Listen - Duke is Talking Climate
Hear More about Duke's experts in a range of podcasts
Ways & Means
S8E1 Paying for a Healthy Planet
Sanford School of Public Policy
The Amazon has been called the lungs of the planet. Its dense jungles play a key role in absorbing the Earth’s greenhouse gases, but the forest is disappearing quickly. In this episode: research from Colombia, Africa and China illustrates how economics can help slow deforestation and combat the climate crisis.
The success of that podcast led to the creation of a second, Policy360, hosted by Sanford’s Dean Judith Kelley. Episodes feature conversations with faculty, students and guests, and have addressed the impact of plastics on the environment, how CO2 emissions play a major role in climate change, and how climate change is forcing many people to move due to environmental stressors such as heat, hurricane and drought.
Policy 360
Climate Migration
Sanford School of Public Policy
Climate change is forcing many people to move due to environmental stressors like heat, hurricane, and drought. Duke Sanford School of Public Policy Dean Judith Kelley speaks with Kerilyn Schewel and Sarah Bermeo of the Duke Center for International Development about emerging climate migration patterns and how research might better inform policy.
“When we started looking for stories for Ways & Means that were focused on climate change solutions, we weren’t sure what we’d find,” said Jackson. “We are thrilled to report we’ve found truly surprising and hopeful research. We hope that by collecting these stories and sharing them in an accessible podcast format, we will inspire listeners and provide a window into some of the interesting climate work happening here at Duke.”
Podcast projects include:
The Leading Voices in Food
Sanford School of Public Policy
Sanford’s World Food Policy Center’s The Leading Voices in Food. It was launched in 2019 to draw people into the issues of food policy, food insecurity and environmental sustainability, said Deborah Hill, communications strategist at the center.
“The podcast gives us the opportunity to access researchers around the world and share their voices with policymakers, other researchers, farmers and communities – and in a way that academic publishing doesn’t always accomplish,” Hill said.
It is co-hosted by Norbert Wilson, the center’s director and professor of food, economics and community at the Divinity School, and is preparing to air its 200th episode. The podcast has addressed matters such as turning food waste into valuable products and ways to farm that enrich and restore the environment.
Energy Terminal
Student Series
Energy Terminal, which just marked its first anniversary, is a student-led podcast whose mission is “to build the next generation of energy leaders and to catalyze youth involvement in energy.” The bi-weekly podcast was co-founded by students Hope Pratt and Michael Wood III and features energy CEOs, founders, investors and innovators.
Past topics have included how sustainability professionals can make an impact when it comes to the future of emissions-intensive industries, as well as why collaboration is so critical in cleantech, who we need to bring to the table, and how to get them there.
Seas the Day
Nicholas School of the Environment
Seas the Day was first launched in August 2020 as a way to provide listeners with information about the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort, North Carolina, and educate listeners about the research related to marine science and conservation. The next episode is set to drop on March 22.
While not solely dedicated to environmental issues, other schools within the Duke community have addressed the subject.
Rate of Change
Pratt School of Engineering
Rate of Change was launched in 2019. It aims to “make engineering research accessible to non-engineers and to introduce listeners to the personalities behind the research,” said Miranda Volborth, senior communications specialist. Episodes have featured air quality, reclaiming water from waste, and ways to reduce CO2 emissions.
Operation Climate
Duke University Bass Connections Research Team
In 2019, a group of undergraduates launched Operation Climate, a podcast series designed to raise awareness of climate change, how it affects our lives, and the innovations and technologies being developed at Duke to help solve it.
Scene on Radio
Season 5: The Repair
The Center for Documentary Studies’ Scene on Radio has touched on a wide range of topics. Season five, The Repair, focused on “the cultural roots of the climate crisis and the deep changes Western society will need to make to save the Earth and our species.”
Fishing for Data
4 Episodes
Duke Law
Between May and June 2021, the School of Law produced a four-part series Fishing for Data in collaboration with EM4Fish and the Net Gains Alliance. It explored the governance of fisheries data under the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which is the primary law that governs marine fisheries management in U.S. federal waters.
Many of the podcasts produced at Duke can be found searching Duke Today.
Or you can hear more on a Spotify playlist of some of the podcasts listed here.
Series: Campus as a Research Lab
A Climate Commitment Series
This series aligns with the Duke Climate Commitment, which unites the university’s education, research, operations and public service missions to address the climate crisis.