We kicked off this season of Sea Change with a globetrotting journey. A quest to understand a booming new industry on the Gulf Coast: liquified natural gas, or LNG.

In a historic move, the Biden Administration froze any decisions on new gas export projects…until it could study how shipping so much American gas overseas could affect the economy, health, and the climate.

Well, that long-awaited study was just released. The findings? Increasing LNG exports is bad news for American consumers, communities, and our climate. But that might not mean much to the new administration determined to drill baby, drill.

One of the hottest flashpoints in this fight over the future of LNG centers around whether it's a climate solution, as industry claims, or actually a carbon bomb. Today, we talk to leading scientist Dr. Robert Howarth about his recent study revealing that LNG is worse for the climate than coal. 

This episode was hosted by Halle Parker and Carlyle Calhoun. Our sound designer is Emily Jankowski. And our theme music is by Jon Batiste.

For more about LNG, check out our 3-part series, All Gassed Up, or our 1-hour special. You can find Sea Change wherever you get your podcasts. 

Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation. 

There’s a lot going on in the world of liquified natural gas, or LNG. And we are here to tell you about it! The Department of Energy just released its big report on whether exporting more LNG is in the public interest…spoiler alert: it’s not. One of the largest LNG facilities in the world, located just south of New Orleans, recently began production. And there are a slew of other export terminals waiting in the wings for approval. Almost all of them are located on the Gulf Coast.

There are two competing LNG narratives…fossil fuel companies and their big investors all sing its praise saying LNG is great for the climate and Americans. But, environmentalists, scientists, the Department of Energy, and even other private industries all say the opposite. 

It’s a pivotal time for energy. And the battle over LNG will play a huge role in our future climate. That’s why we at Sea Change produced a one-hour version of our 3 part series "All Gassed Up." If you don’t have time to listen to three episodes, this 1-hour special will give you the backstory…how this booming industry came to be, how the gulf coast became its epicenter, and how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and even the nuclear meltdown of Fukushima all helped lead to this moment. 

This 1-hour special was hosted, written, and reported by Halle Parker and Carlyle Calhoun. It was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center. This special was edited by Johanna Zorn and Jack Rodolico. Our sound designer is Emily Jankowski. And our theme music is by Jon Batiste.

This special was just one part of our three-part podcast series, All Gassed Up. To hear the full series, you can find Sea Change wherever you get your podcasts. 

Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. 

Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation. 

The Lemon Tree Mound is a sacred place for the Atakapa/Ishak-Chawasha tribe. And it's disappearing under the rising waters of the Gulf of Mexico. In this episode, we travel out into the bayous of South Louisiana to understand what this one small sacred place means for the Land Back Movement and climate justice, and why efforts to save our coast matter, even if they really mean only buying time. 

Click here to read more about the return of the sacred land to the tribe, and here to learn more about the efforts to save it.

This episode was hosted and reported by Eva Tesfaye, Drew Hawkins, and Danny McArthur. Carlyle Calhoun is the managing producer. Our sound designer is Emily Jankowski and our theme music is by Jon Batiste.

Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We're a part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO's Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation and the Greater New Orleans Foundation. 

10:54

Eva Tesfaye

And here’s mine https://www.wwno.org/coastal-desk/2024-10-02/less-land-more-water-grand-bayou-indian-village-builds-oyster-reef-for-protection

They are called PFAS or “forever chemicals.” They originated in New Jersey decades ago with a promise of a future made easier by science. They’ve spread into countless products and polluted countless places throughout the world. Now, they are even in our blood.

Today we are bringing you the first episode of Hazard NJ's new season that dives into the history of forever chemicals and efforts to solve the PFAS pollution crisis. 

This episode is hosted by journalist Jordan Gass-Pooré, and produced by NJ Spotlight News. Listen to the rest of the season here on Apple Podcasts or here on Spotify. 

Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. Carlyle Calhoun is our managing producer. Our sound designer is Emily Jankowski and our theme music is by Jon Batiste. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. 

Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

You can reach the Sea Change team at [email protected].

This is a time of celebrating food and giving thanks to the people who grow it, catch it, and prepare it. That’s why today we are bringing you an episode we first aired back in May of 2023. 

Food connects us to our past, to our memories, to each other, and to the world around us. It’s powerful. But food systems–from how we grow or catch things to how we transport them –are also incredibly complex. As climate change increasingly impacts the world, we are seeing some of the first effects of that through our food.

So we’ve been wondering… How can we keep enjoying the food we love to eat without hurting the ecosystems it comes from? And how can we support the people who make a livelihood producing that food? Today on Sea Change, we meet some amazing chefs to help us answer those questions. First, we go into the kitchen of Top Chef finalist, Isaac Toups, to learn how he connects cooking with activism for saving the coast. And then we speak to a group of chefs who are just as passionate about what they put on our plates as they are about protecting the place we live…from the wetlands of Louisiana to the entire planet.

A special thanks to Chef Isaac Toups, Chef Dana Honn, Chef Erik Nunley, and Chef April Bellows.

For more information about the Chef’s Brigade: https://www.chefsbrigade.org

We hope you enjoy this episode, and we wish you a very happy Thanksgiving.

This episode was hosted by Halle Parker and Carlyle Calhoun. Carlyle Calhoun is our managing producer. The sound designer for this episode is Maddie Zampanti and our theme music is by Jon Batiste.

Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. To help others find our podcast, please hit subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

You can reach the Sea Change team at [email protected].

