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Note: This interview was originally published on September 5, 2023. It's being re-released with a new intro for Amazon Day 2024. To our new subscribers: thanks and welcome!
September 5 is World Amazon Day, and we’re celebrating with an episode about the many things that make the Amazon rain forest so special. For example, did you know that the Amazon is the largest rain forest in the world? It covers an area nearly the size of the entire continental United States, and it’s home to about one in 10 known species on Earth. It also helps stabilize the local and global climate. But it also faces challenges from deforestation, climate change, and more. In this episode, you’ll hear from Dr. Meg Symington, WWF’s vice president for the Amazon. Meg talks about how she first fell in love with the rain forest (3:11), why the Amazon matters so much to both local communities and the world at large (4:59), the many threats it faces (7:40), and what solutions are needed to keep it intact for future generations (14:08). Later, for our Supporters Sound Off segment, you’ll hear from Marianne Spindel, a WWF Hero from Florida, about what inspires her passion for nature (25:40).
Links for More Info:
WWF Amazon Page
Meg Symington Bio
Become a WWF Hero
2023 Thomas Lovejoy Science for Nature Symposium
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Today’s episode revisits the climate catastrophe that hit Pakistan two years ago this month in the form of historic floods. In July and August of 2022, Pakistan received nearly double its typical rainfall nationwide, with some localized areas receiving over four times the usual amount. Simply put, the water had nowhere to go. A third of the country was submerged underwater. Two million homes were destroyed and four million acres of agricultural land were ruined. Millions were left without access to drinking water, and the loss of crops led to food shortages. It was a humanitarian disaster of the highest order. In today’s interview you’ll hear from Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General of WWF Pakistan. Hammad talks about the impacts of the 2022 floods (2:33), and how a new initiative called Recharge Pakistan aims to make his country more resilient to future flood events (11:09).
Links for More Info:
Recharge Pakistan web page
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In this episode of WWF's Breaking Waves podcast, Johan speaks with US Representative Jimmy Panetta of California's 19th Congressional district. The Congressman discusses the beauty and bounty of his district, emphasizing the balance needed between economic growth and environmental preservation. The conversation covers stressors such as fishing regulations, renewable energy projects like offshore wind, and bipartisan efforts as key to advancing pragmatic environmental policies amidst political challenges.
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Ahead of World Elephant Day on August 12, today’s episode is all about Asian elephants. Did you know that there are actually three different kinds of elephants? Our planet is home to Asian elephants, African savanna elephants, and African forest elephants. You’ll learn more about the difference between these species today, but for starters, Asian elephants and African forest elephants are slightly smaller than their savanna brethren. And Asian elephants are the most endangered of the three species. Asian elephant populations have decreased from some 100,000 at the start of the 20th century to under 50,000 today.
On today’s episode, you’ll hear from Nilanga Jayasinghe, WWF’s manager of Asian species conservation, about the features that make Asian elephants unique (2:27), the threats they currently face (7:14), and how a new initiative called Elly Allies aims address them – focusing specifically on driving progress in Southeast Asia and China (24:04).
Links for More Info:
WWF Asian Elephants page: https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/asian-elephant
Nilanga Jayasinghe bio: https://www.worldwildlife.org/experts/nilanga-jayasinghe
Elly Allies blog post: https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/tackling-critical-threats-facing-asian-elephants
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Diplomacy and business have a big impact on our environment, particularly our oceans. On this episode of Breaking Waves, Johan speaks with Sanda Ojiambo, the CEO of the United Nations Global Compact, on the challenges and opportunities of sustainable ocean business practices. They touch on how the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) influence the ocean industry (1:23), how marine renewable energy sources like offshore wind can scale with an eye toward environmental justice (7:30), and the importance of small actions in achieving global impact for ocean conservation (19:54).
Links for More Info:
Sanda Ojiambo bio
UN Global Compact
UNDP Blog: What is a Just Transition?
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This has been a year of record temperatures across the globe. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), June 2024 was the warmest June on record and the 13th consecutive month of record-high temperatures. This follows news from the Copernicus Climate Change Service that we recently experienced a 12-month period in which every month was at least 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial temperatures. That’s significant not just because it felt a little hotter for all of us, but because climate scientists have identified 1.5 degrees Celsius as a critical global warming threshold to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. To be clear, this doesn’t mean the fight against climate change is lost. But the extreme heat impacting billions of people this summer is providing a preview of what might lie ahead if we don’t take aggressive action.
