increase in satellites and debris in the Lower Earth’s Orbit is more than just science fiction. From heads of government concerned with national security to gamers losing valuable seconds in an online competition, space pollution is a growing concern. Jorden and Kimberly discuss why space junk, virtually in our own backyard, deserves higher priority on our sustainability radar. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: How space junk could wreak havoc on more than just arrival time Why the Tragedy of the Commons extends to outer space Who’s responsible for emptying the space garbage can Why the Kessler syndrome is just as scary as the name implies How ridiculously rich people’s rocket launches incur yet another cost externality How space exploration contributes to climate change Why Global South countries bear the brunt of space activities Recommended Resources For anyone wanting to refresh their memory, here’s The Tragedy of the Commons by Garrett Hardin, 1968 And here’s the rebuttal Jorden mentioned, The Comedy of the Commons by Carol Rose, 1987 What to do with all that space junk floating around LEO Why The Kessler Syndrome isn’t just a sci-fi plot Kimberly’s newsletter post on Substack Thu, 20 Feb 2025 05:01:00 -0000 A Space Race to Unsustainability full 24 Kimberly Weir When a credit card transaction fails or GPS directions are suddenly disrupted, the culprit might just be all the garbage humans sent into outer space, the final frontier for environmental destruction. Most people might not consider blaming space pollution for disruptions in our daily lives. But the exponential increase in satellites and debris in the Lower Earth’s Orbit is more than just science fiction. From heads of government concerned with national security to gamers losing valuable seconds in an online competition, space pollution is a growing concern. Jorden and Kimberly discuss why space junk, virtually in our own backyard, deserves higher priority on our sustainability radar. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: How space junk could wreak havoc on more than just arrival time Why the Tragedy of the Commons extends to outer space Who’s responsible for emptying the space garbage can Why the Kessler syndrome is just as scary as the name implies How ridiculously rich people’s rocket launches incur yet another cost externality How space exploration contributes to climate change Why Global South countries bear the brunt of space activities Recommended Resources For anyone wanting to refresh their memory, here’s The Tragedy of the Commons by Garrett Hardin, 1968 And here’s the rebuttal Jorden mentioned, The Comedy of the Commons by Carol Rose, 1987 What to do with all that space junk floating around LEO Why The Kessler Syndrome isn’t just a sci-fi plot Kimberly’s newsletter post on Substack Most people might not consider blaming space pollution for disruptions in our daily lives. But the exponential increase in satellites and debris in the Lower Earth’s Orbit is more than just science fiction. From heads of government concerned with national security to gamers losing valuable seconds in an online competition, space pollution is a growing concern. Jorden and Kimberly discuss why space junk, virtually in our own backyard, deserves higher priority on our sustainability radar.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • How space junk could wreak havoc on more than just arrival time
  • Why the Tragedy of the Commons extends to outer space
  • Who’s responsible for emptying the space garbage can
  • Why the Kessler syndrome is just as scary as the name implies
  • How ridiculously rich people’s rocket launches incur yet another cost externality
  • How space exploration contributes to climate change
  • Why Global South countries bear the brunt of space activities

Recommended Resources

]]> 2916 no Cotton Reigns King but Hemp is Staging a Comeback https://splanetpod.com/cotton-reigns-king-but-hemp-is-staging-a-comeback Once a cornerstone of American agriculture, political interests in cotton led to the ban on hemp production. Though having many similar uses, hemp wins the environmental battle against cotton. From clothing to canvas, paper to plastic, Jorden and Kimberly compare the versatility and sustainability advantages of the two plants, weighing hemp’s chances as a viable rival to cotton. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: How a Canuck one-ups a Yank on the American history of hemp The laundry list of uses for all parts of cotton and hemp plants Why the Great Depression spawned the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act How astonishingly more sustainable hemp is than cotton Why China is the biggest hemp producer, with France in second place Why your next home might be built from hemp Recommended Resources The, apparently, only comparative sustainability study ever done on cotton versus hemp Increasing US government support for hemp A house built of hemp Robust data, or so claims the US Cotton Trust Protocol on cotton sustainability Kimberly's Substack newsletter Thu, 06 Feb 2025 05:01:00 -0000 Cotton Reigns King but Hemp is Staging a Comeback full 23 Kimberly Weir Political interests secured cotton’s dominant position, pushing hemp into obscurity. Sustainability interests are bringing it back. Once a cornerstone of American agriculture, political interests in cotton led to the ban on hemp production. Though having many similar uses, hemp wins the environmental battle against cotton. From clothing to canvas, paper to plastic, Jorden and Kimberly compare the versatility and sustainability advantages of the two plants, weighing hemp’s chances as a viable rival to cotton. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: How a Canuck one-ups a Yank on the American history of hemp The laundry list of uses for all parts of cotton and hemp plants Why the Great Depression spawned the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act How astonishingly more sustainable hemp is than cotton Why China is the biggest hemp producer, with France in second place Why your next home might be built from hemp Recommended Resources The, apparently, only comparative sustainability study ever done on cotton versus hemp Increasing US government support for hemp A house built of hemp Robust data, or so claims the US Cotton Trust Protocol on cotton sustainability Kimberly's Substack newsletter Once a cornerstone of American agriculture, political interests in cotton led to the ban on hemp production. Though having many similar uses, hemp wins the environmental battle against cotton. From clothing to canvas, paper to plastic, Jorden and Kimberly compare the versatility and sustainability advantages of the two plants, weighing hemp’s chances as a viable rival to cotton.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • How a Canuck one-ups a Yank on the American history of hemp
  • The laundry list of uses for all parts of cotton and hemp plants
  • Why the Great Depression spawned the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act
  • How astonishingly more sustainable hemp is than cotton
  • Why China is the biggest hemp producer, with France in second place
  • Why your next home might be built from hemp

Recommended Resources

]]> 3234 no A Nudge in a Sustainable Direction https://splanetpod.com/a-nudge-in-a-sustainable-direction On a daily basis, humans are nudged, and if it’s done effectively—or if people aren’t paying close enough attention—without necessarily realizing they’re being swayed. Environmentalists latched on to Nudge Theory in the late 2000’s, hoping to make sustainable choices the default, despite the fact that humans aren’t inherently eco-friendly creatures. Jorden and Kimberly discuss the ins and outs of Nudge Theory, whether it’s worth the hype, and whether we should believe anything academics say. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Just how ethical it is to serve cricket-flour muffins under the pretense that they’re your grandma’s classic recipe Why meat is at the end of a buffet line How Nudge Theory nearly broke scientific research What increases the likelihood that recyclables end up in the appropriate bin How to make sustainable choices more accessible Where the balance is between individual action and systemic change   Recommended Resources Where it all began (sort of) A comprehensive overview of Nudge Theory A ‘Replication Crisis’ in academia A recent meta-study evaluating Nudge Theory research Thu, 23 Jan 2025 05:01:00 -0000 A Nudge in a Sustainable Direction full 22 Kimberly Weir Just how much can a subtle ‘nudge’ influence human behavior? Environmentalists hope the answer is ‘an awful lot’. On a daily basis, humans are nudged, and if it’s done effectively—or if people aren’t paying close enough attention—without necessarily realizing they’re being swayed. Environmentalists latched on to Nudge Theory in the late 2000’s, hoping to make sustainable choices the default, despite the fact that humans aren’t inherently eco-friendly creatures. Jorden and Kimberly discuss the ins and outs of Nudge Theory, whether it’s worth the hype, and whether we should believe anything academics say. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Just how ethical it is to serve cricket-flour muffins under the pretense that they’re your grandma’s classic recipe Why meat is at the end of a buffet line How Nudge Theory nearly broke scientific research What increases the likelihood that recyclables end up in the appropriate bin How to make sustainable choices more accessible Where the balance is between individual action and systemic change   Recommended Resources Where it all began (sort of) A comprehensive overview of Nudge Theory A ‘Replication Crisis’ in academia A recent meta-study evaluating Nudge Theory research On a daily basis, humans are nudged, and if it’s done effectively—or if people aren’t paying close enough attention—without necessarily realizing they’re being swayed. Environmentalists latched on to Nudge Theory in the late 2000’s, hoping to make sustainable choices the default, despite the fact that humans aren’t inherently eco-friendly creatures. Jorden and Kimberly discuss the ins and outs of Nudge Theory, whether it’s worth the hype, and whether we should believe anything academics say.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • Just how ethical it is to serve cricket-flour muffins under the pretense that they’re your grandma’s classic recipe
  • Why meat is at the end of a buffet line
  • How Nudge Theory nearly broke scientific research
  • What increases the likelihood that recyclables end up in the appropriate bin
  • How to make sustainable choices more accessible
  • Where the balance is between individual action and systemic change

 

Recommended Resources

]]> 3577 no Beyond Fossil Fuels: The Rise of Sustainable Alternatives https://splanetpod.com/beyond-fossil-fuels-the-rise-of-sustainable-alternatives To even come close to meeting greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, fossil fuels need to make way for sustainable sources of energy that provide liquid fuel and electricity. Not only are these alternative fuels more likely to make climate change mitigation goals realistic, but sustainable fuels actually save energy, as they are far less energy-intensive to produce. Jorden and Kimberly discuss the viability of biofuels, hydrogen, and electrofuels and where change is most needed and likely to happen. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: The benefits and disadvantages of the main contenders Where electrification fits into the grand scheme of alternative fuels Why countries turned to biofuels in the 1970s Why Kimberly hates the US Farm Bill How to differentiate the hydrogen colors of the rainbow How the aviation industry is the biggest user and eco-challenge Where and why hydrogen buses proliferate How fungi can save the planet—or at least offer a sustainable fuel source   Recommended Resources A comprehensive overview of sustainable fuels About Biofuels and their sustainability issues The King Corn documentary US Fact Sheet Briefing Fact Sheet for 2035 Clean Energy Economy – a comprehensive list of US advancements in clean energy How Mushrooms will save the day! All about hydrogen for energy US Energy Consumption for 2023 Thu, 09 Jan 2025 05:01:00 -0000 Beyond Fossil Fuels: The Rise of Sustainable Alternatives full 21 Kimberly Weir Excessive dependence on fossil fuels jeopardizes human survival on the planet. Dependence on petroleum and coal must give way to alternative sources of biofuels, hydrogen, and electrofuels. To even come close to meeting greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, fossil fuels need to make way for sustainable sources of energy that provide liquid fuel and electricity. Not only are these alternative fuels more likely to make climate change mitigation goals realistic, but sustainable fuels actually save energy, as they are far less energy-intensive to produce. Jorden and Kimberly discuss the viability of biofuels, hydrogen, and electrofuels and where change is most needed and likely to happen. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: The benefits and disadvantages of the main contenders Where electrification fits into the grand scheme of alternative fuels Why countries turned to biofuels in the 1970s Why Kimberly hates the US Farm Bill How to differentiate the hydrogen colors of the rainbow How the aviation industry is the biggest user and eco-challenge Where and why hydrogen buses proliferate How fungi can save the planet—or at least offer a sustainable fuel source   Recommended Resources A comprehensive overview of sustainable fuels About Biofuels and their sustainability issues The King Corn documentary US Fact Sheet Briefing Fact Sheet for 2035 Clean Energy Economy – a comprehensive list of US advancements in clean energy How Mushrooms will save the day! All about hydrogen for energy US Energy Consumption for 2023 To even come close to meeting greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, fossil fuels need to make way for sustainable sources of energy that provide liquid fuel and electricity. Not only are these alternative fuels more likely to make climate change mitigation goals realistic, but sustainable fuels actually save energy, as they are far less energy-intensive to produce. Jorden and Kimberly discuss the viability of biofuels, hydrogen, and electrofuels and where change is most needed and likely to happen.


Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • The benefits and disadvantages of the main contenders
  • Where electrification fits into the grand scheme of alternative fuels
  • Why countries turned to biofuels in the 1970s
  • Why Kimberly hates the US Farm Bill
  • How to differentiate the hydrogen colors of the rainbow
  • How the aviation industry is the biggest user and eco-challenge
  • Where and why hydrogen buses proliferate
  • How fungi can save the planet—or at least offer a sustainable fuel source

 

Recommended Resources

]]> 3823 no Critical Minerals https://splanetpod.com/critical-minerals In the 20th regular episode of Sustainable Planet, Jorden and Kimberly explore why critical minerals are vital to modern society, excavate who’s got what and where, and unearth just how deep the issues go surrounding critical minerals. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why all rare earth elements (REEs) are critical minerals, but all critical minerals are not REEs Who defines what qualifies as critical minerals and why artisanal mines aren’t trendy How China gained a stranglehold over most of the world’s critical mineral processing Why just because a country has 75% of the world’s cobalt reserves or 52% of the global lithium supply isn’t necessarily the #1 processor of the mineral How a slew of acronyms—from IRMA and ICMM to ISO and IEA are attempting to regulate critical mineral extraction Strategies to tackle the abundance of environmental and humanitarian issues surrounding the mining industry Recommended Resources The IEA’s Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2024 Trade Tensions Escalate The DOD and critical minerals Mining in Africa Critical Minerals Recycling Kimberly’s Substack latest newsletter post Thu, 19 Dec 2024 05:01:00 -0000 Critical Minerals full 20 Kimberly Weir Aluminum to Zirconium, critical minerals are essential elements for technological devices, green energy, and military defense systems, pushing the boundaries of how to achieve national security. In the 20th regular episode of Sustainable Planet, Jorden and Kimberly explore why critical minerals are vital to modern society, excavate who’s got what and where, and unearth just how deep the issues go surrounding critical minerals. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why all rare earth elements (REEs) are critical minerals, but all critical minerals are not REEs Who defines what qualifies as critical minerals and why artisanal mines aren’t trendy How China gained a stranglehold over most of the world’s critical mineral processing Why just because a country has 75% of the world’s cobalt reserves or 52% of the global lithium supply isn’t necessarily the #1 processor of the mineral How a slew of acronyms—from IRMA and ICMM to ISO and IEA are attempting to regulate critical mineral extraction Strategies to tackle the abundance of environmental and humanitarian issues surrounding the mining industry Recommended Resources The IEA’s Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2024 Trade Tensions Escalate The DOD and critical minerals Mining in Africa Critical Minerals Recycling Kimberly’s Substack latest newsletter post In the 20th regular episode of Sustainable Planet, Jorden and Kimberly explore why critical minerals are vital to modern society, excavate who’s got what and where, and unearth just how deep the issues go surrounding critical minerals.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

Why all rare earth elements (REEs) are critical minerals, but all critical minerals are not REEs

Who defines what qualifies as critical minerals and why artisanal mines aren’t trendy

How China gained a stranglehold over most of the world’s critical mineral processing

Why just because a country has 75% of the world’s cobalt reserves or 52% of the global lithium supply isn’t necessarily the #1 processor of the mineral

How a slew of acronyms—from IRMA and ICMM to ISO and IEA are attempting to regulate critical mineral extraction

Strategies to tackle the abundance of environmental and humanitarian issues surrounding the mining industry

Recommended Resources

The IEA’s Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2024

Trade Tensions Escalate

The DOD and critical minerals

Mining in Africa

Critical Minerals Recycling

Kimberly’s Substack latest newsletter post

]]> 3585 no earth & soul: Reconnecting Amid Climate Crisis with Leah Rampy https://splanetpod.com/earth-and-soul-reconnecting-amid-climate-crisis-with-leah-rampy Kimberly talks with Leah Rampy about earth & soul: Reconnecting Amid Climate Crisis and her experience as a retreat leader. Key Topics Kimberly and Leah discuss include: What to do when rats infest your community garden Why humans would be a lot better off if we were as cooperative as nature is How immigration’s impact on the New World is akin to terraforming in science fiction stories Why modern society’s disconnect from nature is bad for people and the planet How reframing our approach to climate issues shows us what we can gain For more, check out Leah's website for events and her newsletter Leah’s book, earth & soul: Reconnecting amid Climate Chaos Leah’s forthcoming book Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees, co-authored with Beth Norcross, available for preorder Also be sure to check out Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 05 Dec 2024 05:01:00 -0000 earth & soul: Reconnecting Amid Climate Crisis with Leah Rampy full Kimberly Weir Kimberly talks with retreat leader and author Leah Rampy about earth & soul: Reconnecting Amid Climate Crisis. Kimberly talks with Leah Rampy about earth & soul: Reconnecting Amid Climate Crisis and her experience as a retreat leader. Key Topics Kimberly and Leah discuss include: What to do when rats infest your community garden Why humans would be a lot better off if we were as cooperative as nature is How immigration’s impact on the New World is akin to terraforming in science fiction stories Why modern society’s disconnect from nature is bad for people and the planet How reframing our approach to climate issues shows us what we can gain For more, check out Leah's website for events and her newsletter Leah’s book, earth & soul: Reconnecting amid Climate Chaos Leah’s forthcoming book Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees, co-authored with Beth Norcross, available for preorder Also be sure to check out Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Kimberly talks with Leah Rampy about earth & soul: Reconnecting Amid Climate Crisis and her experience as a retreat leader.


Key Topics Kimberly and Leah discuss include:

  • What to do when rats infest your community garden
  • Why humans would be a lot better off if we were as cooperative as nature is
  • How immigration’s impact on the New World is akin to terraforming in science fiction stories
  • Why modern society’s disconnect from nature is bad for people and the planet
  • How reframing our approach to climate issues shows us what we can gain


For more, check out

]]> 3540 no The Purge https://splanetpod.com/the-purge Whole industries have emerged to help people cope with all the stuff capitalism has brainwashed us into accumulating. Driven by everything from conspicuous consumption to the disposable mindset, Jorden and Kimberly recount how consumers are encouraged to buy, purge, and repeat. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why governments need people to buy more stuff How reality television shows at the turn of the century paved the way for the KonMari Method, IKEA, and the equivalent of 51,458 football fields’ worth of storage unit space Why today’s furniture is unlikely to end up in an antique shop What to do with all that stuff we’ve accumulated How virtual clutter is also taxing the environment Ways to avoid the trap of cycle repetition Why you should check out previous episodes about Consumerism, (E 2), The Clothing Industry (E 7), Sustainable Housing (E 11), and Sand (E 14) if you missed them Recommended Resources How to achieve a 1.5-Degree Lifestyles J.B. MacKinnon’s The Day the World Stops Shopping No Impact Man -book and documentary Kimberly’s latest Substack newsletter post Thu, 21 Nov 2024 05:01:00 -0000 The Purge full 19 Kimberly Weir From storage units to container stores, home organization industries are a double-edged sword for sustainability: They use resources while encouraging more consumption. Whole industries have emerged to help people cope with all the stuff capitalism has brainwashed us into accumulating. Driven by everything from conspicuous consumption to the disposable mindset, Jorden and Kimberly recount how consumers are encouraged to buy, purge, and repeat. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why governments need people to buy more stuff How reality television shows at the turn of the century paved the way for the KonMari Method, IKEA, and the equivalent of 51,458 football fields’ worth of storage unit space Why today’s furniture is unlikely to end up in an antique shop What to do with all that stuff we’ve accumulated How virtual clutter is also taxing the environment Ways to avoid the trap of cycle repetition Why you should check out previous episodes about Consumerism, (E 2), The Clothing Industry (E 7), Sustainable Housing (E 11), and Sand (E 14) if you missed them Recommended Resources How to achieve a 1.5-Degree Lifestyles J.B. MacKinnon’s The Day the World Stops Shopping No Impact Man -book and documentary Kimberly’s latest Substack newsletter post Whole industries have emerged to help people cope with all the stuff capitalism has brainwashed us into accumulating. Driven by everything from conspicuous consumption to the disposable mindset, Jorden and Kimberly recount how consumers are encouraged to buy, purge, and repeat.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • Why governments need people to buy more stuff
  • How reality television shows at the turn of the century paved the way for the KonMari Method, IKEA, and the equivalent of 51,458 football fields’ worth of storage unit space
  • Why today’s furniture is unlikely to end up in an antique shop
  • What to do with all that stuff we’ve accumulated
  • How virtual clutter is also taxing the environment
  • Ways to avoid the trap of cycle repetition
  • Why you should check out previous episodes about Consumerism, (E 2), The Clothing Industry (E 7), Sustainable Housing (E 11), and Sand (E 14) if you missed them


Recommended Resources

]]> 3050 no Making Sense of Chaos with Doyne Farmer https://splanetpod.com/making-sense-of-chaos-with-dr-j-doyne-farmer Kimberly talks with polymath Dr. J. Doyne Farmer about his new book Making Sense of Chaos: A Better Economics for a Better World. A physicist, Doyne’s life experience and intellectual curiosity landed him at Oxford University, directing an interdisciplinary group of researchers in the complexity economics program. Key Topics Kimberly and Doyne discuss include: Why Doyne decided against a promising career as a full-time gambler in Las Vegas Why we should cut traditional economists a break, even though they keep making some big mistakes How food coloring in a loaf of bread and rock-paper-scissors help explain chaos theory Why Doyne deserved a Nobel Prize in Economics for how accurately complexity economics predicted the economic impact of COVID-19 How complexity economics can help to rescue us from our climate change nightmare What Brian Eno’s ambient music and Doyne Farmer’s Climate Policy Laboratory have in common You can find Doyne on his website, Twitter, and LinkedIn Also check out Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Thu, 07 Nov 2024 05:01:00 -0000 Making Sense of Chaos with Doyne Farmer full Kimberly Weir Kimberly talks with physicist-cum-economist Dr. J. Doyne Farmer about leading his complexity team at Oxford University and his new book, Making Sense of Chaos: A Better Economics for a Better World. Kimberly talks with polymath Dr. J. Doyne Farmer about his new book Making Sense of Chaos: A Better Economics for a Better World. A physicist, Doyne’s life experience and intellectual curiosity landed him at Oxford University, directing an interdisciplinary group of researchers in the complexity economics program. Key Topics Kimberly and Doyne discuss include: Why Doyne decided against a promising career as a full-time gambler in Las Vegas Why we should cut traditional economists a break, even though they keep making some big mistakes How food coloring in a loaf of bread and rock-paper-scissors help explain chaos theory Why Doyne deserved a Nobel Prize in Economics for how accurately complexity economics predicted the economic impact of COVID-19 How complexity economics can help to rescue us from our climate change nightmare What Brian Eno’s ambient music and Doyne Farmer’s Climate Policy Laboratory have in common You can find Doyne on his website, Twitter, and LinkedIn Also check out Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post Kimberly talks with polymath Dr. J. Doyne Farmer about his new book Making Sense of Chaos: A Better Economics for a Better World. A physicist, Doyne’s life experience and intellectual curiosity landed him at Oxford University, directing an interdisciplinary group of researchers in the complexity economics program.

Key Topics Kimberly and Doyne discuss include:

Why Doyne decided against a promising career as a full-time gambler in Las Vegas

Why we should cut traditional economists a break, even though they keep making some big mistakes

How food coloring in a loaf of bread and rock-paper-scissors help explain chaos theory

Why Doyne deserved a Nobel Prize in Economics for how accurately complexity economics predicted the economic impact of COVID-19

How complexity economics can help to rescue us from our climate change nightmare

What Brian Eno’s ambient music and Doyne Farmer’s Climate Policy Laboratory have in common

You can find Doyne on his website, Twitter, and LinkedIn

Also check out Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post

]]> 2757 The Ghoulish Impact of Halloween https://splanetpod.com/the-ghoulish-impact-of-halloween Halloween has grown into a multi-billion-dollar holiday. Along with all that spending comes a lot of sustainability issues. From candy and costume choices to what to do with all those leftover decorations and candy wrappers, Jorden and Kimberly hope to save the planet while keeping Halloween fun. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Which tops U.S. Halloween spending: Candy, costumes, or decorations? Why strategically mapping out the best candy-score route isn’t necessarily the best for the planet How costumes became a single-use, disposable commodity That just how much Americans spend on Halloween decorations is scarily surprising Why ‘Summerween’ became a thing Why The Great Pumpkin does not recommend handing out raisins for Trick-or-Treat, but what candy he would recommend What to do with all those pumpkins, gourds, and straw when the Halloween decorations come down Recommended Resources An interesting history of Halloween The Afterlife of Pumpkins Pumpkins for Pigs   Spending Trends for Halloween Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post (coming next Thursday-ish, to give you something to look forward to during our off-week) Thu, 31 Oct 2024 04:01:00 -0000 The Ghoulish Impact of Halloween full 18 Kimberly Weir Christmas likely comes to mind first when thinking about holidays and sustainability issues. But as Halloween's popularity grows, the planet faces an increasingly ghoulish threat. Halloween has grown into a multi-billion-dollar holiday. Along with all that spending comes a lot of sustainability issues. From candy and costume choices to what to do with all those leftover decorations and candy wrappers, Jorden and Kimberly hope to save the planet while keeping Halloween fun. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Which tops U.S. Halloween spending: Candy, costumes, or decorations? Why strategically mapping out the best candy-score route isn’t necessarily the best for the planet How costumes became a single-use, disposable commodity That just how much Americans spend on Halloween decorations is scarily surprising Why ‘Summerween’ became a thing Why The Great Pumpkin does not recommend handing out raisins for Trick-or-Treat, but what candy he would recommend What to do with all those pumpkins, gourds, and straw when the Halloween decorations come down Recommended Resources An interesting history of Halloween The Afterlife of Pumpkins Pumpkins for Pigs   Spending Trends for Halloween Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post (coming next Thursday-ish, to give you something to look forward to during our off-week) Halloween has grown into a multi-billion-dollar holiday. Along with all that spending comes a lot of sustainability issues. From candy and costume choices to what to do with all those leftover decorations and candy wrappers, Jorden and Kimberly hope to save the planet while keeping Halloween fun.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

Which tops U.S. Halloween spending: Candy, costumes, or decorations?

