Animalia

Welcome to the 5th and final episode of our series, 53 Miles of Maine, covering a very controversial transmission line to run through Maine carrying hydropower electricity from Canada into the New England grid that was approved by state and federal regulators but stalled by a pubic referendum. Throughout this series, we have covered several different larger themes from this story that are playing out all over the country as it relates to our clean energy transition.  We encourage everyone to check those out if you haven't already.   In this 5th and final episode, we have a special conversation I moderated between someone from each side of the debate over this project.  Sandra Howard and Anthony Moffa, who stand against and for the project respectively, agreed to sit down together to discuss these larger themes after hearing the first 4 episodes.  It is a rarity these days that we get people on opposite sides of any polarizing and emotional issue to sit down and talk, so I'm so grateful to both Sandra and Anthony for taking the time. Our hope is that this can serve as a reminder that discussion and discord are so valuable in finding our way through this incredibly complex but equally critical transition off of fossil fuels in the years and decades ahead.  

Welcome back to 53 Miles in Maine, our 5-part series covering a controversial clean energy project that got shut down by a pubic referendum in Maine in November 2021 and is now being decided in the courts. In this series, we are looking into what happened in Maine as a lens into 3 broader themes impacting our much needed transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy when it comes to our electricity grid. In Episode 1, we provided a detailed timeline of what took place in Maine In Episode 2, we discussed why Environmental Activists & Clean Energy Advocates are increasingly at odds with these projects And now here, in Episode 3, we are discussing why and how these big Clean Energy Projects are shifting from a solely Regulatory review process to a hybrid of a Regulatory + Public Review and how that played out here in Maine In Episode 4, coming next, we will tackle our 3rd and final theme, the playbook big energy companies are using to stall and block clean energy projects that are not their own The regulator system designed to govern these types of projects was not really built for the variety and volume we are seeing now as we shift of fossil fuels, let alone the new world order we are in where everything also needs to go through the court of public opinion. In the case of the New England Clean Energy Connect in Maine, they checked all of the regulatory boxes but were unable to convince the public. This is especially important for renewable energy and the infrastructure needed to support it because so many of these projects will live and die at the hands of local support. There are a lot of lessons learned here and we aim to bring this out to the forefront. Here are a few documents and studies that are referenced or in support of the conversations in this episode: Nationwide Local Infrastructure Study

Welcome to Part 1 of our 5-part series covering a very controversial renewable energy project that got shut down in a public referendum in Maine despite previously getting approval from state and federal regulators. While this energy was being purchased by the state of Massachusetts and generated by a hydropower company in Canada, it would require transmitting the energy through the state of Maine and thus in order to build out that transmission it needed Maine’s approval to move forward. Supporters of this project call it the New England Clean Energy Connect. Opposition groups call it the CMP Corridor. Just the difference in naming alone tells you a lot about their respective viewpoints. You’re going to hear throughout this series from folks on both sides of this particular initiative. But the reason we are covering it here at Animalia is not because we are taking our own stance on whether or not this project should move forward - we purposely leave that a bit open ended and we shall see how it plays out in the courts - but rather to use it as a lens into 3 larger issues playing out across the country as we grabble with figuring out how to shift from fossil fuel power generation to renewable generation. In Episodes 2-4, we will cover each of those in detail. In Episode 2, we will dive into the battle brewing between Environmental Activists & Clean Energy Advocates.  All forms of energy, including renewables, have environmental trade-offs.  Evaluating where and when they are worth taking is increasingly becoming complex and divisive, creating tension between environmental activists and clean energy advocates, despite both camps wanting to get off fossil fuels and save this planet.   In Episode 3, we will explore why the most critical decisions ahead in our transition off of fossil fuels are very much happening at the local level because of the land use and infrastructure needed for scaling renewable power generation.  We can no longer just rely on regulatory approval, and need to increasingly engage the public and get their buy in sooner than later. In Episode 4, we will look at how big energy companies around the country are using social media, marketing, and propaganda to stall clean energy projects.  In all cases this is to protect their own business interests, be it fossil fuels or their own renewables.  In the case of this project in Maine, there were big energy companies on both sides with renewable and fossil fuels interests when you roll things up to parent company levels.  How and why did 3 big energy companies seemingly not involved get involved and support the opposition to help build the public pushback? Then in Episode 5 we will do a recap with key takeaways. Here are some reference materials to read up further on this story. Feel free to reach out with any quesitons! Documentation of the State level regulatory hearing Documentation of the Federal level regulatory hearing Article questioning claims of those behind the project Live radio debate between the NRCM and the NECEC Some info on Northern Pass project that preceded this one