Today’s episode features a conversation with Dr. Stephanie Roe, WWF’s Global Climate and Energy Lead Scientist. Stephanie explains the role that climate change plays in driving heat waves (2:02), what key indicators she’s following to determine just how bad heat-related climate impacts have gotten (5:18), and what we can all do in our daily lives to address climate change and adapt to extreme heat (14:05).
Links for More Info:
Stephanie Roe bio
NOAA Monthly Climate Report, June 2024
Copernicus Climate Change Service
NATURE Article: “Climate models can’t explain 2023’s huge heat anomaly – we may be in uncharted territory,” by Gavin Schmidt
2024 State of Carbon Dioxide Removal Report
US Energy Department guide to IRA tax credits
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What responsibility do global businesses have in conserving our oceans? In this episode, Johan is joined by Marika McCauley-Sine, Chief Sustainability Officer for Mars Petcare, WWF partner and the first global pet food company to publicly commit to sustainable seafood sourcing over 15 years ago. They discuss the challenges of responsible fish sourcing (3:22), Mars's endeavors in coral reef restoration (6:51), and the importance of leadership in cross-sector collaboration to engage consumers on environmental conservation efforts (11:30).
Links for More Info:
Marika McCauley-Sine bio
Mars Sheba - Hope Reef Documentary
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Today’s episode features two people who recently teamed up to tell an important story. The topic? Seaweed farming. Seaweed has all sorts of amazing applications, from feeding people to livestock, and even as a replacement for some plastic packaging. Expanding its market share in those areas could reduce the world’s reliance on land- and energy-intensive agricultural practices because seaweed farming requires no land, freshwater, fertilizer, or pesticides. And seaweed is also good for sea life, because it absorbs carbon and produces nutrients beneficial to fish and other species.
But what does it really mean to be a seaweed farmer? That’s the story that today’s guests are helping to tell. Dr. Ana Borrero is a hatchery manager at Seaweed Solutions, a seaweed farming company based in Norway. And Jeff Siebert is the founder and creative director of Bananabones, a video production company based in the US. WWF recently commissioned Jeff to produce a series of short films called “Portrait of a Seaweed Farmer.” Each film follows a single farmer and tells the story of their journey into the seaweed farming industry and what their work entails each day. Ana was one of the featured individuals.
In this episode hear what it’s like to produce a docu-series focused on the seaweed industry (2:04), what Ana's experience has been like as a seaweed farmer (6:00), and how she hopes her work will contribute to a better future for her children (19:47).
Links for More Info:
Portrait of a Seaweed Farmer: https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/portrait-of-a-seaweed-farmerDr. Ana Borrero & Seaweed Solutions: https://seaweedsolutions.com/the-team
Jeff Siebert & Bananabones: https://www.hellobananabones.com/story
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In this episode of Breaking Waves, Johan interviews Admiral Tim Gallaudet to discuss the complex intersections of ocean health, maritime competition, and national security within the context of geopolitics. Key topics include his three-dimensional approach to ocean geopolitics—economic (blue economy), national security, and environmental conservation (1:58), how the US is countering the challenges of IUU (illegal, unreported, and unregulated) fishing (14:23), and the importance of international alliances in ensuring stability in a warming Arctic (18:28).
LINKS:
Tim Gallaudet bio
Foreign Affairs: Fish Wars by Sarah Glaser and Tim Gallaudet
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Black-footed ferrets are among the most endangered mammals in North America. These animals live in the prairies of the Great Plains, and only about 390 of them remain in the wild today. That’s actually up significantly from decades past, when they were once believed to be extinct. But big threats remain in the form of habitat loss and a non-native disease called sylvatic plague, which affects the ferrets as well as the prairie dogs that they rely on for food and prairie dog burrows for shelter. The ongoing effort to save both black-footed ferrets and prairie dogs has brought together experts from WWF, Fort Belknap Indian Community, local conservation agencies in Montana, and students from the Aaniiih and Nakoda College. Joining the show today to discuss this work are Kristy Bly, WWF’s black-footed ferrets restoration manager, and Tevin Messerly, a biologist with the Fort Belknap Fish and Wildlife Department. Kristy and Tevin give a rundown of all the basic facts you need to know about black-footed ferrets (1:39), what strategies they are pursuing to save them (10:46), and what it looks like to deploy those strategies in the field (13:12).
