The NPR podcasts Short Wave and Up First will feature special programming this week as part of the network’s annual Climate Solutions Week. This year, programming will cover ways our homes and communities can be more resilient and offer solutions to the changing climate.
“NPR journalists spend lots of time covering communities hit by extreme weather: the fires in Los Angeles, the flooding in Asheville. And we see how scared people are, how those events rock the sense of safety you usually have in your own home,” says Neela Banerjee, NPR’s Chief Climate Editor. “But we also see people and communities exploring ways to reduce those climate threats. We wanted to spotlight the solutions people are trying, so that audiences understand that they do have agency when it comes to climate change.”
This year’s lineup will include stories also featured on the radio, from Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend All Things Considered, and Here and Now. All the features will also be posted on special webpage. They will cover topics such as:
Planting trees to cope with heat islands in NevadaHow local leaders in St. George, UT are dealing with water scarcityHome elevation in flood-prone communities on the Jersey ShoreSteps homeowners are taking to make their homes more resilient to climate disastersCost-efficient ways to reduce your electricity usageWhat communities in Tampa Bay are doing to rebuild after Hurricanes Helene and MiltonHow “wildfire hardening” works at the neighborhood level to reduce the risk of costly destructionWhy American cities are looking at Vienna, Austria for a blueprint for addressing two big crises in the U.S: housing affordability and the impacts of climate change
This is the third year NPR has dedicated a week of special coverage to climate issues. Last year, the focus was on how the food we eat affects the climate and how the climate affects our food. The inaugural year brought attention to the new guard of disruptors in the world of climate change who are finding viable solutions that don’t exacerbate social and environmental injustices.