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Nature Breaking

World Wildlife Fund

Nature Breaking features interviews between host Seth Larson and experts on some of the biggest issues affecting people and nature, including climate change, habitat loss, endangered species, and more. Learn something new about nature and our planet in every episode. This podcast is produced by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

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  • 27 episodes
  • fortnightly
  • Avg 31 min
  • English

Episodes 27

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  • February 24 · 28 min

    Can "Impact Investing" Help Save the Planet?

    Finance has a critical role to play in achieving conservation goals. Simply put, saving an ecosystem, or a species, isn't free. Those efforts require lots of scientific research and analysis, tools, infrastructure, and staff. WWF has been at the forefront of a variety of innovative ways to finance those efforts – from Project Finance for Permanence initiatives, to debt for nature swaps, and more. Today we're going to talk about another approach that's gaining steam: impact investing. Impact investing is all about making investments with the goal of advancing social or environmental outcomes – not about maximizing financial returns. Joining Nature Breaking today to explain how it works is Isabelle Foster, WWF's Senior Impact Investing Specialist. Isabelle is part of WWF Impact, our impact investing venture. And she's also a podcast host, having recently launched a limited-series show called Catalyzing Climate Conversations. Her new show is a partnership with the Aspen Institute's Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE). Stay tuned to hear from Isabelle about how impact investing works, why WWF is investing in companies like EatCloud—whose software platform is helping grocery stores and other businesses divert food from the landfill and instead support local communities—and how these investments advance conservation outcomes on the ground. Links for More Info: Isabelle Foster bio WWF Impact PODCAST: Catalyzing Climate Conversations CHAPTERS: 0:00 Preview 0:30 Intro 1:56 What is impact investing? 5:20 How can impact investing help the planet? 8:02 WWF's approach to impact investing 13:34 Example of success: EatCloud 21:45 Podcast plug for Catalyzing Climate Conversations 27:39 Outro

  • February 10 · 30 min

    Climate Change & Nature Loss are Driving an Insurance Crisis

    Did you know that extreme weather disasters in the U.S. are now causing more than 20 billion‑dollar events every year, leaving a growing share of those losses uninsured? As climate change accelerates—and as ecosystems like wetlands and forests are destroyed and degraded—the insurance protection gap is widening, putting households, businesses, and entire communities at rising financial risk. In this episode of Nature Breaking, you'll hear from David Kuhn, WWF's Director for Adaptation and Resilience Partnerships and a contributor to a new WWF report on the insurance crisis. David explains what's driving the surge in uninsured losses, why premiums are skyrocketing, and how climate‑driven disasters are undermining the stability of the US insurance system. He also breaks down how nature loss is stripping communities of their "first line of defense" against floods, storms, and heat—and why restoring ecosystems may be one of the most cost‑effective ways to strengthen resilience and shore up the insurance system. As David shares, there's reason for hope in spite of these alarming trends. With smart policies, better risk modeling, and investments that treat nature as essential infrastructure, we can reduce damages, lower costs, and build a safer, more resilient future. Links for More Info: David Kuhn bio REPORT: Tackling the Insurance Protection Gap Op-Ed: Nature is a powerful ally against fires and floods (LA Times) Chapters: 0:00 Teaser 0:31 Intro 1:56 Explaining the insurance protection gap 6:47 Insurance becoming an unsustainable business model 10:23 Practical impacts of insurance gap on consumers 15:23 Role of nature loss in the insurance crisis 19:16 How nature can help mitigate the insurance crisis 21:32 Recommendations for policymakers, insurers, companies, etc. 25:50 Reasons for hope 30:00 Outro

  • January 27 · 34 min

    Snow Leopards: Ghosts of the Mountain (2023)

    Note: This episode originally aired in October 2023. Snow leopards are among the hardest animals to find in the wild, both because of how rare they are, and because their coats are adapted to provide camouflage that makes them hard to see against the rugged mountain landscape they call home. With an estimated 4,000-6,500 snow leopards remaining in the wild, conservationists have been working in snow leopard range countries across Asia to build a more stable future for these big cats. And recently, Bhutan reported some good news: the population of snow leopards in that country has increased by nearly 40% since 2016. In this episode, you'll hear from Dechen Dorji, Senior Director for Asia on WWF's Wildlife Conservation team. He talks about the many characteristics that make snow leopards unique (5:07), the threats that have caused snow leopard populations to decline (13:01), and what we can learn from Bhutan's recent success to help snow leopards thrive across all 12 range countries they call home (17:52). Links for More Info: WWF Snow Leopard page Press Release: Bhutan National Snow Leopard Survey Dechen Dorji bio

