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From purple mountain majesties to cities built on coastlines, American landscapes are as diverse as the people that inhabit them. How does our relationship to the outdoors define us as individuals and as a nation? In his new PBS show “America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston,” comedian and civic educator Baratunde Thurston explores this question, uncovering America’s compl...
Experts believe climate change is not a technological problem, it’s a social problem. Americans have diverse and opposing views about global warming, which fundamentally shape the politics of climate change. What are the recent, and often surprising, trends in American knowledge, attitudes, and behavior on the issue? Where do liberals and conservatives across age and regio...
Most people now agree that climate change is real and that humans are causing it. But that’s where the consensus stops. Political pollster and strategist Frank Luntz, known for pioneering political focus groups, believes there is a better way to reach more people, more effectively in order to mobilize real action on climate change. In this highly interactive talk, he’ll sh...
Climate change catastrophes are already happening with increasing regularity, and it’s clear we need to take action. The Biden administration has set a target of zero carbon emissions in the United States by 2050. Reaching that ambitious goal will require a major transition in many sectors, including energy, agriculture, transportation, manufacturing and construction. John...
Migration stories are in the news, but they’re not new. In the 19th century, manifest destiny inspired millions of settlers to move westward across the American continent. What are the forces that will uproot Americans in the 21st century? Join Parag Khanna, the author of “MOVE: The Forces Uprooting Us,” for a fascinating look at the deep trends influencing the future of h...
With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden-Harris administration has committed a record amount of federal funds to encourage the advancement of clean energy, but myriad regulatory, political, and practical challenges remain to meet our climate goals. White House clean energy advisor John Podesta shares how the administration is implementing the IRA and work...
We don’t always know how to express it, but many of us feel it: There’s something wrong with America today. The mood is tense. More Americans say they won’t have children because of climate change and other future catastrophes. But are things really as bad as they seem? Is decline something we need to accept—or is there a case for a new optimism?
Many of the people doing today’s most consequential environmental work — restoring America’s grasslands, wildlife, soil, rivers, wetlands, and oceans — would not call themselves environmentalists; they would be too uneasy with the connotations of that word. What drives them is their deep love of the land — they feel a moral responsibility to preserve their heritage and ens...
Before signing the $1.2 trillion dollar Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, President Biden put Mitch Landrieu in charge of executing its vision. In this role, the former New Orleans mayor oversees the biggest investment in American infrastructure in generations. With promises of generating millions of high-paying jobs, fixing supply chains, and repairing America’s roa...
Rural communities were once the beating heart(land) of America, places of economic and social power. Today, they seem left to wither as dollars, workers, and priorities shift to the cities. Don’t write them off yet, though — there’s a growing movement that’s bringing innovation and energy to once-forgotten communities, and the reasons behind it are as much rational as nost...
Across corporate America, companies are making changes to lower their carbon footprint and still maintain profitability. Leaders at two of the largest American companies — Amazon and GM — share the kinds of initiatives the private sector can apply to accelerate to net zero. The road to carbon neutrality is paved with expertise, challenges and promise.
The word city is not exactly synonymous with nature. Yet increasingly, urban landscapes offer innovative canvases for designers and artists who use ecology and horticulture as their medium. As the bustling field of landscape architecture makes its way into everything from infrastructure projects like the High Line to commercial stores lining Fifth Avenue, how are these des...
Last year the State of Washington, one of the most progressive in the country, voted against a carbon tax. Why? Do we face major resistance as climate policies land on ballots across the country, even though awareness and concern for the issue is at a historical high? Can we avoid hurting middle-class Americans and focus instead on corporations? What is working in other co...
Our coffee makers, phone chargers, washing machines — our lives — are powered by the humble flip of a switch or press of a button. And it’s easy to lose sight of where the energy that powers our everyday conveniences comes from. Fossil fuels, predominantly through transportation and electricity, account for roughly 74 percent of US greenhouse gas emissions. As the principa...
The sobering impacts of the pandemic, and the need for a rapid transition to a clean energy economy compel us to consider opportunities that lie at the intersection of the two. Hear from White House Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, TPG Co-CEO Jim Coulter, and US Senator Tina Smith (D).
How are climate change and a history of inequity posing problems for Native American tribes in the Western United States?
Protecting wild spaces helps to conserve the species that call them home — and is one of the best strategies for meeting global climate goals. National parks and other protected areas can cultivate a healthy relationship between humans and the land they depend on. How much more land — and ocean — do we need to preserve in order to maintain ecological and social wellness? W...
If climate change is the issue that defines the 21st century, how are we preparing the next generation to lead on this challenge? Deans from two of America’s top institutions focused on climate — Stanford and Columbia — discuss their approach to educating tomorrow’s leaders with a person key to hiring them: the chief sustainability officer at General Motors.