Climate Cast ®

Climate Cast podcast art
Climate Cast
MPR News

MPR meteorologist Paul Huttner discusses the latest research on our changing climate and the consequences we’re seeing here in Minnesota and worldwide. Hear Climate Cast each Thursday on MPR’s All Things Considered.

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Lakes could help harness large amounts of clean energy from the sun using floating solar panels
Already used in lakes around the world, floating solar panels have helped harvest a vast amount of clean energy. Matt Simon with Grist talks about floating photovoltaics — the technology gathering energy from the sun on top of still bodies of water.   
How do you define clean energy? Minnesota climate group working on answer
How will Minnesota transition to a carbon-free future? B. Rosas with Climate Generation talks about the organization’s efforts to inform communities across the state about clean sources of energy.
Drought-free, but for how long? How climate change affects dry and wet trends in Minnesota
Kenneth Blumenfeld with the Minnesota State Climatology Office talks about recent rainfall patterns across the state and how they’re connected to climate change.
Lawmakers pass much needed permitting reforms for clean energy projects as session wraps
The 2024 Minnesota Legislature session ended in chaotic fashion. But lawmakers did manage to get through changes that will speed up the permitting process for green projects and help address the backlog of proposals awaiting approval.
The impact of building codes on climate change
Heating and cooling our homes and buildings in Minnesota contribute about 40 percent of our state’s greenhouse gas emissions. What opportunity exists to reduce our carbon footprint by updating our building codes?
A U of M scientist is using leaf glow to better track climate change
Professor Rui Cheng is behind the research. She says leaf glow offers a more direct and accurate way to understand the effects of climate change on ecosystems in the Arctic and boreal regions, which are experiencing some of the fastest rates of temperature warming in the world.
Report shows Minnesota is leading the way in clean energy transition
Amelia Cerling Hennes, managing director of public affairs for Clean Energy Economy MN, shared more about the state’s clean energy transition and what we’re doing well.
‘I’m sorry we broke the sea and sky’: CNN chief climate correspondent on finding hope in climate change
Bill Weir’s new book is called “Life as We Know It (Can Be).” He wrote it as a letter to his 4-year-old son River on how to find hope in a world of climate change.
As hurricanes get more powerful, some scientists suggest a new category six
That’s out of a recent study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looking at the link between stronger hurricanes and climate change.