  • January 13 · 38 min

    How Sustainable Infrastructure Can Protect Nature & People

    Did you know that 75% of the infrastructure the world will use in 2050 hasn't been built yet? That means the choices we make today—about roads, bridges, railways, ports, and power systems—will shape the future of both human development and the natural world. In this episode of Nature Breaking, WWF's Ryan Bartlett, Director for Climate Resilience and Risk Management, explains how we can build the infrastructure we need without destroying the ecosystems we rely on for critical benefits, including resilience to worsening weather extremes. From habitat fragmentation to increased flooding, poorly planned infrastructure can unintentionally cause huge environmental and social problems. But with the right planning tools, safeguards, and nature-based solutions that treat nature as infrastructure, we can chart a very different path forward. Links for More Info: Ryan Bartlett bio WWF Sustainable Infrastructure page Sustainable Infrastructure Program in Asia Greening Transportation Infrastructure Development (GRID) Chapters: 0:00 Preview 0:26 Intro 1:38 Challenges and opportunities with infrastructure development 4:37 Unintended consequences from poorly planned infrastructure 8:05 Best practices to balance infrastructure with nature & climate concerns 10:58 Solutions for infrastructure bisecting wildlife habitat 15:20 Asia as a key region for sustainable infrastructure 18:30 Sustainable Infrastructure Program in Asia (SIPA) 28:53 Lessons learned from SIPA 31:07 Greening Transportation Infrastructure Development (GRID) program 34:32 What does success look like for advancing sustainable infrastructure development? 37:39 Outro

  • Dec 30, 2025 · 22 min

    Top 10 Conservation Wins of the Century (So Far)

    As 2025 comes to a close, we're looking back at the 10 biggest conservation wins of the 21st century (so far). We'll revisit iconic successes like the Paris Agreement on climate, the rebound of wild tigers and giant pandas, and the creation of the Amazon Region Protected Areas Program, the largest tropical forest conservation initiative on Earth. Plus, we'll celebrate grassroots efforts like Earth Hour and the return of bison to Native lands—proof that progress is happening at every level. If you care about wildlife, climate, and sustainability, this episode will give you hope and inspiration for the future. Links: Donate to support WWF's conservation mission Chapters: 0:00 Preview 0:33 Intro 1:36 Rules of the Countdown 4:31 High Seas Treaty 5:57 Global Biodiversity Framework 7:06 Bison Restoration 9:27 Giant Pandas No Longer Endangered 10:43 The Paris Agreement on Climate Change 11:32 Global Response to the Poaching Crisis 12:55 Rebound of Wild Tigers 16:06 Earth Hour Launches 17:03 Creation of the Amazon Region Protected Areas (ARPA) Program 19:55 Environmentalism Goes Mainstream

  • Dec 2, 2025 · 42 min

    A Plan for More Sustainable Food (2024)

    Note: This episode originally ran on October 1, 2024. If you'd like to support WWF for Giving Tuesday, visit wwf.help/tuesday. Global food production is a key driver behind both climate change and the loss of species and ecosystems. In fact, it's responsible for roughly one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions and over two-thirds of global habitat and biodiversity losses. That's because unsustainable food production too often lead to the destruction of forests, grasslands, and other ecosystems in order to produce more food. So how do we create a more sustainable food system? Joining the show today is Dr. Jason Clay, Executive Director of WWF's Markets Institute. Jason has decades of experience working with companies to find innovative ways to make their supply chains more sustainable, and today he'll be explaining his latest initiative: Codex Planetarius. In short, Codex Planetarius aims to establish global environmental standards to limit the harm caused by the production of globally traded food. The idea draws inspiration from Codex Alimentarius, the international code of health and safety standards for food established in the mid-20th century. It makes sense: If the world can adopt standards to protect human health and safety, why can't we do the same for the health and safety of the planet? In this interview, Jason explains how his career journey evolved from human rights to conservation (with help from the Grateful Dead and Ben & Jerry's along the way), and how Codex Planetarius could establish new global norms for food production that help us feed the world without destroying it. Links for More Info: Jason Clay bio Codex Planetarius homepage WEB STORY: Codex Planetarius: Increasing Global Food Sustainability and Resilience Chapters: 0:00 Programming note 1:22 Intro 3:10 Jason's background 5:14 Working with the Grateful Dead and Ben & Jerry's to save the rainforest 10:14 How the global food trade works 16:17 Codex Planetarius: global standards for sustainable food production 25:09 Paying for Codex Planetarius 30:57 How to implement the plan 41:52 Outro

  • Nov 18, 2025 · 46 min

    How Losing Vultures Led to 500,000 Human Deaths

    What happens when nature's cleanup crew disappears? In this episode of Nature Breaking, host Seth Larson talks with Professor Eyal Frank, an environmental economist at the University of Chicago, about his groundbreaking research on the near-extinction of vultures in India—and the devastating ripple effects on human health. Frank explains: Why vultures are critical for ecosystems and public health How a common painkiller triggered a collapse in vulture populations Why that collapse may have caused 500,000 additional human deaths What this teaches us about the hidden costs of biodiversity loss This is a fascinating—and sobering—look at how species we often overlook play vital roles in our lives. Tune in to learn why protecting wildlife isn't just about saving nature—it's about saving ourselves. Listen now and subscribe for more episodes on the connections between people and the planet. Links for More Info: Eyal Frank bio Study: The Near Extinction of Indian Vultures Led to the Death of a Half Million People Shocked Podcast Ep. 3: Vultures WWF web story: Vultures as Nature's Influencers Chapters: 0:00 Wild Guess trivia 0:32 Intro 2:16 Eyal Frank's background 4:40 Comparing attribution science in climate change v. biodiversity loss 6:27 Why are vultures important? 9:06 How Eyal learned about vulture loss in India 11:02 What happened to vultures in India? 15:50 How did vulture loss contribute to human deaths? 26:47 What were the actual causes of human deaths? 32:02 How many people died due to loss of vultures? 37:36 Lessons for policymakers and the general public 42:03 What's next for Eyal Frank? 45:02 Outro

Showing 21–27 of 27 episodes