Why strategically mapping out the best candy-score route isn’t necessarily the best for the planet

How costumes became a single-use, disposable commodity

That just how much Americans spend on Halloween decorations is scarily surprising

Why ‘Summerween’ became a thing

Why The Great Pumpkin does not recommend handing out raisins for Trick-or-Treat, but what candy he would recommend

What to do with all those pumpkins, gourds, and straw when the Halloween decorations come down

Recommended Resources

An interesting history of Halloween

The Afterlife of Pumpkins

Pumpkins for Pigs  

Spending Trends for Halloween

Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post (coming next Thursday-ish, to give you something to look forward to during our off-week)

]]> 3267 no Climate Migration: No Longer Just for the Birds https://splanetpod.com/climate-migration-no-longer-just-for-the-birds Like the Yellow-Billed Stork that migrates in Africa based on rainfall, more humans are migrating, some permanently abandoning their homes due to environmental circumstances. The world is witnessing an increase in the movement of climate refugees seeking better living conditions, expelled from their homes by factors ranging from rising sea levels and wildfires to droughts and floods. Join Jorden and Kimberly as they reveal where migration is most likely to happen, weigh in on the culpability of GN countries and corporations, and consider how risk might provide the impetus necessary to address climate change. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why Jorden is stuck in Canada and Kimberly can’t find a new place to live The top 5 environmental causes for human migration Why ‘climate refugees’ are now ‘climate migrants’, and they’re not just in developing countries Why most climate migrants never even leave their own countries... …but when they do, they’re less likely to be headed to developed countries than seek refuge in neighboring countries Which countries are most ‘climate secure’ and how this calculation differs from those that promote ‘climate protections’ Recommended Resources A comprehensive guide to climate migration issues UNHCR’s Fact Sheet Climate Secure Countries Climate Change Performance Index Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post, available next Thursday, to give you something to look forward to during our off-week : ) Thu, 17 Oct 2024 04:01:00 -0000 Climate Migration: No Longer Just For the Birds full 17 Kimberly Weir Find out what sort of conditions push people to migrate, making them refugees, and what the world is doing about this humanitarian crisis as Jorden and Kimberly consider climate migration. Like the Yellow-Billed Stork that migrates in Africa based on rainfall, more humans are migrating, some permanently abandoning their homes due to environmental circumstances. The world is witnessing an increase in the movement of climate refugees seeking better living conditions, expelled from their homes by factors ranging from rising sea levels and wildfires to droughts and floods. Join Jorden and Kimberly as they reveal where migration is most likely to happen, weigh in on the culpability of GN countries and corporations, and consider how risk might provide the impetus necessary to address climate change. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: Why Jorden is stuck in Canada and Kimberly can’t find a new place to live The top 5 environmental causes for human migration Why ‘climate refugees’ are now ‘climate migrants’, and they’re not just in developing countries Why most climate migrants never even leave their own countries... …but when they do, they’re less likely to be headed to developed countries than seek refuge in neighboring countries Which countries are most ‘climate secure’ and how this calculation differs from those that promote ‘climate protections’ Recommended Resources A comprehensive guide to climate migration issues UNHCR’s Fact Sheet Climate Secure Countries Climate Change Performance Index Kimberly’s Substack newsletter post, available next Thursday, to give you something to look forward to during our off-week : ) Like the Yellow-Billed Stork that migrates in Africa based on rainfall, more humans are migrating, some permanently abandoning their homes due to environmental circumstances. The world is witnessing an increase in the movement of climate refugees seeking better living conditions, expelled from their homes by factors ranging from rising sea levels and wildfires to droughts and floods. Join Jorden and Kimberly as they reveal where migration is most likely to happen, weigh in on the culpability of GN countries and corporations, and consider how risk might provide the impetus necessary to address climate change.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • Why Jorden is stuck in Canada and Kimberly can’t find a new place to live
  • The top 5 environmental causes for human migration
  • Why ‘climate refugees’ are now ‘climate migrants’, and they’re not just in developing countries
  • Why most climate migrants never even leave their own countries...
  • …but when they do, they’re less likely to be headed to developed countries than seek refuge in neighboring countries
  • Which countries are most ‘climate secure’ and how this calculation differs from those that promote ‘climate protections’


Recommended Resources

]]> 2421 no Bags Don’t Litter, People Litter https://splanetpod.com/bags-dont-litter-people-litter The ‘complimentary’ bag is such an ingrained part of the shopping experience that most people don’t think about alternatives besides ‘Will it be paper or plastic today?'. Though more supermarket customers are confronted with the notion that they should be responsible for their own reusable shopping bags, lacking government regulations, the majority of people opt for single-use plastic bags to transport their purchases from shop to home. Jorden and Kimberly consider how we became mindlessly addicted to a product whose use time lasts approximately 12 minutes and how long this dependence will continue. Key Topics Why the close-ended option of ‘paper’ or ‘plastic’ sets us up for environmental failure Why retailers stick with single-use bags Why governments are our best bet for ridding the world of–specifically plastic—shopping bags, though the U.S. might be the last hold-out thanks to the power of lobbyists Why banning plastic bags won’t solve the bag dilemma and paper bags are even worse How to redeem ourselves for the piles of bags we’ve sent to the landfill Check out Kimberly's newsletter next week for her follow-up post on this episode Recommended Resources History of the Plastic Shopping Bag The Global Ban on Plastic Bags (with a map!) The World Counts says they draw from reliable data sources, though the 1,000-year estimate seems a bit exaggerated Thu, 03 Oct 2024 04:01:00 -0000 Bags Don’t Litter, People Litter full 16 Kimberly Weir The option of paper or plastic obscures the underlying issue that consumers are addicted to single-use, disposable products, most notably shopping bags. How do we end our unsustainable dependence? The ‘complimentary’ bag is such an ingrained part of the shopping experience that most people don’t think about alternatives besides ‘Will it be paper or plastic today?'. Though more supermarket customers are confronted with the notion that they should be responsible for their own reusable shopping bags, lacking government regulations, the majority of people opt for single-use plastic bags to transport their purchases from shop to home. Jorden and Kimberly consider how we became mindlessly addicted to a product whose use time lasts approximately 12 minutes and how long this dependence will continue. Key Topics Why the close-ended option of ‘paper’ or ‘plastic’ sets us up for environmental failure Why retailers stick with single-use bags Why governments are our best bet for ridding the world of–specifically plastic—shopping bags, though the U.S. might be the last hold-out thanks to the power of lobbyists Why banning plastic bags won’t solve the bag dilemma and paper bags are even worse How to redeem ourselves for the piles of bags we’ve sent to the landfill Check out Kimberly's newsletter next week for her follow-up post on this episode Recommended Resources History of the Plastic Shopping Bag The Global Ban on Plastic Bags (with a map!) The World Counts says they draw from reliable data sources, though the 1,000-year estimate seems a bit exaggerated The ‘complimentary’ bag is such an ingrained part of the shopping experience that most people don’t think about alternatives besides ‘Will it be paper or plastic today?'. Though more supermarket customers are confronted with the notion that they should be responsible for their own reusable shopping bags, lacking government regulations, the majority of people opt for single-use plastic bags to transport their purchases from shop to home. Jorden and Kimberly consider how we became mindlessly addicted to a product whose use time lasts approximately 12 minutes and how long this dependence will continue.

Key Topics

  • Why the close-ended option of ‘paper’ or ‘plastic’ sets us up for environmental failure
  • Why retailers stick with single-use bags
  • Why governments are our best bet for ridding the world of–specifically plastic—shopping bags, though the U.S. might be the last hold-out thanks to the power of lobbyists
  • Why banning plastic bags won’t solve the bag dilemma and paper bags are even worse
  • How to redeem ourselves for the piles of bags we’ve sent to the landfill
  • Check out Kimberly's newsletter next week for her follow-up post on this episode


Recommended Resources

]]> 2866 no On the Ground: Kept House's Landfill Diversion Tactics https://splanetpod.com/on-the-ground-kept-houses-landfill-diversion-tactics Since the inception of Sustainable Planet, Kimberly has wanted to include a segment about people pursuing sustainability in their daily lives, such as through the careers they choose. Kimberly’s first guest on ‘On the Ground’ is Greg Pipkins. He and his wife Jamie started Kept House, an estate sales company, after being their own first customers. Since their first sale in 2020, Kept House’s approach to liquidation has been driven by their passion to help people and keep as much out of landfills as possible when emptying a home. Joe and Kimberly discuss: That an estate sale is more than just a giant yard sale What inspired Greg and Jamie to take an eco-friendly business approach That hiring a dumpster is not the only option The variety of strategies to ensure that everything that can be reused gets reused The challenges of sustainably clearing out a house For more about what happens on the other end, check out Kimberly’s next post about thrifting in her Sustainable Planet newsletter Resources Check out Kept House This wasn’t the article mentioned in the interview, but covers many of the same points Thu, 19 Sep 2024 04:01:00 -0000 On the Ground: Kept House's Landfill Diversion Tactics full 15 Kimberly Weir In the debut segment of ‘On the Ground’, Kimberly talks with Greg Pipkins about how he and his wife, Jamie, put sustainability into practice when starting their estate sales company, Kept House. Since the inception of Sustainable Planet, Kimberly has wanted to include a segment about people pursuing sustainability in their daily lives, such as through the careers they choose. Kimberly’s first guest on ‘On the Ground’ is Greg Pipkins. He and his wife Jamie started Kept House, an estate sales company, after being their own first customers. Since their first sale in 2020, Kept House’s approach to liquidation has been driven by their passion to help people and keep as much out of landfills as possible when emptying a home. Joe and Kimberly discuss: That an estate sale is more than just a giant yard sale What inspired Greg and Jamie to take an eco-friendly business approach That hiring a dumpster is not the only option The variety of strategies to ensure that everything that can be reused gets reused The challenges of sustainably clearing out a house For more about what happens on the other end, check out Kimberly’s next post about thrifting in her Sustainable Planet newsletter Resources Check out Kept House This wasn’t the article mentioned in the interview, but covers many of the same points Since the inception of Sustainable Planet, Kimberly has wanted to include a segment about people pursuing sustainability in their daily lives, such as through the careers they choose. Kimberly’s first guest on ‘On the Ground’ is Greg Pipkins. He and his wife Jamie started Kept House, an estate sales company, after being their own first customers. Since their first sale in 2020, Kept House’s approach to liquidation has been driven by their passion to help people and keep as much out of landfills as possible when emptying a home.

Joe and Kimberly discuss:

  • That an estate sale is more than just a giant yard sale
  • What inspired Greg and Jamie to take an eco-friendly business approach
  • That hiring a dumpster is not the only option
  • The variety of strategies to ensure that everything that can be reused gets reused
  • The challenges of sustainably clearing out a house
  • For more about what happens on the other end, check out Kimberly’s next post about thrifting in her Sustainable Planet newsletter

Resources

  • Check out Kept House
  • This wasn’t the article mentioned in the interview, but covers many of the same points
]]> 2362 no Our Ambiguous Relationship with Amazon’s Subscribe & Save https://splanetpod.com/our-ambiguous-relationship-with-amazons-subscribe-and-save Businesses have long been using subscriptions as a strategy to keep customers coming back with regularity. Amazon latched onto this notion to compete with its brick-and-mortar competitors, launching its Subscribe & Save program in 2007. Jorden and Kimberly consider how a home delivery business model sustainably stacks up against in-store shopping. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: What newspapers, milkmen, and fruit have in common To what extent Subscribe & Save can be ‘Set and Forget’ and a whole lot of other considerations about using this service How the packaging and transportation makes or breaks it The blessing and curse of Subscribe & Save for small businesses To buy (and possibly return?) or not to buy: The innovative technologies that help customers better decide How market-based incentives can encourage corporate sustainability practices and induce ‘coercive memetics’ in industry Whether Amazon’s business model beats the brick-and-mortar stores on the sustainability bottom line Recommended Resources MIT’s Real Estate Innovation Lab 2021 report Amazon’s 2024 Sustainability Report For anyone who isn’t aware of the history of the ice industry in the U.S., it’s quite fascinating (to nerds like Kimberly, anyway) It wasn’t Subscribe & Save, but it was the first Internet sale ever recorded Thu, 05 Sep 2024 04:01:00 -0000 Our Ambiguous Relationship with Amazon’s Subscribe & Save full 15 Kimberly Weir To entice repeat customers, Amazon needed a hook. But since its Subscribe & Save program relies on home delivery, just how sustainable is this model compared to in-store shopping? Businesses have long been using subscriptions as a strategy to keep customers coming back with regularity. Amazon latched onto this notion to compete with its brick-and-mortar competitors, launching its Subscribe & Save program in 2007. Jorden and Kimberly consider how a home delivery business model sustainably stacks up against in-store shopping. Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include: What newspapers, milkmen, and fruit have in common To what extent Subscribe & Save can be ‘Set and Forget’ and a whole lot of other considerations about using this service How the packaging and transportation makes or breaks it The blessing and curse of Subscribe & Save for small businesses To buy (and possibly return?) or not to buy: The innovative technologies that help customers better decide How market-based incentives can encourage corporate sustainability practices and induce ‘coercive memetics’ in industry Whether Amazon’s business model beats the brick-and-mortar stores on the sustainability bottom line Recommended Resources MIT’s Real Estate Innovation Lab 2021 report Amazon’s 2024 Sustainability Report For anyone who isn’t aware of the history of the ice industry in the U.S., it’s quite fascinating (to nerds like Kimberly, anyway) It wasn’t Subscribe & Save, but it was the first Internet sale ever recorded Businesses have long been using subscriptions as a strategy to keep customers coming back with regularity. Amazon latched onto this notion to compete with its brick-and-mortar competitors, launching its Subscribe & Save program in 2007. Jorden and Kimberly consider how a home delivery business model sustainably stacks up against in-store shopping.