LINKS:
WWF’s Black-Footed Ferrets page
PBS Wild Hope Episode: America’s BFF
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Welcome to Breaking Waves, a 6-episode limited series from WWF's Nature Breaking podcast. In this episode Johan Bergenas talks with Dr. Enric Sala, Explorer-in-Residence at National Geographic, and Dr. Gabby Ahmadia, WWF's VP of Area-Based Ocean Conservation on the ecological and economic benefits of well-managed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Both have extensive experience implementing and studying MPAs, including "no-take" areas (which prohibit all fishing and other extractive activity) and "multi-use" areas (which allow for regulated activities, including some forms of extraction and recreation, in designated zones). They discuss the rapid positive impacts on tourism of MPAs (4:19), the need for equitable and inclusive practices in MPAs (17:35), and how to overcome financial challenges associated with these strategies (21:00).
LINKS:
Pristine Seas
Project Finance for Permanence
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As we approach the upcoming Juneteenth holiday, today’s episode is about environmental justice. You’ve probably heard that term before, but in short, it refers to the notion that underserved and historically underrepresented communities with higher populations of black, indigenous, and other peoples of color, have born a disproportionate share of the impacts from climate change and environmental degradation. And over the last few decades there’s been a growing movement to address that disparity head on, by raising awareness, engaging companies and other actors that contribute to localized environmental harm, and by changing federal, state and local policies to ensure better outcomes. Joining the show to talk more about this is Carlos Claussell Velez, WWF’s manager for climate, DEI, and environmental justice. Carlos explains how his upbringing in Puerto Rico led to a passion for environmental justice (1:41), what climate and environmental justice really means for communities on the front lines of these issues (5:00), and what steps the US government has taken in recent years to embed the notion of justice for communities in climate action plans (12:45).
LINKS:
Carlos Claussell Velez bio
BLOG: Unleashing Change: Federal Climate Investments Driving Community Benefits
Renewable Thermal Collaborative
America Is All In
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Welcome to Breaking Waves, a 6-episode limited series from WWF's Nature Breaking podcast. In this episode of Breaking Waves, WWF's Senior Vice President of Ocean Conservation, Johan Bergenas, talks with Bill Hilf, Chairman of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, about the progression and potential of AI for ocean conservation. Johan and Bill dive into AI's role in enhancing ocean health by leveraging big data and predictive models (16:27), the challenges of sustainable funding (18:44), and the risk of energy consumption presented by AI (23:26).
LINKS:
Allen Institute for AI -
Today’s episode focuses on the latest efforts to conserve wild tigers. After a century of decline, tiger populations began to rebound in the last decade, growing from just 3,200 in 2010 to over 5,500 today. But tigers are still an endangered species. So what are the most important steps we can take to keep tiger populations trending upward? That was the topic of the recent Sustainable Financing for Tiger Landscapes Conference in Bhutan. As the title suggests, one of the biggest hurdles facing tiger conservation is funding. Simply put, countries with wild tigers need more reliable, long-term sources of funding to continue implementing conservation measures at the scale required. Today you’ll hear from someone who attended that summit: Jenny Roberts, Director of Development and Communications for WWF’s Tigers Alive Initiative. Jenny provides an update on the current status of wild tigers (2:00), shares the key outcomes from the tiger conference in Bhutan (20:35), and explains what global leaders need to do next to secure a future for these iconic big cats (26:55).
LINKS:
WWF Tiger Facts Page
WWF Tigers Alive Initiative
Sustainable Finance for Tiger Landscapes Summit
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Breaking Waves is a new 6-episode limited series that will run on the Nature Breaking feed throughout the summer of 2024. Join host Johan Bergenas, WWF's senior vice president for oceans, as he interviews outside experts on a range of ocean-related topics. You'll hear episodes about how we effectively manage marine protected areas, how new kinds of partnerships are advancing ocean conservation, what the AI revolution means for the open seas, and more. Episodes will run every other week beginning on Tuesday, June 4. Regular episodes of Nature Breaking will continue on opposite weeks.
