It’s a wild ride these days on our planet. Buckle up, because scientist (and actual pilot) Johanna Wagstaffe is here to help you make sense of our changing world, where the climate is warming just as everything else can feel like a hot mess. Every week, Jo and our team of journalists illuminate the ways humans are transforming Earth, and reveal a little wonder along the way. Our podcast, videos and radio show deliver science-backed answers to your questions, and help you understand what’s a real solution and what’s screwing things up.
Latest episodes
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25 min
There’s a bat housing crisis and the solutions are adorable
Sixty-five bats dropped dead inside a home custom-built to protect them. What went wrong? For bat moms looking for a place to raise their pups, it’s not the rent that’s through the…
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25 min
The seaweed invasion so big you can see it from space
Mountains of sargassum seaweed are choking Caribbean beaches. It’s so dangerous it’s shut down a school. Scientists point the finger at climate change, but solutions are on the hor…
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25 min
Is Alberta separatism fueling Ottawa’s pipeline plans?
Alberta has the country on tenterhooks as the province votes on whether to consider splitting from Canada. At least one separatist leader says the threat to leave is serving as lev…
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25 min
Can AI save the planet before it kills us all?
Depending on who you ask, AI could usher in a green utopia – or the apocalypse. Between those two extremes is a much less hypothetical reality: the technology’s huge impact on our…
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25 min
The weatherman who spoke the truth – and paid the price
When a meteorologist took a job in Iowa, he was excited to make his forecasts matter to viewers by bringing in climate impacts that were relevant to their lives, like rising costs…
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25 min
There's a lot on Carney's plate. Is our climate plan cooked?
As parliament gets back in session, there’s a lot going on: a trade war, talk of Alberta separation, and international alliances being redrawn. Prime Minister Mark Carney has been…
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25 min
Is this Super El Niño a peek into forever weather?
It’s gonna be a record-breaking few months of weather. A natural surge of warm ocean water is colliding with a planet hotter than at any point in human history – meaning more heat,…
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3 min
Introducing our new host, Johanna Wagstaffe
She's a CBC science journalist, meteorologist and seismologist. Now she’s taking the helm as the host of your favourite climate change podcast. All summer long, Jo and the team hav…
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20 min
Heat killed his friend. Now his community is saving lives
Stephen Nelson tried to keep his friend Mario safe in the 2021 heat dome. But tragically, his friend died – in an old building that wasn’t designed for our warming world. This galv…
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28 min
More heat, more rats, more problems
From the best of What On Earth: A warmer world is great for rats. (Not so much for us). That’s why cities are seeing a climate-linked rise in rodents. Can birth control reverse tha…
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27 min
The disaster in Nepal as a ‘wake-up call from Mother Nature’
The search for survivors is underway after deadly flooding in Nepal and Tibet. But experts around the world are also unpacking what role climate change played in the disaster. We h…
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27 min
Bats are dying in wind turbines. Here’s how to stop it
From the best of What On Earth: Bats and wind turbines are both climate darlings. But after Cori Lausen saw a turbine reduce a bat to a "black banana peel," she set out to find ano…
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26 min
Will Alberta data centres really curb their water use?
There was booing and calls of bullsh*t during a recent government town hall in Sturgeon County. It’s where tech giant Meta is building its largest data centre outside of the U.S. L…
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25 min
Fed up with broken stuff? Join the Buy it for Life movement
From the best of What on Earth - Online communities are hunting for items that last. At #BI4L, members crowdsource reviews and recommendations to try to find the “best” version of,…
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28 min
Why wildfires have some people furious about fossil fuels
If you’ve breathed in smoke, or worse, had to flee your home this summer, you might be thinking more about our warming world. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip hopes this season of fire…
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22 min
Want a climate-friendly burial? Mushrooms may be the answer!
It’s made of mycelium and hemp, it’s better for the earth and it’s now available in Canada. CBC’s Anand Ram introduces us to an American woman who laid her father to rest in one of…
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26 min
A quick, low-cost DIY solution to improve indoor air quality
From the Best of What On Earth – Wildfire smoke has choked Canadians across the country this summer. Air purifiers are expensive, but there’s a cheaper way to clean your air indoor…
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28 min
How to turn your climate gloom into action
From the best of What On Earth – You’ve got climate questions, Hannah Ritchie has answers. She’s “Clearing the Air” in her new book, drawing on her expertise as a data scientist to…
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23 min
What if your home could float when a flood hits?
Flood-prone communities are doing everything to keep water out. But as climate-fuelled storms become more severe, some architects say we need to work with water, not fight it. We l…
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28 min
Mother Nature’s angry. But why does she sound like Iggy Pop?
From the Best of What On Earth – Mother Nature is a real wild child and has a bone to pick with us humans when it comes to how we’ve treated the planet. Punk rock legend Iggy Pop v…