Key Topics Jorden and Kimberly discuss include:

  • What newspapers, milkmen, and fruit have in common
  • To what extent Subscribe & Save can be ‘Set and Forget’ and a whole lot of other considerations about using this service
  • How the packaging and transportation makes or breaks it
  • The blessing and curse of Subscribe & Save for small businesses
  • To buy (and possibly return?) or not to buy: The innovative technologies that help customers better decide
  • How market-based incentives can encourage corporate sustainability practices and induce ‘coercive memetics’ in industry
  • Whether Amazon’s business model beats the brick-and-mortar stores on the sustainability bottom line


Recommended Resources

]]> 3375 no From Castles to Concrete: Not All Sand is Created Equally https://splanetpod.com/from-castles-to-concrete-not-all-sand-is-created-equally Using sand at a pace far faster than nature can replace it, booming demand for the world’s second most traded commodity has sent us borrowing into the future while sand mafias, pirates, and counterfeiters want to cash in on this lucrative business. Jorden Dye joins Kimberly as her new co-host to discuss the many uses for sand, the problems caused by extraction, and how to decarbonize the cement industry. Key Topics The many ways in which we’re surrounded by sand How the demand for concrete and computer chips is depleting the Earth’s sand reserves Where there’s demand, someone will find a way to meet it How to prepare for trivia night by learning the difference between construction and silica sands Where in the world sand comes from and where it’s going Identifying sustainable strategies for the world’s voracious sand consumption More on sand next week in Kimberly’s Substack follow-up post, Building Islands from the Sand Recommended Resources World Economic Forum 2023 Report The NYT article Jorden mentioned in the episode: "How to Steal a River" India’s sand mafias All about concrete recycling Decarbonizing cement Thu, 22 Aug 2024 04:01:00 -0000 From Castles to Concrete: Not All Sand is Created Equally full 14 Kimberly Weir Sand is not just for building castles; it literally provides the cornerstone for the modern world, from construction to technology. But the gritty truth is burgeoning demand threatens sustainability. Using sand at a pace far faster than nature can replace it, booming demand for the world’s second most traded commodity has sent us borrowing into the future while sand mafias, pirates, and counterfeiters want to cash in on this lucrative business. Jorden Dye joins Kimberly as her new co-host to discuss the many uses for sand, the problems caused by extraction, and how to decarbonize the cement industry. Key Topics The many ways in which we’re surrounded by sand How the demand for concrete and computer chips is depleting the Earth’s sand reserves Where there’s demand, someone will find a way to meet it How to prepare for trivia night by learning the difference between construction and silica sands Where in the world sand comes from and where it’s going Identifying sustainable strategies for the world’s voracious sand consumption More on sand next week in Kimberly’s Substack follow-up post, Building Islands from the Sand Recommended Resources World Economic Forum 2023 Report The NYT article Jorden mentioned in the episode: "How to Steal a River" India’s sand mafias All about concrete recycling Decarbonizing cement Using sand at a pace far faster than nature can replace it, booming demand for the world’s second most traded commodity has sent us borrowing into the future while sand mafias, pirates, and counterfeiters want to cash in on this lucrative business. Jorden Dye joins Kimberly as her new co-host to discuss the many uses for sand, the problems caused by extraction, and how to decarbonize the cement industry.

Key Topics

  • The many ways in which we’re surrounded by sand
  • How the demand for concrete and computer chips is depleting the Earth’s sand reserves
  • Where there’s demand, someone will find a way to meet it
  • How to prepare for trivia night by learning the difference between construction and silica sands
  • Where in the world sand comes from and where it’s going
  • Identifying sustainable strategies for the world’s voracious sand consumption
  • More on sand next week in Kimberly’s Substack follow-up post, Building Islands from the Sand


Recommended Resources

]]> 3190 no Pursuing Sustainable Practices in a Capitalist World https://splanetpod.com/pursuing-sustainable-practices-in-a-capitalist-world Joe joins Kimberly to talk about the difficulties corporations, governments, and consumers face in the capitalist system (that has yet to find a viable competitor). Since consumers are driven by status, corporations are beholden to stakeholders, and governments are inextricably tied to both, meaningful progress toward climate change goals is a long game. The question is whether we’ll be around long enough to win. Joe and Kimberly discuss: How ‘three pillars’ seek to balance the capitalist system How ‘dead nature’ jeopardizes ‘live nature’ Why less expensive electric vehicles (EV) from China imported in developed countries undermine the democratic foundations necessary to pursue green policies How natural capital is at risk, despite the World Bank’s Comprehensive Wealth Accounting system’s emphasis on sustainable economic development policies How corporations are caught between satisfying consumers and shareholders while pursuing eco-friendly policies Why market-based solutions will not save nature, though ESG funds are more than just a publicity stunt Subscribe to Joe’sRandom Thoughts newsletter on LinkedIn Subscribe to Kimberly’s Sustainable Planet newsletter, as well! Thu, 08 Aug 2024 04:00:00 -0000 Pursuing Sustainable Practices in a Capitalist World full 13 Kimberly Weir Kimberly talks with Dr. Joe Zammit-Lucia, management consultant and author about why pursuing sustainability in the capitalist system is a long game. Joe joins Kimberly to talk about the difficulties corporations, governments, and consumers face in the capitalist system (that has yet to find a viable competitor). Since consumers are driven by status, corporations are beholden to stakeholders, and governments are inextricably tied to both, meaningful progress toward climate change goals is a long game. The question is whether we’ll be around long enough to win. Joe and Kimberly discuss: How ‘three pillars’ seek to balance the capitalist system How ‘dead nature’ jeopardizes ‘live nature’ Why less expensive electric vehicles (EV) from China imported in developed countries undermine the democratic foundations necessary to pursue green policies How natural capital is at risk, despite the World Bank’s Comprehensive Wealth Accounting system’s emphasis on sustainable economic development policies How corporations are caught between satisfying consumers and shareholders while pursuing eco-friendly policies Why market-based solutions will not save nature, though ESG funds are more than just a publicity stunt Subscribe to Joe’sRandom Thoughts newsletter on LinkedIn Subscribe to Kimberly’s Sustainable Planet newsletter, as well! Joe joins Kimberly to talk about the difficulties corporations, governments, and consumers face in the capitalist system (that has yet to find a viable competitor). Since consumers are driven by status, corporations are beholden to stakeholders, and governments are inextricably tied to both, meaningful progress toward climate change goals is a long game. The question is whether we’ll be around long enough to win.

Joe and Kimberly discuss:

  • How ‘three pillars’ seek to balance the capitalist system
  • How ‘dead nature’ jeopardizes ‘live nature’
  • Why less expensive electric vehicles (EV) from China imported in developed countries undermine the democratic foundations necessary to pursue green policies
  • How natural capital is at risk, despite the World Bank’s Comprehensive Wealth Accounting system’s emphasis on sustainable economic development policies
  • How corporations are caught between satisfying consumers and shareholders while pursuing eco-friendly policies
  • Why market-based solutions will not save nature, though ESG funds are more than just a publicity stunt


Subscribe to Joe’sRandom Thoughts newsletter on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Kimberly’s Sustainable Planet newsletter, as well!

]]> 3481 Are You a Climate Anxiety Sufferer? https://splanetpod.com/are-you-a-climate-anxiety-sufferer Blowing up in the media in 2021, climate anxiety gained attention from mental health professionals over the last few decades as people’s concerns about climate change increased. Numerous studies have found rising environmental distress among people around the world, but also indicate that increased awareness is more likely to prompt action. Michael and Kimberly consider the underlying factors that propel personal action, government policy, and technological developments, and what combination of these variables might lead to achieving climate goals to reduce the planet’s growing temperatures. Key Topics Why Glenn Albrecht coined the term solastalgia that came to be known as climate anxiety What various factors led to increased concerns of eco-anxiety Whether climate anxiety is a real disorder or a fabrication of the media Who’s most affected by climate change Whose actions will have the biggest impact on curbing climate change How time factors into what individuals can sanely do to make a difference Why individuals are only part—but an important part—of the equation Follow up on Friday with Kimberly’s Substack follow-up post on extreme weather and climate anxiety Recommended Resources Lots of studies: Albrecht, Yale, China, The Lancet, global concerns Growing media attention to climate anxiety Thu, 25 Jul 2024 17:03:08 -0000 Are You a Climate Anxiety Sufferer? full 13 Kimberly Weir Was it a clever media ploy or is climate anxiety a real thing? Like examining what's behind the extreme weather that draws clicks, the causes and remedies of eco-anxiety are worth exploring. Blowing up in the media in 2021, climate anxiety gained attention from mental health professionals over the last few decades as people’s concerns about climate change increased. Numerous studies have found rising environmental distress among people around the world, but also indicate that increased awareness is more likely to prompt action. Michael and Kimberly consider the underlying factors that propel personal action, government policy, and technological developments, and what combination of these variables might lead to achieving climate goals to reduce the planet’s growing temperatures. Key Topics Why Glenn Albrecht coined the term solastalgia that came to be known as climate anxiety What various factors led to increased concerns of eco-anxiety Whether climate anxiety is a real disorder or a fabrication of the media Who’s most affected by climate change Whose actions will have the biggest impact on curbing climate change How time factors into what individuals can sanely do to make a difference Why individuals are only part—but an important part—of the equation Follow up on Friday with Kimberly’s Substack follow-up post on extreme weather and climate anxiety Recommended Resources Lots of studies: Albrecht, Yale, China, The Lancet, global concerns Growing media attention to climate anxiety Blowing up in the media in 2021, climate anxiety gained attention from mental health professionals over the last few decades as people’s concerns about climate change increased. Numerous studies have found rising environmental distress among people around the world, but also indicate that increased awareness is more likely to prompt action. Michael and Kimberly consider the underlying factors that propel personal action, government policy, and technological developments, and what combination of these variables might lead to achieving climate goals to reduce the planet’s growing temperatures.

Key Topics

  • Why Glenn Albrecht coined the term solastalgia that came to be known as climate anxiety
  • What various factors led to increased concerns of eco-anxiety
  • Whether climate anxiety is a real disorder or a fabrication of the media
  • Who’s most affected by climate change
  • Whose actions will have the biggest impact on curbing climate change
  • How time factors into what individuals can sanely do to make a difference
  • Why individuals are only part—but an important part—of the equation
  • Follow up on Friday with Kimberly’s Substack follow-up post on extreme weather and climate anxiety

Recommended Resources

]]> 2145 no Weathering Insurance Premiums https://splanetpod.com/weathering-insurance-premiums Hurricane Beryl just battered its way through the Caribbean, the most powerful recorded in the Atlantic this early in the season. Extreme weather caused by climate change is worsening, evidenced by stronger and more frequent natural disasters. From thunderstorms to typhoons, dust storms to wildfires, insurance premiums for homes and businesses in high-risk areas are skyrocketing. In some cases, the government's ‘insurer of last resort’ option is the only policy available to homeowners as insurance companies refuse to renew policies. Yet some of the most high-risk locations are the very same that attract people, demonstrated by burgeoning population growth in Florida and Texas. Michael and Kimberly consider the implications of the damage done by storms and where responsibility lies. Key Topics Why the most attractive places are more expensive than housing prices let on What happens when insurance companies refuse to grant policies What prompted the National Flood Insurance Program to devise Risk Rating 2.0 How often governments should provide relief for people living in high-risk areas The double-whammy of living in wildfire zones: forest fires and flooding Whether technology can mitigate the effects of climate change soon enough Follow up on Friday with Kimberly’s Substack post on extreme weather Recommended Resources NOAA’s Hurricane Fast Facts NOAA’s map for 2024 For dataheads (like Michael) lots of insurance-weather numbers For a good summary summary of weather-related insurance issues For mapheads (like Kimberly) who need to know why the cities ranked as they did, note that the insurance cost list on the map isn’t exclusively due to weather-related coverage- it’s also due to auto insurance rates, as evidenced by Detroit (3) (highest rates in the U.S.), Tulsa (4), and Kansas City, KS (8), which, forgivably, might mistakenly be thought the result of tornados. Thu, 11 Jul 2024 16:59:44 -0000 Weathering Insurance Premiums full 12 Kimberly Weir Extreme weather is causing extreme problems for homeowners as insurance companies hike up prices or even bail, refusing to renew policies. Governments end up picking up the pieces, but at what cost? Hurricane Beryl just battered its way through the Caribbean, the most powerful recorded in the Atlantic this early in the season. Extreme weather caused by climate change is worsening, evidenced by stronger and more frequent natural disasters. From thunderstorms to typhoons, dust storms to wildfires, insurance premiums for homes and businesses in high-risk areas are skyrocketing. In some cases, the government's ‘insurer of last resort’ option is the only policy available to homeowners as insurance companies refuse to renew policies. Yet some of the most high-risk locations are the very same that attract people, demonstrated by burgeoning population growth in Florida and Texas. Michael and Kimberly consider the implications of the damage done by storms and where responsibility lies. Key Topics Why the most attractive places are more expensive than housing prices let on What happens when insurance companies refuse to grant policies What prompted the National Flood Insurance Program to devise Risk Rating 2.0 How often governments should provide relief for people living in high-risk areas The double-whammy of living in wildfire zones: forest fires and flooding Whether technology can mitigate the effects of climate change soon enough Follow up on Friday with Kimberly’s Substack post on extreme weather Recommended Resources NOAA’s Hurricane Fast Facts NOAA’s map for 2024 For dataheads (like Michael) lots of insurance-weather numbers For a good summary summary of weather-related insurance issues For mapheads (like Kimberly) who need to know why the cities ranked as they did, note that the insurance cost list on the map isn’t exclusively due to weather-related coverage- it’s also due to auto insurance rates, as evidenced by Detroit (3) (highest rates in the U.S.), Tulsa (4), and Kansas City, KS (8), which, forgivably, might mistakenly be thought the result of tornados. Hurricane Beryl just battered its way through the Caribbean, the most powerful recorded in the Atlantic this early in the season. Extreme weather caused by climate change is worsening, evidenced by stronger and more frequent natural disasters. From thunderstorms to typhoons, dust storms to wildfires, insurance premiums for homes and businesses in high-risk areas are skyrocketing. In some cases, the government's ‘insurer of last resort’ option is the only policy available to homeowners as insurance companies refuse to renew policies. Yet some of the most high-risk locations are the very same that attract people, demonstrated by burgeoning population growth in Florida and Texas. Michael and Kimberly consider the implications of the damage done by storms and where responsibility lies.


