Climate Reveal

S2 E8 - Biodiversity

Chris Citorik, David Deese — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:07:06 -0700

In our final episode of Season 2, we look at the ongoing loss of biodiversity, why it matters, and how we should be thinking about it moving forward. To help us understand the current moment and the stakes of what we're facing, we sit down with Chris Neill, Senior Scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Falmouth, and Richard Primack, Professor of Plant Ecology at Boston University.

Don't forget you can register here to attend our live taping on Tuesday 4/21! https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/centers/schiller-institute/programs-initiatives/climate-reveal-podcast.html

S2 E7 - Oceans

Chris Citorik, David Deese, Andrew Fonticoba — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:01:11 -0700

In this episode, we take a deep dive (see what we did there?) into the rich, complicated world of our planet's oceans. We explore how the climate crisis has already impacted our oceans locally and globally, what the biggest challenges will be moving forward, and potential solutions to help our oceans heal from the damage we've already done. We're joined by Gareth Lawson, Senior Scientist in Ocean Conservation at the Conservation Law Foundation, and Raffaele Ferrari, Professor of Oceanography at MIT. (Apologies for some slight audio quality issues in the studio)

Don't forget you can register here to attend our live taping on Tuesday 4/21: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/centers/schiller-institute/programs-initiatives/climate-reveal-podcast.html

S2 E6 - Energy Affordability

Chris Citorik, David Deese, Andrew Fonticoba — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:06:28 -0700

In today's episode, we dig into something impacting homes across the country - the cost of energy. We break down why energy has become so expensive, what that means for our efforts to combat the climate crisis, and how to think about energy cost moving forward with Barbara Kates-Garnick, Professor of Practice in Energy Policy at the Fletcher School at Tufts University and former Undersecretary of Energy for Massachusetts, and Dan Dolan, President of the New England Power Generators Association.

S2 E5 - Water & Hydropower

Chris Citorik, David Deese, Andrew Fonticoba — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 09:29:12 -0800

In today's episode, we explore the world of hydropower and the role it can (and already does) play in solving our energy needs as we look to the future. We sit down with Bob King, owner of three New England-based hydropower plants, and Noah Snyder, professor and chair of the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences at Boston College.

S2 E4 - The Arctic

Chris Citorik, David Deese, Andrew Fonticoba — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 09:39:20 -0800

In this episode, we take a close look at how the climate crisis is impacting the Arctic and what it means for all of us. We're joined by Rebecca Jackson, an Assistant Professor at Tufts University in Earth and Climate Sciences who has made several research trips to the Arctic, and David Balton, Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School of Government and formerly the Executive Director of the White House Arctic Executive Steering Committee.

S2 E3 - Adaptation

Chris Citorik, David Deese, Andrew Fonticoba — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 11:24:24 -0800

In this episode, we unpack adaptation. We know the climate is changing, and while mitigation can still lessen the damage, our future is going to be massively impacted by how we adapt to the changing climate around us. We sit down with Paul Kirshen, a faculty member at UMass Boston and Tufts University and climate adaptation expert, and Kate Dineen, President and CEO of A Better City, a Boston-area non-profit that focuses on regional climate and transportation issues.

S2 E2 - Climate Modeling

Chris Citorik, David Deese, Andrew Fonticoba — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:51:57 -0800

We've touched on the use for and impact of climate models in past episodes, but today we take a deep dive into the world of climate modeling - how it works, what the challenges are, what climate models can help us understand about our future, and how to best communicate this information to a world that needs to know what's coming next in order to adapt and prepare. We're joined in studio by Yi Ming, Core Faculty Member at Schiller Institute and Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences at Boston College, and Jennifer Morris, Principal Research Scientist at the MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy.

UN COP30 - BC Heads To Brazil

Chris Citorik, David Deese, Andrew Fonticoba — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:05:47 -0800

In an all-Eagle kickoff to Season 2, we talk with two Boston College professors who traveled to Brazil to attend UN COP30. Hanqin Tian, Professor of Global Sustainability at Schiller Institute, and Director of the Center for Earth System Science & Global Sustainability (who attended the first week of the conference) and Tara Pisani Gareau, Director of Environmental Studies Program, and Professor of the Practice in Earth & Environmental Science at Boston College (who attended the second week of the conference), join us in studio to talk about what they saw, heard, and learned, and what events like COP30 mean in the ongoing response to the climate crisis.

