TIL Climate Podcast Latest Season: Answering Climate Critics

What would you say if I told you that science geeks from the science geek capital of the world, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently launched season six of its highly entertaining climate podcast called TIL Climate?

You're probably saying, "Season six? Where was I for seasons one through five?" You can check out their archives and then strap in for season six.

 TIL Climate positions itself perfectly: "Climate change is confusing. This award-winning MIT podcast breaks down the science, technologies, and policies behind climate change, how it’s impacting us, and what we can do about it. Each quick episode gives you the what, why, and how on climate change -- from real scientists -- to help us make informed decisions for our future."

In each 10-minute episode, host Laur Hesse Fisher speaks to an expert from the MIT community to break down a clear, focused question related to climate change. 

The podcast is part of a broader ESI project called MIT Climate, a community-building effort built around a common web portal where users can share climate change-related projects, news stories, and learning resources at MIT and beyond. MIT Climate is intended to draw individuals and groups working on climate issues at MIT closer together, and eventually become a platform for worldwide, science-based learning and engagement on climate change. You can see a prototype of the portal at climate.mit.edu.

“We named the podcast TIL Climate after the popular Reddit hashtag TIL, which stands for Today I Learned,” says host Laur Hesse Fisher. “We hope to signify that these episodes are accessible. Even if you have no prior knowledge of climate science or policy, after 10 minutes you know enough to start being a part of the conversation.”

“There’s a lot of information out there about why climate change is happening, how it will affect human life, and the solutions that are on the table. But it’s hard to find sources that you trust,” says Fisher, who is also program director for ESI. "There are still a lot of jargon and technicalities that you have to wade through. We’re trying to solve that problem."

 Season six began in late March with a trailer that announced, "this time we’re doing something a little different. People all around the world write into our team with questions about climate change. So this season, we’re working with scientists and experts at MIT and beyond, to answer those questions in language we can all understand."

What MIT doesn't say is that the questions seems to be posed by climate deniers, who live in their own bubble, where climate change is a hoax to force them to buy LED bulbs, electric cars, and stop eating red meat. They listen to the Congressman who, a few years ago, brought a snowball into Congress to "debunk" climate change.

In my initial review of TIL Climate I lauded the hosting skills of Laur Hesse Fisher. She's an incredible host. In season six, Fisher is at the top of her game. I don't know if there's a spring training for podcast hosts like in major league baseball, but I believe Fisher must have been practicing because she has hit hosting home runs in every episode in this season.

My favorite episode is "Do wind turbines kill birds?" because this is a constant refrain from Trump supporters who listen to Trump complain about wind power because the Scottish government built a wind farm next to his golf course there. 

In the beginning, Fisher asks that question about killing birds and answers it by saying that wind turbines kill about 100,000 to 700,000 birds a year. Then, taking a breath, she says, "But don't stop the episode here because that's not the whole story."

"The whole story" includes a solution to reduce bird deaths by painting one fan blade black, which has reduced bird deaths from wind turbines by 70 percent.

Fisher and Howland explain that birds are killed by the millions by high-rise buildings with birds smashing into them. The biggest threat to birds? It's cats, who, by one estimate, kill over a billion cats each year.

In the episode preceding that one, the MIT scientists debunk the misinformation spread by Texas Governor Greg Abbott that wind turbines freeze up in cold weather in 2021. As MIT professor Michael Howland explained, wind turbines operate efficiently in places as far north as Norway and Alaska. They simply need to be winterized, which the Texas government failed to do.

The episodes on hydrogen energy is especially eye-opening because the understanding of how it works is low, comparing "green" hydrogen to hydrogen from natural gas.

What I enjoyed in the last season and still today, even more so, is the treatment of climate change in the podcast by experts on each episode.  These smart people offer information cleanly and without proselytizing. These experts often explain the tradeoffs and ambiguity inherent in climate change initiatives. 

Some people will never be persuaded. Facts don't matter because climate denialism is woven into their worldview. For those people who heard Texas Senator Ted Cruz earlier this year cast doubt on climate change because "It was cold in the winter," and thought that made sense, TIL Climate is not for you. Yet. 

For those who trust what their senses tell them about a hotter, more unstable world, listen to the TIL Climate podcast.