Key Topics

  • Why the most attractive places are more expensive than housing prices let on
  • What happens when insurance companies refuse to grant policies
  • What prompted the National Flood Insurance Program to devise Risk Rating 2.0
  • How often governments should provide relief for people living in high-risk areas
  • The double-whammy of living in wildfire zones: forest fires and flooding
  • Whether technology can mitigate the effects of climate change soon enough
  • Follow up on Friday with Kimberly’s Substack post on extreme weather


Recommended Resources

  • NOAA’s
  • Hurricane Fast Facts
  • NOAA’s map for 2024
  • For dataheads (like Michael) lots of insurance-weather numbers
  • For a good summary summary of weather-related insurance issues
  • For mapheads (like Kimberly) who need to know why the cities ranked as they did, note that the insurance cost list on the map isn’t exclusively due to weather-related coverage- it’s also due to auto insurance rates, as evidenced by Detroit (3) (highest rates in the U.S.), Tulsa (4), and Kansas City, KS (8), which, forgivably, might mistakenly be thought the result of tornados.
]]> 1967 Sustainable Housing in the Sprawl https://splanetpod.com/sustainable-housing-in-the-sprawl Worldwide, countries struggle to provide affordable housing, not to mention expanding the market in a way that doesn’t undermine climate change goals. Global North cities in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia have relied on urban sprawl to appease the demand for more—and bigger—houses. Plagued by the poor air quality, forest fires, and water shortages that coincide with urban sprawl, this approach is not sustainable. The Global South lacks the necessary economic dependability to provide sufficient housing in overcrowded cities. But Michael and Kimberly consider the steps governments are taking and technological developments providing businesses and consumers with more sustainable options. Key Topics Michael and Kimberly discuss include: Why the “World’s Most Liveable Cities” tend to be the least affordable How big is big enough for two people The chasm between housing demand and supply How double-sized homes mean double-length commutes The A-to-Z list of how urban sprawl contributes to climate change Strategies that offer affordable—and maybe even more sustainable—housing Why this sustainability issue seems more manageable than most others More information in Kimberly's Substack post (available Friday)   Recommended Resources Bigger Houses, Smaller Families Harvard’s The State of the Nation’s Housing Report for 2024 The True Cost of Sprawl How Sustainable, Liveable, and Resilient Housing Can Help Us Adapt to a Changing Future Ditch the Bulbs! Thu, 27 Jun 2024 21:12:00 -0000 Sustainable Housing in the Sprawl full 11 Kimberly Weir The US is not alone in facing an affordable housing crisis. Add to that the need for sustainability and it spells disaster. Yet tackling these issues seems more possible than many others we face. Worldwide, countries struggle to provide affordable housing, not to mention expanding the market in a way that doesn’t undermine climate change goals. Global North cities in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia have relied on urban sprawl to appease the demand for more—and bigger—houses. Plagued by the poor air quality, forest fires, and water shortages that coincide with urban sprawl, this approach is not sustainable. The Global South lacks the necessary economic dependability to provide sufficient housing in overcrowded cities. But Michael and Kimberly consider the steps governments are taking and technological developments providing businesses and consumers with more sustainable options. Key Topics Michael and Kimberly discuss include: Why the “World’s Most Liveable Cities” tend to be the least affordable How big is big enough for two people The chasm between housing demand and supply How double-sized homes mean double-length commutes The A-to-Z list of how urban sprawl contributes to climate change Strategies that offer affordable—and maybe even more sustainable—housing Why this sustainability issue seems more manageable than most others More information in Kimberly's Substack post (available Friday)   Recommended Resources Bigger Houses, Smaller Families Harvard’s The State of the Nation’s Housing Report for 2024 The True Cost of Sprawl How Sustainable, Liveable, and Resilient Housing Can Help Us Adapt to a Changing Future Ditch the Bulbs! Worldwide, countries struggle to provide affordable housing, not to mention expanding the market in a way that doesn’t undermine climate change goals. Global North cities in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia have relied on urban sprawl to appease the demand for more—and bigger—houses. Plagued by the poor air quality, forest fires, and water shortages that coincide with urban sprawl, this approach is not sustainable. The Global South lacks the necessary economic dependability to provide sufficient housing in overcrowded cities. But Michael and Kimberly consider the steps governments are taking and technological developments providing businesses and consumers with more sustainable options.


Key Topics Michael and Kimberly discuss include:

  • Why the “World’s Most Liveable Cities” tend to be the least affordable
  • How big is big enough for two people
  • The chasm between housing demand and supply
  • How double-sized homes mean double-length commutes
  • The A-to-Z list of how urban sprawl contributes to climate change
  • Strategies that offer affordable—and maybe even more sustainable—housing
  • Why this sustainability issue seems more manageable than most others
  • More information in Kimberly's Substack post (available Friday)

 

Recommended Resources

]]> 2081 no Green Gold or Rotten Fruit: The Avocado Industry https://splanetpod.com/green-gold-or-rotten-fruit-the-avocado-industry Mexico couldn’t ask for a better cash crop. Referred to as oro verde by farmers and orchard owners in Michoacan (and more recently Jalisco), their standard of living has improved considerably with a global rise in the popularity of avocados. The birth of ‘superfoods’, the, now ubiquitous, ‘avocado toast’ brunch staple, and the love of guacamole are responsible for the huge economic boon for not only Mexico, but also Kenya, which serves the European market. Demand for avocados is also partly due to Chipotle’s popularity. Practically doubling its number over the last decade, closing in on 3,800 restaurants, the chain continues to spread across North America and Europe. But this economic blessing comes at a cost. Cartels quickly moved in to control the Mexican avocado trade, relying on violence to keep people in line. Growers resort to illegal deforestation while overtaxing local water supplies to increase production. The government, meanwhile, faces the precarious situation of dealing with mafia violence without diminishing the huge economic gains reaped by this cash cow. Lovers of avocados, Michael and Kimberly weigh in on the ethical trade-off of the benefits to farmers and Mexico’s economy versus sustainability issues for human welfare and the environment. Key Topics How a Mexican staple food turned to gold, and the impact of its success on the locals The amazing avocado tree How Mexican avocados broke into the US market The challenges the Mexican government faces as the world’s biggest avocado producer Why the probability that the very avocado you’re eating was illegally grown Chipotle’s dilemma of countering its carbon footprint Why you might want to try Michael’s smoothie recipe (below), but also this fake guacamole one Recommended Resources Check out Kimberly’s Substack post on the challenges of dining out (available Friday) Avocados in Africa You decide: Chipotle’s ESG goals Farmer protests The greener alternative? Ecovados Not so green when it comes to the environment Useful link of fast facts about avocados (note that some of the data does vary from other sources we cited) Thu, 13 Jun 2024 16:49:30 -0000 Green Gold or Rotten Fruit: The Avocado Industry full 9 Kimberly Weir Avocados are nutritional superfoods, but the fruit Mexican farmers refer to as oro verde is not a sustainability superstar. Michael and Kimberly delve into the challenges of this ‘green gold’. Mexico couldn’t ask for a better cash crop. Referred to as oro verde by farmers and orchard owners in Michoacan (and more recently Jalisco), their standard of living has improved considerably with a global rise in the popularity of avocados. The birth of ‘superfoods’, the, now ubiquitous, ‘avocado toast’ brunch staple, and the love of guacamole are responsible for the huge economic boon for not only Mexico, but also Kenya, which serves the European market. Demand for avocados is also partly due to Chipotle’s popularity. Practically doubling its number over the last decade, closing in on 3,800 restaurants, the chain continues to spread across North America and Europe. But this economic blessing comes at a cost. Cartels quickly moved in to control the Mexican avocado trade, relying on violence to keep people in line. Growers resort to illegal deforestation while overtaxing local water supplies to increase production. The government, meanwhile, faces the precarious situation of dealing with mafia violence without diminishing the huge economic gains reaped by this cash cow. Lovers of avocados, Michael and Kimberly weigh in on the ethical trade-off of the benefits to farmers and Mexico’s economy versus sustainability issues for human welfare and the environment. Key Topics How a Mexican staple food turned to gold, and the impact of its success on the locals The amazing avocado tree How Mexican avocados broke into the US market The challenges the Mexican government faces as the world’s biggest avocado producer Why the probability that the very avocado you’re eating was illegally grown Chipotle’s dilemma of countering its carbon footprint Why you might want to try Michael’s smoothie recipe (below), but also this fake guacamole one Recommended Resources Check out Kimberly’s Substack post on the challenges of dining out (available Friday) Avocados in Africa You decide: Chipotle’s ESG goals Farmer protests The greener alternative? Ecovados Not so green when it comes to the environment Useful link of fast facts about avocados (note that some of the data does vary from other sources we cited) Mexico couldn’t ask for a better cash crop. Referred to as oro verde by farmers and orchard owners in Michoacan (and more recently Jalisco), their standard of living has improved considerably with a global rise in the popularity of avocados. The birth of ‘superfoods’, the, now ubiquitous, ‘avocado toast’ brunch staple, and the love of guacamole are responsible for the huge economic boon for not only Mexico, but also Kenya, which serves the European market. Demand for avocados is also partly due to Chipotle’s popularity. Practically doubling its number over the last decade, closing in on 3,800 restaurants, the chain continues to spread across North America and Europe.

But this economic blessing comes at a cost. Cartels quickly moved in to control the Mexican avocado trade, relying on violence to keep people in line. Growers resort to illegal deforestation while overtaxing local water supplies to increase production. The government, meanwhile, faces the precarious situation of dealing with mafia violence without diminishing the huge economic gains reaped by this cash cow. Lovers of avocados, Michael and Kimberly weigh in on the ethical trade-off of the benefits to farmers and Mexico’s economy versus sustainability issues for human welfare and the environment.


Key Topics

  • How a Mexican staple food turned to gold, and the impact of its success on the locals
  • The amazing avocado tree
  • How Mexican avocados broke into the US market
  • The challenges the Mexican government faces as the world’s biggest avocado producer
  • Why the probability that the very avocado you’re eating was illegally grown
  • Chipotle’s dilemma of countering its carbon footprint
  • Why you might want to try Michael’s smoothie recipe (below), but also this fake guacamole one


Recommended Resources

  • Check out Kimberly’s Substack post on the challenges of dining out (available Friday)
  • Avocados in Africa
  • You decide: Chipotle’s ESG goals
  • Farmer protests
  • The greener alternative? Ecovados
  • Not so green when it comes to the environment
  • Useful link of fast facts about avocados (note that some of the data does vary from other sources we cited)
]]> 1798 no The Sustainability of Proximity https://splanetpod.com/the-sustainability-of-proximity Rob and Kaihan join Kimberly to talk about their new book, Proximity: How Coming Breakthroughs in Just-in-Time Transform Business, Society, and Daily Life. Highlighting the failures that laid the foundation for the success stories of how to attain P = 0, Rob and Kaihan offer ways to bring consumers and producers closer together while achieving greater sustainability in the process. Innovations as diverse as specialty lab-grown meats, 3D-printed inoculations, and virtual reality implants show how much more immersed we are in a world of on-demand, proximate goods and services than we might realize. Rob, Kaihan, and Kimberly spend time considering: If Covid-19 was the catalyst or just another building block toward digital adoption Whether proximity technologies are going to put most of us out of work Whether increased demand for minerals will be just as exploitative an industry as the fossil fuel it’s likely to replace Whether we colonize Mars because it’s one more planet humans can (irresponsibly) exploit How both developing and developed countries can benefit from the leapfrogging proximity technologies The possibility that AI takes over the world, justifying the fears of Campaign to Stop Killer Robots Ways businesses can integrate proximity into their strategies For more on her thoughts about Proximity, check out Kimberly’s Substack post Follow Rob Wolcott on X, LinkedIn, and his website Follow Kaihan Krippendorff on X, LinkedIn, and his website Thu, 06 Jun 2024 04:01:00 -0000 The Sustainability of Proximity full 9 Kimberly Weir Kimberly talks with Rob Wolcott and Kaihan Krippendorff about their new book, Proximity: How Coming Breakthroughs in Just-in-Time Transform Business, Society, and Daily Life. Rob and Kaihan join Kimberly to talk about their new book, Proximity: How Coming Breakthroughs in Just-in-Time Transform Business, Society, and Daily Life. Highlighting the failures that laid the foundation for the success stories of how to attain P = 0, Rob and Kaihan offer ways to bring consumers and producers closer together while achieving greater sustainability in the process. Innovations as diverse as specialty lab-grown meats, 3D-printed inoculations, and virtual reality implants show how much more immersed we are in a world of on-demand, proximate goods and services than we might realize. Rob, Kaihan, and Kimberly spend time considering: If Covid-19 was the catalyst or just another building block toward digital adoption Whether proximity technologies are going to put most of us out of work Whether increased demand for minerals will be just as exploitative an industry as the fossil fuel it’s likely to replace Whether we colonize Mars because it’s one more planet humans can (irresponsibly) exploit How both developing and developed countries can benefit from the leapfrogging proximity technologies The possibility that AI takes over the world, justifying the fears of Campaign to Stop Killer Robots Ways businesses can integrate proximity into their strategies For more on her thoughts about Proximity, check out Kimberly’s Substack post Follow Rob Wolcott on X, LinkedIn, and his website Follow Kaihan Krippendorff on X, LinkedIn, and his website Rob and Kaihan join Kimberly to talk about their new book, Proximity: How Coming Breakthroughs in Just-in-Time Transform Business, Society, and Daily Life. Highlighting the failures that laid the foundation for the success stories of how to attain P = 0, Rob and Kaihan offer ways to bring consumers and producers closer together while achieving greater sustainability in the process. Innovations as diverse as specialty lab-grown meats, 3D-printed inoculations, and virtual reality implants show how much more immersed we are in a world of on-demand, proximate goods and services than we might realize.