If you care about this planet and are worried about where things are heading when it comes to global warming and biodiversity collapse, well, you're not alone. You've probably experienced some forms of climate anxiety or eco-anxiety because you care. For some, this feeling of worry and concern can be so severe that it can disrupt your life.  Maybe you start to worry too much about the things you are buying, about loved ones not caring, or about the doomsday scenarios that lie ahead if we keep on this track. Or maybe you are already experiencing personally the damages from climate change perhaps due to a recent wildfire or flood or tropical storm.  Maybe you live in one of the areas in the world dealing with water shortages and poor water quality due to toxic runoffs and droughts. Here at Animalia, we feel these forms of anxiety all the time.  It's normal and ok.  It means you care.  We just don't want those negative thoughts to consume you. So today on Animalia, we sit down with Thomas Doherty, one of the leading eco-anxiety psychologists in the field today. Thomas operates a formal clinical practice out of Portland OR, but he is also co-host of a new podcast focused on the intersection of climate change and happiness that we'd highly recommend, called, well, Climate Change & Happiness!  In this episode, we're going to help you better understand these feelings and identify some useful tips such as reframing to help you manage them.  We also want to share a great online support group platform for Climate Anxiety Support called the Good Grief Network, another great resource for you all!  ---------------- If you are not already a subscriber to our newsletter, please sign-up today! It's completely free and each week we will unpack a different topic in detail on the climate/biodiversity fronts as well as link out to a curated list of news articles for the week.  Straight to your inbox. An easy way to stay informed. Subscribe here.

The final episode of 2021 and the final episode of Season 2 here on Animalia. To close things out, I’m going to share my thoughts on 3 different topics that I think are really important for everyone to understand: The 2 main things we need to do to save this planet Is “Greening” Your Life Important? The Intersection of Climate Justice, Biodiversity Collapse, and Social Justice For the only time of the year, you get no experts. No politicians. No CEOs. No scientists. Just me, your host James. I hope you can tolerate being with me for 30 minutes, lol, because I think it will be worth it! Thank you all so much for a great Season 2. Here’s to Season 3 coming March 1st 2022!

Welcome to the 5-minute teaser episode about kelp forests and kelp farming!  If you are interested in this episode, please go and check out the full version for the in-depth conversation with Tiffany Stephens, Chief Scientist at Sea Grove Kelp.  We talk about value and role of kelp forests, the future of kelp farming, and how to introduce kelp more into our diets.  All a big part of our shift to a more sustainable, regenerative food system.

Welcome to a very special episode of Animalia. Today we are talking about the merits, ethics, and potential outcomes good and bad with de-extinction.  Earlier this year, a company named Colossal announced $15M in funding to create a new hybrid wooly mammoth species with plans of reintroducing them to Siberia in hopes of reviving their grasslands. Now that the dawn of de-extinction possibilities are upon us, we need to carefully consider how this could play out, and what the positive and negative impacts on our climate and biodiversity crises could be. We have three incredible scientists joining us for this roundtable discussion: Dr. Mackenzie Kwak - parasitologist at the University of Singapore Dr. Dave Strayer - ecologist and invasive species expert at the Cary Institute Dr. Lynn Rothschild - astro biologist and evolutionary biologist at Brown University This was a fascinating and enlightening discussion that you won't want to miss!   ------------ If you have not yet done so, please join our weekly newsletter. It's totally free and every Thursday we will send you 3 stories designed to be consumed in under 10 minutes that will make you a more informed advocate for this planet and addressing our climate and biodiversity crises.  Go to www.joinanimalia.com/newsletter. ------------ One short edit from Dave: In the podcast, he mentioned that humans have doubled the amount of reactive nitrogen on the planet, but he asked to correct this statement as such: that we've doubled the rate of input of reactive N on the planet (i.e., we now add as much reactive N as all natural sources combined). See Figs. 8.1 and 8.2 in Weathers et al. (eds). 2021. Fundamentals of Ecosystem Science. Academic Press.