Episode 8 - The Nuclear Option

Chris Citorik, David Deese, Andrew Fonticoba — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 13:18:32 -0800

In our final episode of Season 1, we talk about the basics of nuclear power, where the technology stands currently, and how it can help us reduce emissions while still meeting our rising energy needs. We sit down with Devon Battaglia, Senior Manager of Physics Operations at Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), and Jacopo Buongiorno, Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT and a member of the United States National Academy of Engineering, to talk about advancements in nuclear fission and fusion and the impact nuclear power can have on our future.

Episode 7 - Renewable Energy

Chris Citorik, David Deese, Andrew Fonticoba — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 09:33:28 -0800

In Episode 3, we talked about energy essentials - now, we dig a little deeper into renewable energy sources specifically. We discuss the potential solutions renewables offer and the obstacles still in our way with Richard Sweeney, Associate Professor of Economics at Boston College, and Barry Reaves, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice and Workforce Development for The Alliance for Climate Transition (ACT).

Episode 6 - Transitions

Chris Citorik, David Deese, Tessa Burke — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 08:52:06 -0800

In our 6th episode, we look back at transition points in our nation's history to see what they can teach us about the crossroads we face today. Boston College Professors Conevery Bolton Valencius, an historian of energy, environment, and health, and John E. Ebel, Senior Research Scientist at the Weston Observatory at Boston College, join us at the table for a high-energy (see what I did there?) conversation exploring the lessons of history and drawing connections to our current moment.

Episode 5 - Health and Climate

Chris Citorik, David Deese, Tessa Burke — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 12:02:21 -0800

In our 5th episode, we look at the health impacts of the climate crisis, both direct and indirect. Noelle Eckley Selin, Director of MIT’s Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy and Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry, and Dr. Philip Landrigan, pediatrician, public health physician, Professor of Biology, and Director of the Global Observatory on Planetary Health at Boston College, join us to talk about all of the ways our health is impacted by the ongoing climate crisis.

Episode 4 - Farm to Table

Chris Citorik, David Deese, Tessa Burke — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 10:33:19 -0800

In this episode, we talk with Frances Moore Lappé, co-founder of the Small Planet Institute, researcher, and author or co-author of 21 books, including Diet for a Small Planet, and Angelo Gurgel, a principal research scientist at the Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy at MIT about how what we eat impacts the climate crisis at every single level. From land use and agricultural systems and approaches to what you put on your family's dinner table, we dig into how "every bite you take is a vote for the world you want."

Episode 3 - Energy Essentials (plus a bonus asteroid conversation!)

Chris Citorik, David Deese, Tessa Burke — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 08:39:18 -0800

In this episode, we break down the energy needs of the world and discuss the best big picture approach to meet those needs moving forward. We talk with Sergey Paltsev, Deputy Director of the MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy and Senior Research Scientist at the MIT Energy Initiative, and Cyril Opeil, a Jesuit priest, Associate Professor at Boston College, and a low-temperature physicist specializing in thermoelectrics.

At the end of the episode, Professor Opeil shares some thoughts on his recent work studying the thermal properties of meteorites, including NASA's Bennu OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return project.

Episode 2 - Climate in the Classroom

Chris Citorik, David Deese, Tessa Burke — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 04:00:00 -0800

In this episode, we break down how the climate crisis can and should show up in K-12 education. Faythe Beauchemin, Assistant Professor of Literacy at Boston College, and Shoba Reginald, 7th Grade Science Teacher at Belmont Middle School talk about the importance of including the climate crisis in the classroom at all ages, and all of the additional challenges (and benefits!) that can create for educators.

Episode 1 - Weather vs Climate

Chris Citorik, David Deese, Tessa Burke — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 07:00:00 -0700

In our first episode, we dig into the basics. Joined in studio by WBZ Chief Meteorologist Eric Fisher and Adam Schlosser, Senior Research Scientist and Deputy Director at the MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy, we talk about how we know the climate is changing, why it's so difficult to talk about in this current moment, and how to stay positive and optimistic when dealing with such a big problem.