Rob, Kaihan, and Kimberly spend time considering:

  • If Covid-19 was the catalyst or just another building block toward digital adoption
  • Whether proximity technologies are going to put most of us out of work
  • Whether increased demand for minerals will be just as exploitative an industry as the fossil fuel it’s likely to replace
  • Whether we colonize Mars because it’s one more planet humans can (irresponsibly) exploit
  • How both developing and developed countries can benefit from the leapfrogging proximity technologies
  • The possibility that AI takes over the world, justifying the fears of Campaign to Stop Killer Robots
  • Ways businesses can integrate proximity into their strategies
  • For more on her thoughts about Proximity, check out Kimberly’s Substack post


Follow Rob Wolcott on X, LinkedIn, and his website

Follow Kaihan Krippendorff on X, LinkedIn, and his website

]]> 3251 no It’s Not Easy Going Green: The Green Paradox A country finally attempts to implement more stringent fossil fuel regulations and before the law is even passed (or not, in the case of the U.S.), the policy sends companies on a spree to mine, dig, and drill as quickly as possible. This ‘Green Paradox’ raises the question of how on Earth humans are going to meet the UN’s Climate Change COP28 goals in time to avoid planetary meltdown. Harold Hotelling’s 1935 theory of extraction set up Hans-Werner Sinn’s ‘The Green Paradox’, which holds up under rigorous study. Faced with faster extraction, governments need to keep emissions in check, but confront obstacles at home and abroad. Michael and Kimberly consider how quickly it is possible to feasibly enact achievable policies that simultaneously protect domestic businesses and politicians’ seats, while avoiding ‘spatial carbon leakage’. Tune in as Michael and Kimberly lay out the pros and cons of the Cap & Trade System, numerous sectors—even the clothing industry—are affected by emissions targets, and why even the most evolved IGO in the world regularly deals with groups protesting everything from farm policies to bans on combustion engines. And for more about the issues, check out Kimberly’s Substack notes. Key Topics Whether the UN’s ambitious ‘global stocktake’ to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions will be foiled by an army of Jolly Green Giant Paradoxes How the capitalist market encourages Green Paradoxes, not only in the fossil fuel industry, but in other sectors affected by climate change policy Why the international community and individual countries struggle to counter the effects of a Green Paradox The variety of ways Big Oil has worked to stall being displaced by greener alternatives How the EU’s ETS, the US’s Waxman-Markey Climate Bill, and China’s 14th Five-Year Plan have fallen prey to The Green Paradox Why Michael and Kimberly remain optimistic about tackling climate change, despite evidence stacked up against global efforts to mitigate pollution Recommended Resources Hans-Werner Sinn’s short overview of The Green Paradox The UN’s ‘Global Stocktake’ climate action plan One analyst's argument that The Green Paradox extends to consumers Kimberly’s supplemental Substack post on To Green or Not To Green: That is the Question (also linked below) Thu, 30 May 2024 04:01:00 -0000 It’s Not Easy Going Green: The Green Paradox full 9 Kimberly Weir Faced with reducing reliance on fossil fuels, Michael and Kimberly explore ‘The Green Paradox’, created by companies racing to cash in before governments enact policies regulating pollution. A country finally attempts to implement more stringent fossil fuel regulations and before the law is even passed (or not, in the case of the U.S.), the policy sends companies on a spree to mine, dig, and drill as quickly as possible. This ‘Green Paradox’ raises the question of how on Earth humans are going to meet the UN’s Climate Change COP28 goals in time to avoid planetary meltdown. Harold Hotelling’s 1935 theory of extraction set up Hans-Werner Sinn’s ‘The Green Paradox’, which holds up under rigorous study. Faced with faster extraction, governments need to keep emissions in check, but confront obstacles at home and abroad. Michael and Kimberly consider how quickly it is possible to feasibly enact achievable policies that simultaneously protect domestic businesses and politicians’ seats, while avoiding ‘spatial carbon leakage’. Tune in as Michael and Kimberly lay out the pros and cons of the Cap & Trade System, numerous sectors—even the clothing industry—are affected by emissions targets, and why even the most evolved IGO in the world regularly deals with groups protesting everything from farm policies to bans on combustion engines. And for more about the issues, check out Kimberly’s Substack notes. Key Topics Whether the UN’s ambitious ‘global stocktake’ to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions will be foiled by an army of Jolly Green Giant Paradoxes How the capitalist market encourages Green Paradoxes, not only in the fossil fuel industry, but in other sectors affected by climate change policy Why the international community and individual countries struggle to counter the effects of a Green Paradox The variety of ways Big Oil has worked to stall being displaced by greener alternatives How the EU’s ETS, the US’s Waxman-Markey Climate Bill, and China’s 14th Five-Year Plan have fallen prey to The Green Paradox Why Michael and Kimberly remain optimistic about tackling climate change, despite evidence stacked up against global efforts to mitigate pollution Recommended Resources Hans-Werner Sinn’s short overview of The Green Paradox The UN’s ‘Global Stocktake’ climate action plan One analyst's argument that The Green Paradox extends to consumers Kimberly’s supplemental Substack post on To Green or Not To Green: That is the Question (also linked below) A country finally attempts to implement more stringent fossil fuel regulations and before the law is even passed (or not, in the case of the U.S.), the policy sends companies on a spree to mine, dig, and drill as quickly as possible. This ‘Green Paradox’ raises the question of how on Earth humans are going to meet the UN’s Climate Change COP28 goals in time to avoid planetary meltdown.

Harold Hotelling’s 1935 theory of extraction set up Hans-Werner Sinn’s ‘The Green Paradox’, which holds up under rigorous study. Faced with faster extraction, governments need to keep emissions in check, but confront obstacles at home and abroad. Michael and Kimberly consider how quickly it is possible to feasibly enact achievable policies that simultaneously protect domestic businesses and politicians’ seats, while avoiding ‘spatial carbon leakage’.

Tune in as Michael and Kimberly lay out the pros and cons of the Cap & Trade System, numerous sectors—even the clothing industry—are affected by emissions targets, and why even the most evolved IGO in the world regularly deals with groups protesting everything from farm policies to bans on combustion engines. And for more about the issues, check out Kimberly’s Substack notes.

Key Topics

  • Whether the UN’s ambitious ‘global stocktake’ to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions will be foiled by an army of Jolly Green Giant Paradoxes
  • How the capitalist market encourages Green Paradoxes, not only in the fossil fuel industry, but in other sectors affected by climate change policy
  • Why the international community and individual countries struggle to counter the effects of a Green Paradox
  • The variety of ways Big Oil has worked to stall being displaced by greener alternatives
  • How the EU’s ETS, the US’s Waxman-Markey Climate Bill, and China’s 14th Five-Year Plan have fallen prey to The Green Paradox
  • Why Michael and Kimberly remain optimistic about tackling climate change, despite evidence stacked up against global efforts to mitigate pollution


Recommended Resources

  • Hans-Werner Sinn’s short overview of The Green Paradox
  • The UN’s ‘Global Stocktake’ climate action plan
  • One analyst's argument that The Green Paradox extends to consumers
  • Kimberly’s supplemental Substack post on To Green or Not To Green: That is the Question (also linked below)
]]> 2322 no SpongeBob in China? Creating Sustainable Cities https://splanetpod.com/spongebob-in-china-creating-sustainable-cities Would you rather live in London or Gothenburg? For more excitement and a lush 174 sq. ft. of green space per person (and to skip Duolingo Swedish lessons), you might choose London, but for future sustainable security, Gothenburg might be the better bet. Unless hard-pressed, you’re far less likely to Lagos, Nigeria, despite its 6.5% annual growth rate and less than 10 square feet of green space per person. The appeal of cities puts more pressure on urban planners with increased urbanization and outdated—or in the case of developing countries—practically non-existent infrastructure. Whether it’s traffic jams or strained water supplies, cities need to devise sustainable management methods. While governments recognize that sustainable development necessarily includes promoting human security and environmental protections, it’s a tough balancing act, defined by the economic bottom line. Facing rapid urbanization and the need for green spaces, Global South countries struggle not only to develop, but in a sustainable manner. And what’s more, perhaps the biggest hurdle they face is developing public-private partnerships to attract investments that alleviate the need for continued government subsidies. Key Topics What, exactly, qualifies a city as sustainable? Why Michael argues the UN is too ambitious in Sustainable Development Goal #11, “making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” Michael and Kimberly butt heads over the IESE Business School’s “Top 10 Smart & Sustainable Cities” ranking system How smart can a city be when a government decides to create it from the ground up-the amazing feat of Cyberjaya and desert cities The ambitious Net-Zero, Green Roofs, Million Trees, and 100% Climate-Proof sustainable city initiatives of London, Toronto, NYC, and Rotterdam China’s daunting undertaking of Integrated Urban Water Management, a.k.a. Sponge City Program (should have gone with SpongeBob City Program, for certain!) Recommended Resources UN Sustainable Development Goal #11 IESE Business School Smart & Sustainable City rankings What makes a city Smart & Sustainable China's Sponge City Program Building a city from scratch- the latest on Cyberjaya, Dubai Internet City, and the pictures promised of Tianjin We Were Promised Smart Cities Kimberly's supplemental Substack post on cities' sustainability challenges Thu, 23 May 2024 04:01:00 -0000 SpongeBob in China? Creating Sustainable Cities full 8 Kimberly Weir With half of the world’s population living in cities, Michael and Kimberly consider the wide array of challenges urban planners face as they attempt to get greener and adapt to climate change. Would you rather live in London or Gothenburg? For more excitement and a lush 174 sq. ft. of green space per person (and to skip Duolingo Swedish lessons), you might choose London, but for future sustainable security, Gothenburg might be the better bet. Unless hard-pressed, you’re far less likely to Lagos, Nigeria, despite its 6.5% annual growth rate and less than 10 square feet of green space per person. The appeal of cities puts more pressure on urban planners with increased urbanization and outdated—or in the case of developing countries—practically non-existent infrastructure. Whether it’s traffic jams or strained water supplies, cities need to devise sustainable management methods. While governments recognize that sustainable development necessarily includes promoting human security and environmental protections, it’s a tough balancing act, defined by the economic bottom line. Facing rapid urbanization and the need for green spaces, Global South countries struggle not only to develop, but in a sustainable manner. And what’s more, perhaps the biggest hurdle they face is developing public-private partnerships to attract investments that alleviate the need for continued government subsidies. Key Topics What, exactly, qualifies a city as sustainable? Why Michael argues the UN is too ambitious in Sustainable Development Goal #11, “making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” Michael and Kimberly butt heads over the IESE Business School’s “Top 10 Smart & Sustainable Cities” ranking system How smart can a city be when a government decides to create it from the ground up-the amazing feat of Cyberjaya and desert cities The ambitious Net-Zero, Green Roofs, Million Trees, and 100% Climate-Proof sustainable city initiatives of London, Toronto, NYC, and Rotterdam China’s daunting undertaking of Integrated Urban Water Management, a.k.a. Sponge City Program (should have gone with SpongeBob City Program, for certain!) Recommended Resources UN Sustainable Development Goal #11 IESE Business School Smart & Sustainable City rankings What makes a city Smart & Sustainable China's Sponge City Program Building a city from scratch- the latest on Cyberjaya, Dubai Internet City, and the pictures promised of Tianjin We Were Promised Smart Cities Kimberly's supplemental Substack post on cities' sustainability challenges Would you rather live in London or Gothenburg? For more excitement and a lush 174 sq. ft. of green space per person (and to skip Duolingo Swedish lessons), you might choose London, but for future sustainable security, Gothenburg might be the better bet. Unless hard-pressed, you’re far less likely to Lagos, Nigeria, despite its 6.5% annual growth rate and less than 10 square feet of green space per person.

The appeal of cities puts more pressure on urban planners with increased urbanization and outdated—or in the case of developing countries—practically non-existent infrastructure. Whether it’s traffic jams or strained water supplies, cities need to devise sustainable management methods.

While governments recognize that sustainable development necessarily includes promoting human security and environmental protections, it’s a tough balancing act, defined by the economic bottom line. Facing rapid urbanization and the need for green spaces, Global South countries struggle not only to develop, but in a sustainable manner. And what’s more, perhaps the biggest hurdle they face is developing public-private partnerships to attract investments that alleviate the need for continued government subsidies.

Key Topics

  • What, exactly, qualifies a city as sustainable?
  • Why Michael argues the UN is too ambitious in Sustainable Development Goal #11, “making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”
  • Michael and Kimberly butt heads over the IESE Business School’s “Top 10 Smart & Sustainable Cities” ranking system
  • How smart can a city be when a government decides to create it from the ground up-the amazing feat of Cyberjaya and desert cities
  • The ambitious Net-Zero, Green Roofs, Million Trees, and 100% Climate-Proof sustainable city initiatives of London, Toronto, NYC, and Rotterdam
  • China’s daunting undertaking of Integrated Urban Water Management, a.k.a. Sponge City Program (should have gone with SpongeBob City Program, for certain!)