This is the 5-minute summary version of our episode sitting down with New Belgium's Katie Wallace and how the company is pioneering ways to help save this planet, including making a rather horrible version of their flagship beer, Fat Tire, to resemble what beer may taste like if we don't get our act together. If you are interested in this short summary version, please go and check out the full episode! ----------------------------------- If you have not yet done so, please join our weekly newsletter. It's totally free and every Thursday we will send you 3 stories designed to be consumed in under 10 minutes that will make you a more informed advocate for this planet and addressing our climate and biodiversity crises.  Go to www.joinanimalia.com/newsletter.

This is the 5-minute(ish) summary version of our episode about the biodiversity crisis and it's links to climate justice with anthropologist Eduardo Brondizio. Eduardo is a professor at Indiana University. He's also Co-Chair of the IPBES Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. An organization dedicated to the furthering of conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity for long term human well being and ecosystem health. If you are interested in this shortened summary version, please go ahead and check out the full episode! -------------------------- Speaking of biodiversity, we are launched a special edition collection of sustainably made hoodie and sweats (100% certified green cotton from Groceries Apparel) to help raise funds and awareness for Polymita snails. A snail endemic to Cuba that is under serious threat and with it, the Cuban forests.  Learn more about that project and the team in Cuba fighting to protect these snails here.

This is the abbreviated, 5-minute teaser version of our episode with Dylan Leazes, who works in Congress, on the need to decarbonize our electricity grid and some of the policy work it will take to get there.  If you are interested in hearing more based on this discussion, be sure to check out the Full Episode published just before this. ----------------------------- If you have not yet done so, please join our weekly newsletter. It's totally free and every Thursday we will send you 3 stories designed to be consumed in under 10 minutes that will make you a more informed advocate for this planet and addressing our climate and biodiversity crises.  Go to www.joinanimalia.com/newsletter.

This is the shortened, 5-10 Minute Summary edition of our episode on parasites and why it's critical to conserve them to combat our biodiversity crisis.  For the full episode, please go check out the one just before this! Joining us is renowned parasitologist McKenzie Kwak, parasitologist at the National University of Singapore. One of the few in his field that are actively working on parasite conservation. You can follow Mackenzie on Facebook @mackenziekwakparasitologist Or on IG @Mackenzie_kwak_parasitologist ---------------------------------- 2 asks for our Animalia Faithful! A) Please give our podcast a review on whatever site you are listening on. It helps us out a lot! B) Please subscribe to our weekly newsletter, where we share 3 stories you can read in 10 minutes to make you a more informed advocate for this planet!

This is the very short, 5-minute (ish) summary of our full episode on Living Sea Walls, a really critical innovation that we are excited to profile!  Through this work, sea walls can protect both human habitats and marine habitats together. ------------------------------------- Big thanks to Dr. Katherine Dafforn and Dr. Mariana Mayer Pinto for from the Living Sea Walls team for joining us today. Please go and support their work. They are a non-profit relying on donations from advocates like you!  Check out their site here. -------------------------------------- A couple Animalia Announcements Please go check out our Polymita hoodies and sweats.  They are made with 100% green, organic cotton and are being sold to raise support for the biology team in Cuba working so hard to save this species and the Cuban rainforest. Learn more about that project here. If you haven't already, join our weekly newsletter.  Each week you'll get 3 stories you can read in under 10 minutes that will make you a more informed advocate for this planet!

This summer we released a 4-part series chronicling the war on wolves in the US from the mid 19th century through today.  If you haven't had a chance yet to listen to that series, here is a link to Episode 1.   Either way, this week we are providing a short update on some of the recent developments as we head into the 2021 hunting season, particularly around the problematic states such as Wisconsin, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.  We'll check in again with another episode in 2022 covering where we stand coming out of this dreaded 2021 hunt. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GO AND SIGN THE PETITIONS HERE TO GET WOLVES RE-LISTED UNDER FEDERAL PROTECTION. A BIG THANKS THE CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY FOR CONTINUING TO PUT SO MUCH INTO THESE EFFORTS.