Eaarth Feels

Happy New Year! In the first Eaarth Feels conversation of 2021, Rose talks about gardening in the increasingly dry and hot southwestern United States, with Arizona- based public health nurse and avid gardener Ronda Seifert*. Note: *Ms Seifert is sharing her own views, not those of her employer.*

The costs of climate crisis reach beyond mere property values and infrastructure systems.   Will shifting the focus to the significant human dimensions of the climate problem motivate more aggressive policy responses to avoid the worst costs to public health?  ViJay Limaye,  climate and health scientist in NRDC's Science Centers, makes the case.

The end of the year is the perfect time to reassess your charitable giving. Christine and Rose recount their favorite organizations that are leading the way to combat climate change.  Are any of these organizations on your list?  *It should be noted that neither Christine nor Rose are financial planners. These charities are their personal favorites only.*

"The time has come for the nations of the world to embrace a new approach to world politics that treats the preservation of the biosphere as a core national interest and a central objective of national security policy. Call this new mindset ecological realism.” Robert Koehler, a self-described "Peace Journalist" and author of Courage Grows Strong At the Wound, makes the case that it's time for ecological realism to replace the outdated "political realism" that currently dominates geopolitics.

Increased heat, drought, wildfires, floods, declining water supplies, reduced agricultural yields are just some of the many ways climate change is affecting our daily lives. Arizona Public Health Nurse Ronda Seifert* experiences the toll on public health, including mental health, first hand. In this episode she shares her personal insights and experiences with Rose and Christine. Note: *Ms Seifert is sharing her own views, not those of her employer.*

Sobering and yet hopeful, in this special address to the world Leaders Forum UN Secretary-General António Guterres outlines the climate work we must undertake to achieve carbon neutrality by  2050.  

The 2020 holiday season is upon us! Rose and Christine discuss connecting with friends and family despite the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Also in the spirit of the season, the Eaarth Feels list of best climate-change-themed books for holiday gift giving is revealed.

"Yes, friends, I am concerned, agitated, full of righteous rage and fired up and at times, worn down. I’m working the self-care thing too. But I am not scared!" Musical storyteller Reggie Harris posted this candid essay on his Facebook page the day before the 2020 U.S. election and from there it was shared dozens of times. While it was written in response to a specific event, its message of perseverance is helpful for all seekers after social and environmental justice.

Listen in as Curtis Shuck, Chairman of Well Done Foundation, describes how his ordinary day of consulting with Montana farmers  led to his discovery of the "dirty little secret" of 3.2 million abandoned U.S. oil and gas wells leaking methane, inspiring him to take action.  

Climate change is not a partisan issue. Many of the ideals that conservatives value including protection of life, national security and economic responsibility are key factors in taking action on climate. In this essay, Ronda Seifert, a conservative, details why climate has become her number one voting issue and some actions all conservatives can take to get a seat at the climate table.

Every one of us has a story of how climate change is affecting us and the planet we love. In this episode, Jason Davis, Director of Climate Stories Project, details his ambitious goal of helping people around the globe record and share their individual climate story, in an effort to inspire heart to heart connection , community and ultimately, action.     

“When we truly open our hearts to each other, there is no burden too heavy for us to carry together, there is no pain too deep for us to hold in each other’s arms. And it’s in that place—of feeling the Earth’s injuries, and feeling it with each other—that the alchemy emerges. It’s in the cauldron of sharing our grief with our community, of gazing at it together and not looking away, that the heartbreak turns to hope.” Author Jeremy Lent gave this inspiring keynote talk at The Whidbey Institute annual gala in October 2020.

After four years of a climate denier as President, Americans have selected a new leader. President-Elect Joe Biden has vowed to make the Climate Crisis a top priority. He is already injecting climate into congratulatory conversations from Global Heads of State. Tying economics and climate will be key to the Biden plan for unity in combating the existential threat of our lifetime. 

The newly elected Biden-Harris administration has made Climate Change one of its top priorities. Reading from their Build Back Better website, Rose details the ambitious plans as the USA transitions their position from "Hoax" to Leading By Example.

With the final outcome of the election was still undecided at the time of recording, Rose and Christine debrief about the disappointment and implications of over 65 million Americans supporting Donald Trump and his anti-science agenda.

As trees mature, they absorb and store the carbon dioxide emissions that are driving global heating. In this episode Rose juxtaposes global tree planting projects against the recent Trump administration rollback of development and logging protection for Alaska's Tongass National Forest.

This year Amazon PRIME members spent more than $10.4 Billion in two days. In this episode Rose and Christine explore our need to buy "stuff" despite the toll it takes on our planet, and ask the question: Who are we if we are not consumers?

"We need a just transition to renewable, sustainable energy, not expansion of fossil fuel extraction...We demand respect for our rights and sovereignty as Indigenous Peoples so that we can control our own lands, futures, and job opportunities." A group of Indigenous women leaders, supported by 158 organizations, released an open letter urging the heads of major global financial institutions to respect Indigenous rights and to stop propping up the tar sands industry. It's time, the leaders stated, to sever all ties with the sector's "climate-wrecking pipelines, as well as the massively destructive extraction projects that feed them."