Recommended Resources

]]> 2528 no What’s in your Closet? The Fashion Industry https://splanetpod.com/whats-in-your-closet-the-fashion-industry In Episode 7, delving into the global clothing industry, Michael and Kimberly iron out the difference between fast fashion, ultra-fast fashion, and slow fashion—the sustainability reaction to these trends. A brief look at why we are tempted to fill our closets and drawers sets up consideration of the effects of the global clothing supply chain, what policy-makers are doing, and options for clothes-horses, the trendiest -core fans, and the average shopper. Key Topics Who we have to thank for the birth of ‘fast fashion’ and ‘ultra-fast fashion’ How mixed fabrics, waterproof gear, and stretchy clothes combine with a ‘race to the bottom’ for a clothing production and consumption sustainability nightmare The complex web of the global supply chain that links clothing firms to subcontractors to our doorstep When ‘thrifting’ became a verb and how it burdens the poor both at home and abroad How and what governments and MNCs are doing and need to do better Why the cost-per-wear calculation can fill your closet while saving you a pile of money That not just reduce, but repair and repurpose are useful fashion tips How a mall entrance was actually a portal to a different dimension for Michael and Kimberly Recommended Resources Good on You rates companies’ practices on the planet, people, and animals (turns out Madewell's not as good as I thought!) What is your garment's cost-per-wear? The latest UNEP report, a compilation of useful stats at Earth.org, a business review of fast fashion, and why the McKinsey report on The State of Fashion indicates a need for sustainable practices For legal eagles, the NY bill, the CA bill, the US FABRIC Act, EU’s ESPR, and what Australia is considering To prime you for a future episode, some wildly alternative fabrics and leather sources Thu, 16 May 2024 04:01:00 -0000 What’s in your Closet? The Fashion Industry full 7 Kimberly Weir Michael and Kimberly sashay down the catwalk to offer a sustainable snapshot of the latest fashion trends. In Episode 7, delving into the global clothing industry, Michael and Kimberly iron out the difference between fast fashion, ultra-fast fashion, and slow fashion—the sustainability reaction to these trends. A brief look at why we are tempted to fill our closets and drawers sets up consideration of the effects of the global clothing supply chain, what policy-makers are doing, and options for clothes-horses, the trendiest -core fans, and the average shopper. Key Topics Who we have to thank for the birth of ‘fast fashion’ and ‘ultra-fast fashion’ How mixed fabrics, waterproof gear, and stretchy clothes combine with a ‘race to the bottom’ for a clothing production and consumption sustainability nightmare The complex web of the global supply chain that links clothing firms to subcontractors to our doorstep When ‘thrifting’ became a verb and how it burdens the poor both at home and abroad How and what governments and MNCs are doing and need to do better Why the cost-per-wear calculation can fill your closet while saving you a pile of money That not just reduce, but repair and repurpose are useful fashion tips How a mall entrance was actually a portal to a different dimension for Michael and Kimberly Recommended Resources Good on You rates companies’ practices on the planet, people, and animals (turns out Madewell's not as good as I thought!) What is your garment's cost-per-wear? The latest UNEP report, a compilation of useful stats at Earth.org, a business review of fast fashion, and why the McKinsey report on The State of Fashion indicates a need for sustainable practices For legal eagles, the NY bill, the CA bill, the US FABRIC Act, EU’s ESPR, and what Australia is considering To prime you for a future episode, some wildly alternative fabrics and leather sources In Episode 7, delving into the global clothing industry, Michael and Kimberly iron out the difference between fast fashion, ultra-fast fashion, and slow fashion—the sustainability reaction to these trends. A brief look at why we are tempted to fill our closets and drawers sets up consideration of the effects of the global clothing supply chain, what policy-makers are doing, and options for clothes-horses, the trendiest -core fans, and the average shopper.

Key Topics

  • Who we have to thank for the birth of ‘fast fashion’ and ‘ultra-fast fashion’
  • How mixed fabrics, waterproof gear, and stretchy clothes combine with a ‘race to the bottom’ for a clothing production and consumption sustainability nightmare
  • The complex web of the global supply chain that links clothing firms to subcontractors to our doorstep
  • When ‘thrifting’ became a verb and how it burdens the poor both at home and abroad
  • How and what governments and MNCs are doing and need to do better
  • Why the cost-per-wear calculation can fill your closet while saving you a pile of money
  • That not just reduce, but repair and repurpose are useful fashion tips
  • How a mall entrance was actually a portal to a different dimension for Michael and Kimberly


Recommended Resources

]]> 2934 no What Would Karl Say? Commodity Fetishism https://splanetpod.com/what-would-karl-say-commodity-fetishism In Episode 6, Michael and Kimberly put on their academic hats to discuss Commodity Fetishism, a concept Karl Marx used to explain what compels consumers to buy the stuff we do and, ultimately, how understanding this fetishism helps us get out of the sustainability hole we’ve dug. Key Topics Why we care more about the ‘perceived value’ of a Ralph Lauren Polo shirt than the ‘real value’ of a plain old polo shirt Why we can blame the Industrial Revolution for not talking to the person next to us who’s also been called for jury duty Why ordinary people couldn’t afford the décor and houses that came out of the Arts & Crafts Movement That there’s more to the global supply chain than just the goods we buy Why you should be on the lookout for the ‘hidden cost externalities’ lurking all around us Whether buying more stuff that’s ethically produced is better than buying nothing at all How, despite some arguments, picking low-hanging fruit can lead to a Sustainable Planet Recommended Resources If you're up for it, Karl Marx on Commodity Fetishism Eric Pickersgill's Removed series, a photo commentary on the impact smartphones The Day the World Stops Shopping, suggested by a Sustainable Planet listener after hearing Episode 2 If you're into videos, here's one about Commodity Fetishism Thu, 09 May 2024 04:00:00 -0000 What Would Karl Say? Commodity Fetishism full 6 Kimberly Weir There was more to Karl Marx than communism. He offered us a way to consider sustainability when he introduced Commodity Fetishism, a.k.a., why we buy so much stuff. In Episode 6, Michael and Kimberly put on their academic hats to discuss Commodity Fetishism, a concept Karl Marx used to explain what compels consumers to buy the stuff we do and, ultimately, how understanding this fetishism helps us get out of the sustainability hole we’ve dug. Key Topics Why we care more about the ‘perceived value’ of a Ralph Lauren Polo shirt than the ‘real value’ of a plain old polo shirt Why we can blame the Industrial Revolution for not talking to the person next to us who’s also been called for jury duty Why ordinary people couldn’t afford the décor and houses that came out of the Arts & Crafts Movement That there’s more to the global supply chain than just the goods we buy Why you should be on the lookout for the ‘hidden cost externalities’ lurking all around us Whether buying more stuff that’s ethically produced is better than buying nothing at all How, despite some arguments, picking low-hanging fruit can lead to a Sustainable Planet Recommended Resources If you're up for it, Karl Marx on Commodity Fetishism Eric Pickersgill's Removed series, a photo commentary on the impact smartphones The Day the World Stops Shopping, suggested by a Sustainable Planet listener after hearing Episode 2 If you're into videos, here's one about Commodity Fetishism In Episode 6, Michael and Kimberly put on their academic hats to discuss Commodity Fetishism, a concept Karl Marx used to explain what compels consumers to buy the stuff we do and, ultimately, how understanding this fetishism helps us get out of the sustainability hole we’ve dug.


Key Topics

  • Why we care more about the ‘perceived value’ of a Ralph Lauren Polo shirt than the ‘real value’ of a plain old polo shirt
  • Why we can blame the Industrial Revolution for not talking to the person next to us who’s also been called for jury duty
  • Why ordinary people couldn’t afford the décor and houses that came out of the Arts & Crafts Movement
  • That there’s more to the global supply chain than just the goods we buy
  • Why you should be on the lookout for the ‘hidden cost externalities’ lurking all around us
  • Whether buying more stuff that’s ethically produced is better than buying nothing at all
  • How, despite some arguments, picking low-hanging fruit can lead to a Sustainable Planet


Recommended Resources

]]> 2789 Bigfoot v. The Shadow https://splanetpod.com/bigfoot-v-the-shadow Michael and Kimberly trace the history of the 'Beyond Petroleum' campaign sent us all off to calculate our carbon footprint, how to cast a wider Climate Shadow, and suggest that we should probably cut Bill Gates some slack for flying in his private plane. Key Topics How British Petroleum's campaign to rebrand itself as ‘Beyond Petroleum’ has us wondering whether foregoing air travel or counting our produce consumption will help us to lower our impact Why Emma Pattee decided that our shadow casts much bigger than our footprint, so we should consider not just our quantifiable consumption, but our choices and actions that impact climate change Whether celebrities should get a free pass to jet-set around the world on their private planes while drinking bottled Fiji brand water Why Kimberly thinks people on the future Earth we’ve destroyed will be wondering why we tossed so many useable resources into landfills, cursing us, as they scavenge to survive How Michael lost the battle of the thermostat in the household search of the lowest hanging fruit to decrease our carbon footprint, but won the climate shadow battle at the Northern Kentucky University Board of Regents meetings to ditch bottled water That personal impact and collective action are important to save the world not just from climate change, but all those other pesky environmental and humanitarian issues we’ve caused Recommended Resources Earth Overshoot Day The BP campaign 'sham' reminded someone else of the Keep America Beautiful campaign, but for different reasons For low-hanging fruit suggestions for every aspect of your life, check out Give a Sh*t or this interview with author Ashlee Piper Unless it's necessary, be a trendsetter and ditch the bottled water Thu, 02 May 2024 08:00:00 -0000 Bigfoot v. The Shadow full 5 Kimberly Weir Michael and Kimberly consider their Carbon Footprints, how to cast a wider Climate Shadow, and suggest that we should probably cut Bill Gates some slack for flying in his private plane. Michael and Kimberly trace the history of the 'Beyond Petroleum' campaign sent us all off to calculate our carbon footprint, how to cast a wider Climate Shadow, and suggest that we should probably cut Bill Gates some slack for flying in his private plane. Key Topics How British Petroleum's campaign to rebrand itself as ‘Beyond Petroleum’ has us wondering whether foregoing air travel or counting our produce consumption will help us to lower our impact Why Emma Pattee decided that our shadow casts much bigger than our footprint, so we should consider not just our quantifiable consumption, but our choices and actions that impact climate change Whether celebrities should get a free pass to jet-set around the world on their private planes while drinking bottled Fiji brand water Why Kimberly thinks people on the future Earth we’ve destroyed will be wondering why we tossed so many useable resources into landfills, cursing us, as they scavenge to survive How Michael lost the battle of the thermostat in the household search of the lowest hanging fruit to decrease our carbon footprint, but won the climate shadow battle at the Northern Kentucky University Board of Regents meetings to ditch bottled water That personal impact and collective action are important to save the world not just from climate change, but all those other pesky environmental and humanitarian issues we’ve caused Recommended Resources Earth Overshoot Day The BP campaign 'sham' reminded someone else of the Keep America Beautiful campaign, but for different reasons For low-hanging fruit suggestions for every aspect of your life, check out Give a Sh*t or this interview with author Ashlee Piper Unless it's necessary, be a trendsetter and ditch the bottled water Michael and Kimberly trace the history of the 'Beyond Petroleum' campaign sent us all off to calculate our carbon footprint, how to cast a wider Climate Shadow, and suggest that we should probably cut Bill Gates some slack for flying in his private plane.

