Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall

We talk a lot about climate change and what we can do to slow down or prevent the worst outcomes at a global scale. But the impacts of climate change can be completely different from state to state or even neighborhood to neighborhood. Why? Naomi Deokule and Ashley Junger from our Possibly team looked into one explanation- racism. 

Naomi Deokule: Hi Megan!

Ashley Junger: Hey!

Megan Hall: So what does racial discrimination have to do with climate change today?

Naomi Deokule: Well, let’s start by taking a look at our home city, Providence RI.  

Ashley Junger: It’s not that hard to see that there are big socioeconomic and racial differences between neighborhoods.

Naomi Deokule: Like most American cities, these divisions were not an accident, but a legacy of racist policies. 

Ashley Junger: Perhaps the best known example, at least for the 20th century, is redlining. 

Megan Hall: What’s redlining?

Ashley Junger: Basically, in the 1930s, metropolitan maps were color coded by banks to decide which areas would receive government-issued loans.

Naomi Deokule: Neighborhoods with more people of color were considered risky, and were literally outlined with a red pen on the map – that’s where the name redlining came from.

Ashley Junger: People in those neighborhoods were denied mortgages, insurance loans, and other financial services. 

Megan Hall: Ok- but what does that have to do with climate change?

Naomi Deokule: Neighborhoods that were redlined got fewer investments in parks and other green spaces. Instead, they were used for highways, landfills, and industrial plants.

Ashley Junger: Which makes them more vulnerable to climate change. 

Megan Hall: In what way? 

Naomi Deokule: Well, trees are actually really important for keeping things cool. In addition to providing shade, they pump water up from the soil and act as a natural air conditioner. 

Ashley Junger: But pavement absorbs heat, so it sort of acts like a radiator. This makes neighborhoods with lots of highways, roadways, and parking lots hotter.

Megan Hall: So all of this makes these previously redlined communities hotter?

Naomi Deokule: Yes, in fact a study looking at more than 100 urban areas in the US, found that 94% of redlined areas were hotter than areas that had the best ratings from Home Ownership Loan Association. 

Megan Hall:  So, racist lending practices are making climate change worse in certain neighborhoods?   

Naomi Deokule: I mean, climate change is a complex issue, so we can’t say redlining is the ONLY cause of these differences, but it does play an important role. 

Megan Hall: Do we know which neighborhoods are most vulnerable in Rhode Island?

Ashley Junger: Yes, to find out we talked to…

Amelia Rose: Amelia rose. I’m the Executive Director of Groundwork Rhode Island.”

Naomi Deokule: Amelia and her team analyzed redlining maps of Rhode Island.

Amelia Rose: “You can see the neighborhoods that are green lines that are, were and are the most affluent areas, and the places that have the most trees. The red areas, and the yellow areas are the places where there’s the most flooding, and there’s the least amount of trees today.”

Ashley Junger: Amelia found that low-income and previously redlined communities, like Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Providence have fewer trees and more concrete than previously greenlined areas, although as of now they aren’t hotter.

Megan Hall: What can we do to make these vulnerable areas more resilient?

Naomi Deokule: It’s a complex issue, but we could start by planting more trees and getting more green spaces into these communities!

Megan Hall: Got it. Thanks for walking us through this issue, Naomi and Ashley! 

That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, go to the public’s radio dot org slash possibly. Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. 

You can also follow us on facebook and twitter- at  “ask possibly” 

Possibly is a co-production of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative, and the Public’s Radio.

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Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall. 

The Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Australia, is large enough that you can see it from space. It’s home to thousands of types of sea creatures, and protects the coastline from erosion. 

But it’s taken a beating over the years…

Recently, I heard that the Great Barrier Reef is experiencing a comeback. What’s really going on?

We had Emily Tom and Naomi Deokule from our Possibly Team look into it. 

Emily Tom: Hi, Megan! 

Naomi Deokule: Hey, Megan!

Megan Hall: Okay, so is the Great Barrier Reef dead or recov ered, or what?

Emily Tom: Well, first, let’s talk about how the reef became so degraded in the first place. 

Naomi Deokule: To learn more, we talked with Dr. Emma Camp.

Dr. Emma Camp: I am a marine biologist within the future research team at the University of Technology Sydney.

Emily Tom: She says the reef has been under a lot of stress lately.

Megan Hall: How?

Naomi Deokule: Well, for one, it’s experienced four mass bleaching events over the past six years 

Dr. Emma Camp: when things like the temperature become too hot, the algae leave the coral because it actually started to produce some toxic oxygen species to the coral, and the coral turns white, the skeleton’s exposed. And during that time, we saw a lot of coral loss. 