Sea level rise is this big, scary reality. We’re always hearing predictions from scientists that the oceans will swallow islands, flood major cities, and wipe out huge stretches of coastline. The longer we burn fossil fuels, the bigger the surge. It sounds apocalyptic on this huge, global scale. 

But also totally abstract – it’s hard to picture. What will it mean for the sea to rise two feet… 4 feet…even 7 feet by the end of the century?

Turns out, it depends where you look. 

In this episode, we’re going to drop in on communities on each of America’s three coasts, each coming up with their own set of solutions to the water that is slowly consuming their edges. 

Want to know more about the growing problem of failing septic systems? Sure you do! Check out more of Katherine's reporting here and read this article about how the failure of septic systems due to climate change is impacting public health. 

Look no further for more information about San Francisco's Waterfront Flood Study.

This episode was hosted and co-reported by Halle Parker. The episode was reported in collaboration with Ezra David Romero of KQED in San Francisco and Katherine Hafner of WHRO in Norfolk, Virginia. Editing by Jack Rodolico with additional editing help from Carlyle Calhoun and Eve Abrams. Carlyle Calhoun is our managing producer. Our sound designer is Emily Jankowski and our theme music is by Jon Batiste.

Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. To help others find our podcast, please hit subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

You can reach the Sea Change team at [email protected].

Hollywood has been cold on climate change, mostly relegating the issue to documentaries. We talk to two people who are trying to change that.

We first talk to David Sirota, who co-wrote the Blockbuster hit, "Don't Look Up" with Adam McKay, and then we talk to Anna Jane Joyner, the founder of Good Energy, a nonprofit that supports TV and film creators in telling authentic stories that reflect our reality: a world in a climate crisis. 

For more about journalist and screenwriter David Sirota, check out his news organization, The Lever. And his podcast unveiling corruption, Master Plan.

And for all about great storytelling that addresses the climate crisis, check out Good Energy.

This episode was hosted by Eva Tesfaye and Halle Parker. Managing Producer, Carlyle Calhoun Despeaux, conducted the interviews. Our sound designer is Emily Jankowski and our theme music is by Jon Batiste.

Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. To help others find our podcast, please hit subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

You can reach the Sea Change team at [email protected].

Want to know even more about sustainable seafood on the Gulf Coast? Listen to this bonus episode for an extended conversation with Chef Jim Smith of The Hummingbird Way Oyster Bar in Mobile, Alabama. We talk with Chef Smith about threats facing both fishers and fisheries on the Gulf Coast and how we, as consumers, can make a difference...and of course, we talk about some of the delicious seafood dishes he's cooking up!

Your expert guide to sustainable seafood is here! Get ready to feel the salt spray, and tuck into a wide-ranging conversation about what's on your plate and the future of our ocean. 

Seafood has been called our "last wild food." Humans have been enjoying seafood for a long time—over 2 million years. But in recent decades, how we catch and eat fish and shellfish has changed dramatically. 

Even though it might not always seem like it when we are digging into a Po'Boy with so much fried shrimp that they’re falling out the ends—our oceans are not the endless bounty we once thought they were. The UN reports that 94% of global fish stocks are overfished. So if we want to keep loving our seafood and making sure there are still shrimpers, fishers, and oyster harvesters able to make a living along our coast, then we’ve got to think about sustainability.  

We talk about the future of fish with one of the foremost seafood and ocean sustainability experts in the country, Paul Greenberg. And, Chef Jim Smith of the Hummingbird Way in Mobile gets us hungry to help save our seafood explaining how to eat it sustainably. 

You'll find more about Paul Greenberg here, with links to his books, including his new release, A Third Term.

For more about Chef Jim Smith and his sustainability efforts, check out The Hummingbird Way. And check out our bonus episode with the extended interview with Jim. 

This episode was hosted and reported by Carlyle Calhoun Despeaux and cohosted by Halle Parker. Johanna Zorn edited this episode. Our sound designer is Emily Jankowski and our theme music is by Jon Batiste. Our managing producer is Carlyle Calhoun Despeaux.

Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. To help others find our podcast, please hit subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

You can reach the Sea Change team at [email protected].

What if we get it right? That's the question marine biologist, climate expert, and writer Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson explores in her new book. Ayana joins us to talk about climate solutions we have right now and what's possible for the future of our planet.  

Looking for a link to the book? "What If We Get It Right? Visions of a Climate Future"

This episode was hosted by Eva Tesfaye and cohosted by Halle Parker. Our managing producer is Carlyle Calhoun Despeaux. Our sound designer is Emily Jankowski and our theme music is by Jon Batiste.

Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. To help others find our podcast, hit subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. 

Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

You can reach the Sea Change team at [email protected].

TV Weather Gets Heated. In a world where weather is getting more extreme, the role of meteorologists is becoming more important—and controversial—than ever. Meteorologists have been fired over reporting on climate change, and others have left stations because of death threats.

 But that hasn’t stopped Jeff Berardelli, Chief Meteorologist for Tampa Bay’s WFLA News. He’s leaning in. In this episode, Jeff Berardelli tells Carlyle what it’s like to be a weatherman in the time of climate change. And answers questions like: why do certain spots get hit by more hurricanes? And what do changing weather patterns fueled by climate change mean for our favorite olive oil?

This episode was hosted and reported by Carlyle Calhoun Despeaux and cohosted by Halle Parker. Johanna Zorn edited this episode. Our sound designer is Emily Jankowski and our theme music is by Jon Batiste. Our managing producer is Carlyle Calhoun Despeaux.

Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. To help others find our podcast, hit subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. 

Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

You can reach the Sea Change team at [email protected].