Key Topics

  • How British Petroleum's campaign to rebrand itself as ‘Beyond Petroleum’ has us wondering whether foregoing air travel or counting our produce consumption will help us to lower our impact
  • Why Emma Pattee decided that our shadow casts much bigger than our footprint, so we should consider not just our quantifiable consumption, but our choices and actions that impact climate change
  • Whether celebrities should get a free pass to jet-set around the world on their private planes while drinking bottled Fiji brand water
  • Why Kimberly thinks people on the future Earth we’ve destroyed will be wondering why we tossed so many useable resources into landfills, cursing us, as they scavenge to survive
  • How Michael lost the battle of the thermostat in the household search of the lowest hanging fruit to decrease our carbon footprint, but won the climate shadow battle at the Northern Kentucky University Board of Regents meetings to ditch bottled water
  • That personal impact and collective action are important to save the world not just from climate change, but all those other pesky environmental and humanitarian issues we’ve caused


Recommended Resources

  • Earth Overshoot Day
  • The BP campaign 'sham' reminded someone else of the Keep America Beautiful campaign, but for different reasons
  • For low-hanging fruit suggestions for every aspect of your life, check out Give a Sh*t or this interview with author Ashlee Piper
  • Unless it's necessary, be a trendsetter and ditch the bottled water
]]> 2438 no Can Capitalism Save the Planet? https://splanetpod.com/can-capitalism-save-the-planet As Sustainable Planet's cross-interview with The Politics Guys, Kimberly talks with Akshat Rathi, award-winning senior reporter for Bloomberg News and host of Bloomberg Green's climate podcast, Zero, about his new book, Climate Capitalism: Winning the Race to Zero Emissions and Solving the Crisis of Our Age. Listen to Part One of the interview on The Politics Guys Topics Kimberly & Akshat discuss include: How a misinformed campaign marketing slogan about ‘clean coal’ led Akshat into the year-long pursuit of uncovering the truth about climate technology Why economists feel the way to address climate change is to put a price on carbon How to achieve negative carbon emissions since zero emissions alone isn’t enough Why, when it comes to electric cars, you’ve never heard of Wan Gang, though Elon Musk is a household name Why the very industries that created lithium-ion batteries, solar cells, and carbon capture and storage are so resistant to employing that technology How private capital from billionaires like Bill Gates and anyone with a 401K plan is a key part of pursuing climate technology That climate justice is both ethically the right path but also reaps global economic benefits The need to shift from ‘shareholder’ to ‘stakeholder’ if we’re going to meet the less-ambitious Paris Conference climate change goals Akshat Rathi on X Wed, 01 May 2024 08:00:00 -0000 Can Capitalism Save the Planet? full 6 Kimberly Weir Kimberly talks with Bloomberg News reporter Akshat athi about his book Climate Capitalism: WInning the Race to Zero Emissions and Solving the Crisit of Our Age. As Sustainable Planet's cross-interview with The Politics Guys, Kimberly talks with Akshat Rathi, award-winning senior reporter for Bloomberg News and host of Bloomberg Green's climate podcast, Zero, about his new book, Climate Capitalism: Winning the Race to Zero Emissions and Solving the Crisis of Our Age. Listen to Part One of the interview on The Politics Guys Topics Kimberly & Akshat discuss include: How a misinformed campaign marketing slogan about ‘clean coal’ led Akshat into the year-long pursuit of uncovering the truth about climate technology Why economists feel the way to address climate change is to put a price on carbon How to achieve negative carbon emissions since zero emissions alone isn’t enough Why, when it comes to electric cars, you’ve never heard of Wan Gang, though Elon Musk is a household name Why the very industries that created lithium-ion batteries, solar cells, and carbon capture and storage are so resistant to employing that technology How private capital from billionaires like Bill Gates and anyone with a 401K plan is a key part of pursuing climate technology That climate justice is both ethically the right path but also reaps global economic benefits The need to shift from ‘shareholder’ to ‘stakeholder’ if we’re going to meet the less-ambitious Paris Conference climate change goals Akshat Rathi on X As Sustainable Planet's cross-interview with The Politics Guys, Kimberly talks with Akshat Rathi, award-winning senior reporter for Bloomberg News and host of Bloomberg Green's climate podcast, Zero, about his new book, Climate Capitalism: Winning the Race to Zero Emissions and Solving the Crisis of Our Age.

Listen to Part One of the interview on The Politics Guys

Topics Kimberly & Akshat discuss include:

  • How a misinformed campaign marketing slogan about ‘clean coal’ led Akshat into the year-long pursuit of uncovering the truth about climate technology
  • Why economists feel the way to address climate change is to put a price on carbon
  • How to achieve negative carbon emissions since zero emissions alone isn’t enough
  • Why, when it comes to electric cars, you’ve never heard of Wan Gang, though Elon Musk is a household name
  • Why the very industries that created lithium-ion batteries, solar cells, and carbon capture and storage are so resistant to employing that technology
  • How private capital from billionaires like Bill Gates and anyone with a 401K plan is a key part of pursuing climate technology
  • That climate justice is both ethically the right path but also reaps global economic benefits
  • The need to shift from ‘shareholder’ to ‘stakeholder’ if we’re going to meet the less-ambitious Paris Conference climate change goals


Akshat Rathi on X

]]> 1680 no Clean Your Plate! Food Waste https://splanetpod.com/clean-your-plate-food-waste Food waste might not be at the top of anyone's "Top 10 List of Worst Environmental Offenders," yet the impact is huge and far-reaching. The United Nations revealed we waste so much food that it's 5 times the CO2 caused by the aviation industry! When we waste food, we also waste every resource that goes into producing that food. Listen to find out how to avoid food waste in pursuit of a more Sustainable Planet. Thu, 25 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0000 Clean Your Plate! Food Waste full 4 Kimberly Weir Food waste might not top anyone's Top 10 List of Worst Environmental Offenders, yet the impact is huge! When we waste food, we also waste every resource that goes into producing that food. Food waste might not be at the top of anyone's "Top 10 List of Worst Environmental Offenders," yet the impact is huge and far-reaching. The United Nations revealed we waste so much food that it's 5 times the CO2 caused by the aviation industry! When we waste food, we also waste every resource that goes into producing that food. Listen to find out how to avoid food waste in pursuit of a more Sustainable Planet. Food waste might not be at the top of anyone's "Top 10 List of Worst Environmental Offenders," yet the impact is huge and far-reaching. The United Nations revealed we waste so much food that it's 5 times the CO2 caused by the aviation industry! When we waste food, we also waste every resource that goes into producing that food. Listen to find out how to avoid food waste in pursuit of a more Sustainable Planet.]]> 1811 no What's the Beef with the Livestock Industry? https://splanetpod.com/whats-the-beef-with-the-livestock-industry Just how huge of an impact does the livestock industry have on the planet? The Economist developed its 'Big Mac Index' to indicate currency values based on the cost of a McDonald's Big Mac. We consider the many costs to people and the planet not included in the price of a Big Mac burger. Key Topics Find out why our diets are taxing the planet How eating meat is an inefficient way to convert plants to calories Why, for so many reasons, it's so challenging to forgo eating meat and dairy products The many ways that governments are huge supporters of the meat and dairy industries A plant-based diet can be nutritious and even delicious- just listen to what Michael has to say about adopting a vegan diet How to consume less meat, including meat alternatives, lab-grown meat, and even insects Skipping beef just one meal a week can make a huge difference for the planet, and a Meatless Monday can help change the world Recommended Resources The UN's guide to Food and Climate Change: Healthy Diets for a Healthier Planet Small changes can make a big difference - Tulane's study on food and climate change The livestock industry and climate change Concerned about animals and protein intake? One Green Planet and VegNews are one-stop sites for recipes and info about a plant-based diet Wed, 17 Apr 2024 20:48:00 -0000 What's the Beef with the Livestock Industry? full 3 Kimberly Weir Just how huge of an impact does the livestock industry have on the planet? A spin on The Economist's Big Mac Index, we consider the real cost of a burger to people and the planet. Just how huge of an impact does the livestock industry have on the planet? The Economist developed its 'Big Mac Index' to indicate currency values based on the cost of a McDonald's Big Mac. We consider the many costs to people and the planet not included in the price of a Big Mac burger. Key Topics Find out why our diets are taxing the planet How eating meat is an inefficient way to convert plants to calories Why, for so many reasons, it's so challenging to forgo eating meat and dairy products The many ways that governments are huge supporters of the meat and dairy industries A plant-based diet can be nutritious and even delicious- just listen to what Michael has to say about adopting a vegan diet How to consume less meat, including meat alternatives, lab-grown meat, and even insects Skipping beef just one meal a week can make a huge difference for the planet, and a Meatless Monday can help change the world Recommended Resources The UN's guide to Food and Climate Change: Healthy Diets for a Healthier Planet Small changes can make a big difference - Tulane's study on food and climate change The livestock industry and climate change Concerned about animals and protein intake? One Green Planet and VegNews are one-stop sites for recipes and info about a plant-based diet Just how huge of an impact does the livestock industry have on the planet? The Economist developed its 'Big Mac Index' to indicate currency values based on the cost of a McDonald's Big Mac. We consider the many costs to people and the planet not included in the price of a Big Mac burger.

Key Topics

  • Find out why our diets are taxing the planet
  • How eating meat is an inefficient way to convert plants to calories
  • Why, for so many reasons, it's so challenging to forgo eating meat and dairy products
  • The many ways that governments are huge supporters of the meat and dairy industries
  • A plant-based diet can be nutritious and even delicious- just listen to what Michael has to say about adopting a vegan diet
  • How to consume less meat, including meat alternatives, lab-grown meat, and even insects
  • Skipping beef just one meal a week can make a huge difference for the planet, and a Meatless Monday can help change the world

Recommended Resources

]]> 2060 no Why We Buy So Much Stuff https://splanetpod.com/why-we-buy-so-much-stuff At every turn, people feel compelled to buy stuff. We examine how consumerism took hold of us, the sorts of policies governments enact that encourage or discourage consumption, and what reasonable changes people can make to be kinder to the planet. Key Topics The growing list of Rs-Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Repurpose, Reinvent, Reimagine, Recycle Living in a single-use, disposable consumer society that's encouraged to buy more stuff The dual ecological nightmare of credit cards Why people in developed countries need to cut back when most people in developing countries need to consume more How the capitalist economic system sets us up to buy more stuff That planned obsolescence (along with the functional and psychological versions) is not a 21st-century invention How we can consume less and not feel horrifically unhappy Recommended Resources A Brief History of Consumer Culture outlines how we became consumers Though a bit dated, Plastic: A Toxic Love Story remains a relevant and worthwhile read Mr. Money Mustache and the FIRE movement Wed, 17 Apr 2024 20:47:49 -0000 Why We Buy So Much Stuff full 2 Kimberly Weir We examine how consumerism took hold of us, government policies regarding consumption, and what reasonable changes people can make to be kinder to the planet. At every turn, people feel compelled to buy stuff. We examine how consumerism took hold of us, the sorts of policies governments enact that encourage or discourage consumption, and what reasonable changes people can make to be kinder to the planet. Key Topics The growing list of Rs-Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Repurpose, Reinvent, Reimagine, Recycle Living in a single-use, disposable consumer society that's encouraged to buy more stuff The dual ecological nightmare of credit cards Why people in developed countries need to cut back when most people in developing countries need to consume more How the capitalist economic system sets us up to buy more stuff That planned obsolescence (along with the functional and psychological versions) is not a 21st-century invention How we can consume less and not feel horrifically unhappy Recommended Resources A Brief History of Consumer Culture outlines how we became consumers Though a bit dated, Plastic: A Toxic Love Story remains a relevant and worthwhile read Mr. Money Mustache and the FIRE movement At every turn, people feel compelled to buy stuff. We examine how consumerism took hold of us, the sorts of policies governments enact that encourage or discourage consumption, and what reasonable changes people can make to be kinder to the planet.

Key Topics

  • The growing list of Rs-Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Repurpose, Reinvent, Reimagine, Recycle
  • Living in a single-use, disposable consumer society that's encouraged to buy more stuff
  • The dual ecological nightmare of credit cards
  • Why people in developed countries need to cut back when most people in developing countries need to consume more
  • How the capitalist economic system sets us up to buy more stuff
  • That planned obsolescence (along with the functional and psychological versions) is not a 21st-century invention
  • How we can consume less and not feel horrifically unhappy


Recommended Resources

]]> 2117 no What is Sustainability? In their premiere episode, Michael and Kimberly talk about what they've learned over the decades as university professors, introduce sustainability, give an overview of its key challenges, and consider what living more sustainably involves. Key Topics What a 14th-century tuberculosis epidemic has to do with conspicuous consumption Why living in a developed country is way worse for the planet than living in a developing country Whether population growth really affects sustainability in the way we might think That achieving a sustainable future goes beyond just protecting the environment, but also requires meeting people's basic needs Common myths about climate change and achieving a Sustainable Planet Why we should be hopeful that through even the smallest actions, we can achieve a more sustainable path moving forward Recommended Resources Though in need of a 2nd edition, Kimberly's book, From Jicama to Jackfruit, remains a worthwhile read Michael's book, Navigating the News, could also use an update, considering its message is more relevant than ever Kimberly's interview with 8 Billion & Counting author Jennifer Sciubba Sustainable Planet on Facebook | Instagram | X | LinkedIn Tue, 16 Apr 2024 21:26:00 -0000 What is Sustainability? full 1 Kimberly Weir In their premiere episode, Michael & Kimberly, introduce sustainability, give an overview of its key challenges, and consider what living more sustainably involves. In their premiere episode, Michael and Kimberly talk about what they've learned over the decades as university professors, introduce sustainability, give an overview of its key challenges, and consider what living more sustainably involves. Key Topics What a 14th-century tuberculosis epidemic has to do with conspicuous consumption Why living in a developed country is way worse for the planet than living in a developing country Whether population growth really affects sustainability in the way we might think That achieving a sustainable future goes beyond just protecting the environment, but also requires meeting people's basic needs Common myths about climate change and achieving a Sustainable Planet Why we should be hopeful that through even the smallest actions, we can achieve a more sustainable path moving forward Recommended Resources Though in need of a 2nd edition, Kimberly's book, From Jicama to Jackfruit, remains a worthwhile read Michael's book, Navigating the News, could also use an update, considering its message is more relevant than ever Kimberly's interview with 8 Billion & Counting author Jennifer Sciubba Sustainable Planet on Facebook | Instagram | X | LinkedIn In their premiere episode, Michael and Kimberly talk about what they've learned over the decades as university professors, introduce sustainability, give an overview of its key challenges, and consider what living more sustainably involves.


Key Topics

  • What a 14th-century tuberculosis epidemic has to do with conspicuous consumption
  • Why living in a developed country is way worse for the planet than living in a developing country
  • Whether population growth really affects sustainability in the way we might think
  • That achieving a sustainable future goes beyond just protecting the environment, but also requires meeting people's basic needs
  • Common myths about climate change and achieving a Sustainable Planet
  • Why we should be hopeful that through even the smallest actions, we can achieve a more sustainable path moving forward


Recommended Resources


Sustainable Planet on Facebook | Instagram | X | LinkedIn

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