Megan Hall: Why do we care about this coral loss?

Emily Tom: Even though coral reefs take up less than one percent of the ocean, they support twenty-five percent of the ocean’s fish population. 

Naomi Deokule: They also provide food, income, and protection for half a billion people around the world. So it’s really important that we preserve reefs everywhere.

Emily Tom: But the good news is, Emma says some of the lost coral on the reef is coming back. 

Dr. Emma Camp: And that’s great. We know that if corals are given time, they can recover.

Naomi Deokule: In fact, over the past year, the Great Barrier Reef saw its highest coral cover in thirty-six years.

Megan Hall: But why? What made the coral come back?

Emily Tom: Well, the reef just hasn’t been under much stress lately.

Megan Hall: That’s awesome! You know, with so much bad news about climate change lately, it’s nice to have one less thing to worry about.

Emily Tom: Oh. Well, I don’t want to burst your bubble, but it’s not time to relax just yet. There’s more to reef recovery than just having more coral in the short term.

Megan Hall: Like what?

Naomi Deokule: Well, we are seeing more and more ocean heat waves – long periods with exceptionally high temperatures. That’s what bleaches coral in the first place.  

Emily Tom: Just because the Great Barrier Reef hasn’t had one for a couple of years, doesn’t mean it will fully recover before the next one. 

Naomi Deokule: And Dr. Camp says it’s not just about the quantity of coral. You also want a large variety. the reef is already showing losses of big, slow-growing corals. 

Emily Tom: The bottom line is that reefs are in real trouble, and that’s only going to get worse as carbon dioxide levels rise and the earth heats up. 

Dr. Emma Camp: All of the models predict that we’re going to continue to have increasing stress events, we’re going to have more bleaching events, we’re going to have more, you know, cyclones of higher intensity likely to hit the reef, 

Emily Tom: One year of increased coral coverage isn’t going to save the Great Barrier Reef. 

Naomi Deokule: Scientists say that if climate change isn’t stopped, there is a very high possibility that the Great Barrier Reef will disappear in our lifetimes. 

Megan Hall: Oh great. I started off the episode thinking we’d get some good news about climate change. 

Emily Tom: Sorry about that! It can’t always be good news. 

Megan Hall: Right. Thanks, Emily and Naomi! 

That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, go to the public’s radio dot org slash possibly. Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. 

You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter- at “ask possibly” 

Possibly is a co-production of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative, and the Public’s Radio.

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Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.

The weather is cooling, the leaves are changing, and all of my neighbors are putting pumpkins on their porches. It got me thinking, what is the environmental impact of all of these Jack O Lanterns?

Here to answer this question are Naomi Deokule and Emily Tom. 

Naomi Deokule: Hey Megan! 

Emily Tom: Hi there!

Megan Hall: So how are all these decorative pumpkins affecting the environment?

Naomi Deokule: With the Halloween season coming up, around 145 million Americans are buying pumpkins to make homemade jack-o-lanterns. 

Emily Tom: And after all the pumpkin decorating fun, a majority of people simply throw them away.

Megan Hall: Okay, but a lot of holiday stuff creates waste. Why should I care about pumpkins in landfills?

Emily Tom: Foods like pumpkins decompose and release methane, a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere.

Naomi Deokule: And they contribute to a larger problem: food waste. 20% of global methane emissions come from food scraps and other biodegradable waste in landfills.

Megan Hall: Does that mean I shouldn’t carve a pumpkin this year?

Naomi Deokule: No– you don’t have to give up your fall traditions! In fact pumpkins make up barely a fraction of the food sent to landfills. 

Emily Tom: The most methane emissions actually come from meat and dairy waste. So, relative to other foods, pumpkins don’t make a huge environmental impact.

Naomi Deokule: That being said, it’s still helpful to put your pumpkins to use! 

Emily Tom: To find out more about one solution, we talked to two leaders of SCARCE, a non-profit that promotes composting. 

Kay McKean: “So my name is Kay McKean. And I’m the founder of scarce and we are in our 32nd year.”

Erin Kennedy: “And my name is Erin Kennedy. I’m one of the environmental educators here at scarce”

Emily Tom: According to them, the answer to massive pumpkin waste is an annual pumpkin smash!

Erin: “So the participants that come, they bring their pumpkin, they load it up on that catapult and that will actually shoot it into that collection, roll off the dumpster that will then get transported to a commercial food scrap composting facility.”

Naomi Deokule: At the facility, the organic waste creates less methane AND it’s turned into compost that can be used to improve soil health. In fact, 

Erin: “We estimated about 780 tons of pumpkins have been diverted from a landfill.”