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Today’s episode celebrates an important milestone: the 10th anniversary of the largest tropical forest conservation program on Earth. It’s called the Amazon Region Protected Areas Program for Life, or ARPA for Life, for short. And since 2014 it has helped provide the resources required to protect 150 million acres of the Brazilian Amazon, an area larger than the state of California. The Amazon rainforest is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, containing about 1 in 10 of all known species. It also stores an abundance of carbon, and regulates regional weather as the moisture from the forest contributes to rainfall in one of the most important agricultural regions in the world. In short, we all have a stake in keeping the Amazon rainforest vibrant and intact. And ARPA for Life is the single biggest initiative attempting to do that. Joining the show today to reflect on 10 years of ARPA for Life is Dr. Mariana Ferreira, Director of Strategy for WWF-Brazil. Mariana shares some of the history behind the creation of ARPA for Life (2:35), how it has endured political challenges presented by changes in the Brazilian government (10:34), and how it has benefitted people, biodiversity, and the climate through its first 10 years (16:41).
LINKS:
Dr. Mariana Ferreira bioARPA for Life web story
Amazon Rain Forest fact page
Enduring Earth website
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Today’s episode is about a piece of legislation currently pending in the US Congress that could make a big difference for global forest conservation: the FOREST Act. This bill would create new requirements and incentives for companies to ensure that the products they import into the US are not associated with illegal deforestation. This matters now more than ever because forests are a critical ally in our global fight against climate change and biodiversity loss, and because we’re still losing forests like the Amazon far too quickly. Last year we lost about 10 soccer fields worth of forest every minute. The FOREST Act could help reverse that trend. Today’s episode features a conversation with Stephanie Cappa, WWF’s director for policy and government affairs. You’ll hear Stephanie talk about what’s driving deforestation around the world (2:12), the nuts and bolts of how the FOREST Act would work (9:15) and where it currently stands in Congress (22:20). Stephanie also gives a quick update on some other priority legislation for this year, including the Farm Bill (25:28).
LINKS:
Stephanie Cappa bio
Take Action to Support the FOREST Act
WWF FOREST Act Page
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Ahead of Earth Day, today’s episode revisits a topic that we first covered in 2022 on this podcast: plastic pollution. Everyone knows that this issue has become a true crisis around the world. Our current system for recycling and reusing plastic products is broken, and far too much of the plastic we use in our lives ends up in our communities or in our oceans. But there is hope for a brighter future. In March of 2022, the UN Environment Assembly agreed to kick off a process to draft a Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution, with a goal of finalizing the treaty by 2025. My guest today is Erin Simon, WWF’s vice president for plastic waste and business. Erin has had a front-row seat to this ongoing treaty process, and she’s joining us today to provide an update ahead of the critical next phase: the fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, which begins on April 23 and is intended to bring the treaty one step closer to being finalized. But first Erin brings listeners up to speed on the current state of the plastic crisis (1:43) and the actions that the US government could take to help (6:56), before breaking down the latest on the UN treaty negotiations (16:17).
LINKS:
Erin Simon bioWWF Plastic Treaty Page
BLOG: Reflections from WWF's Plastic Policy Summit
POLL: 85% of people want a ban on single-use plastics
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NOTE: This episode originally ran in September of 2022.
In this episode, Erin Simon, WWF’s head of plastic waste and business, explains the scale of the plastic pollution crisis and why it matters for both people and nature. She dives into the factors driving this crisis (5:42) and discusses how companies and individuals can help address it (9:12). And lastly, Erin breaks down efforts by the United Nations to create a new treaty to address the plastic crisis (18:00).
LINKS:
Erin Simon Bio
WWF’s Plastics Initiative
ReSource Plastic
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Today’s episode marks International Day of Forests (March 21) by celebrating the 25th anniversary of a little-known but important US law: the Tropical Forest and Coral Reef Conservation Act, or TFCCA. At its core, the TFCCA was designed to facilitate debt-for-nature swaps, which enable developing countries to restructure the debt they owe to the US in a way that relieves their financial burden in exchange for redirecting a portion of the funds toward conservation. These swaps were conceptualized in the 1980s by Dr. Tom Lovejoy, WWF’s first chief scientist, and proved to be remarkably successful and popular. Today’s episode features a conversation with Esteban Brenes, WWF’s senior director for conservation finance, about the history of debt-for-nature swaps (2:18), how conservation funds get disbursed under the TFCCA (4:25), and some examples of specific debt-for-nature swaps that have delivered results (8:01). Esteban also shares some lessons learned from the last 25 years of implementing this law, and how those lessons can be applied going forward (14:30).
LINKS:
COP28 Event: 25 Years of the TFCCA
2023 Peru Debt Swap Agreement
WWF Statement on 2023 Peru Debt Swap
WWF Statement on 2021 Congressional Reauthorization of the TFCCA
Tom Lovejoy Obituary
- Visa fler
