What on Earth?

CBC

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.

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24 episodes
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English

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Saturday · 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 roof, it’s the temperature. But bat people are busy building them safer homes: from tiny condos with emergency exits to mini bark roosts stuck to trees. Guests:<ul><li>John Saremba, bat ambassador, Burke Mountain Naturalists Society Bat Program</li><li>Leah Rensel, PhD candidat
October 17 · 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 horizon. We head to the tropics to learn about a WALL-E inspired robot vacuum and a seaweed-powered car Guests:Chuanmin Hu, oceanographer at the University of South FloridaMike Allen, professor at the University of Exeter and cofounder of marine robotics and clean technol
October 10 · 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 leverage for the oil industry. Others in the province say investment in renewable energy is already taking a hit. This week we’re asking how past fights over the oil sands got tangled up with separatism, what the referendum means for Alberta’s energy industry now, and what an independent Alberta would
October 3 · 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 environment now. But tech leaders like NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang suggest it's all worth it, because AI can solve climate problems in the future. So when it comes to emissions cuts, what’s AI done for us lately? And what’s at stake for the climate as more and more chatbots come online?  Gues
September 26 · 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 and energy independence. But then the backlash began, escalating to a death threat.  He's not the only one. At climate week in New York City, a group of meteorologists gathered to share stories about speaking to often polarized audiences. When facts become political, how can climate change's fr
September 19 · 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 clear: he doesn’t think the old climate plan he inherited from the Trudeau government holds up to Canada’s new reality. So, where does climate fit in what Carney calls the next “world order?” Two of our political journalists break down what we know so far, and what they’re watching for next.<
September 12 · 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, more floods, more droughts. Some think this Super El Niño offers a window into what climate change will bring, and that it could help us prepare for the decades to come. Scientist Rosa Vásquez Espinoza takes us to Peru, where the phenomenon begins, and where officials have already declared a state
September 9 · 2 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 have been cooking up new ideas and stories to help you make sense of our changing world, at a time when the climate is warming and everything else can feel like a hot mess. Have we piqued your interest yet? Good. Here’s a quick rundown of what you can expect from the new season.
September 5 · 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 galvanized Stephen to do more to keep his community safe during extreme heat. We visit Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to meet the tenants, like Stephen, working together to keep each other cool in a changing climate.
September 2 · 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 that? Producer Molly Segal finds out how Chicago, Manhattan and Vancouver are all trying to make things a little less rattier.
August 29 · 26 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 hear from two experts who know the region well, who say people have been warning that something like this was coming as glaciers warm at an alarming rate. And we find out why a better understanding of the impacts of warming on this region could protect lives.
August 26 · 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 another solution. That experience unlocked a years-long search to understand what was happening and how to fix it. The question looms: as we rush to add wind renewables to the grid, will both ever be able to co-exist on the same landscape?
August 22 · 25 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. Locals have a variety of concerns; we’re zooming in on the promise that this facility will use less water. Can the plans for ‘closed-loop’ cooling help fix AI’s thirstiness? We break down what the tech can do, and what’s really happening at data centres already operating.
August 19 · 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, well, everything – from blenders to husbands (really). It’s all in an effort to save money, AND the climate.
August 15 · 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 translates to climate action. As wildfire tears through his territory, the First Nations leader is calling on Mark Carney and Danielle Smith to pause a proposed pipeline. At the same time, pollster Shachi Kurl tells us about a surge in climate concern among Canadians this wildfire season. But will the data lead
August 12 · 21 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 these biodegradable coffins. And we hear how innovations in green burials are comforting options for those who want to honour their loved ones’ environmental values.
August 8 · 25 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 indoors. We visit a workshop teaching seniors in Vancouver’s Chinatown to build DIY air cleaners, and get some tips for how you can make one yourself.
August 5 · 27 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 delve into some of the common — and not so common — queries that come up in climate conversations. Her goal isn’t just to shift opinions on climate action, but to also to spark hope at a time when it may feel like the climate fight is a losing battle.
August 1 · 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 learn how amphibious engineering kept Bangladeshi kids in school and allowed a Louisiana community to stay afloat.
July 29 · 27 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 voices her whiskey-soaked rage in the climate podcast “Sweet Little Human.” Its producers hope a little dark humour can help shine a brighter light on our need to address the climate crisis.

Showing 1–20 of 24 episodes