Megan Hall: Wow! That sounds fun! But what do I do if there isn’t a pumpkin smash near me?

Naomi Deokule: Well, one option is to start your own!

Emily Tom: Or figure out a way to use as much of the pumpkin as you can! For example, you could use it to make a pie or you can bake the seeds. You could also compost it!

Naomi Deokule: Basically, the message here is don’t worry about your Jack O’Lantern. Have fun with it. And look for creative ways to get rid of your food waste, even if it means smashing pumpkins.

Megan Hall: Great! Thanks Naomi and Emily!

That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, go to the public’s radio dot org slash possibly. Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. 

You can also follow us on facebook and twitter- at “ask possibly” 

Possibly is a co-production of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative, and the Public’s Radio.

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Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.

Are you looking for a new leather jacket or pair of shoes? Well get this– they might be made from mushrooms! Here to tell us about this new material and how it compares to real or faux leather are Naomi Deokule and Anjali Shah!

Welcome, Naomi and Anjali!

Naomi Deokule: Hi Megan!

Anjali Shah: Hey!

Megan Hall: So, what is this leather-like stuff that’s made of mushrooms?

Naomi Deokule: It’s actually called Mycoleather. 

Megan Hall: And why do we need this kind of fabric?

Anjali Shah: Well, real leather and even so-called vegan leather are pretty energy-intensive. 

Megan Hall: In what way?

Naomi Deokule: Let’s start with real leather. As you know, it’s made from cow skin. And it takes a lot of energy to grow and harvest food to feed cows. Plus, cow burps create methane, which is a particularly potent greenhouse gas. 

Anjali Shah: On top of that, all of the chemicals used in the leather tanning and curing process create A LOT of pollution and waste. 

Megan Hall: Ok, so is vegan leather better?

Naomi Deokule: Different, maybe, but not really “better”.

Naomi Deokule: Most leathers branded “vegan” are made from plastics like PVC or polyethylene. And do you know what plastics are made of?

Megan Hall: Fossil fuels?

Naomi Deokule: Exactly. That’s where alternatives like Myco leathers come in. 

Megan Hall: You said that it’s made from mushrooms, but how does that actually work? 

Naomi Deokule: Yes, well, to be precise, it’s made from the underground part of a mushroom. 

Anjali – It’s called the mycelium, and it usually looks like thousands of tiny threads. 

Megan Hall: But how do these little threads make something that looks like leather? 

Anjali Shah:  It’s a complicated process, but the simple version is, you grow the mycelium on organic materials like sawdust or molasses. to create a solid foam. That foam is then squeezed really tight  to make  a leather-like material. 

Megan Hall: But does it really act like leather? 

Naomi Deokule: To find out, we visited the Rhode Island School of Design’s Nature Lab, where students and researchers study and produce Myco materials. RISD student Arvind Abhallum showed us some samples. I was able to feel them…. and may have accidentally broken one….

Naomi Deokule: “Shoot. Oh god okay. I’m so sorry.”

Anjali Shah: Aside from that one mishap, most of the materials were flexible and sturdy. I could definitely see how they could be used for leather bags and clothing. 

Megan Hall: ok, so they act like leather, but how much energy does it take to make this mushroom fabric? 

Naomi Deokule: I asked RISD graduate student and biomaterial researcher Natalie Rizk that question. She says mycoleathers are WAY less energy-intensive than the other leather options. 

Natalie Rizk: You don’t need plots of land where cows can graze and release, carbon into the environment. You know, there’s a lot of space efficiency when it comes to mushrooms like they can be grown in the lab. They grow really fast.

Anjali Shah: Also- you don’t need lights to grow mushrooms. They thrive in the dark! 

Natalie Rizk: And it’s also a living organism, it’s also taking CO2 out of the environment.

Megan Hall: Ok, it sounds like mushroom leather is the way to go! But, can I actually buy this stuff anywhere?

Naomi Deokule: Yes. Companies like Adidas, Lululemon, Hermes, and Stella McCartney have started making products with mushroom leathers. In fact, I just bought one of Lululemons’ mushroom leather yoga mats. God, Shivasna on that thing has never felt better!

Anjali Shah: As Natalie from RISD says-

Natalie Rizk: Science and design are converging in a place where nature is like our collaborator. Mycelium’s the future– I think fungi are the future.

Naomi Deokule: So, the next time you want a pair of leather shoes or a new leather bag, look into trying something made from this new material. 

Megan Hall: Great! Thanks, Naomi and Anjali! 

That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, go to the public’s radio dot org slash possibly. Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. 

You can also follow us on Facebook and twitter- at  “ask possibly” 

Possibly is a co-production of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative, and the Public’s Radio.

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