PODCAST · science
The Sweaty Penguin
by Ethan Brown
Sometimes, climate change IS a laughing matter. Every week, The Sweaty Penguin cuts through the noise and the doom-and-gloom of the climate conversation with late-night-comedy-style monologues and in-depth conversations with leading global experts on a variety of environmental issues. Through a nonpartisan approach, The Sweaty Penguin makes environmental issues less overwhelming and politicized and more accessible and fun. In partnership with Peril and Promise, a PBS/WNET public media initiative on climate change, The Sweaty Penguin invites you to join the hottest conversation in town.
Episodes
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Tip of the Iceberg E62: Could Saudi Arabia derail COP28's biggest victory?
The United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP28, wrapped up in the United Arab Emirates last month, bringing several steps forward for global climate cooperation. Chief among them: all 195 countries signed onto a “transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and...
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132. Polar Bears
As climate change drives the melt of Arctic sea ice, polar bears are facing a major challenge. Scientists have said it is likely the global population of polar bears will fall by more than a third within the next three generations. But why does this issue matter, beyond polar bears being really...
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Bonus: Why Do You Want to Take Over Gotham City?
In The Sweaty Penguin’s second annual “Holiday Mailbag,” Ethan rounds up a few of the most cynical audience questions from 2023. Learn why the change from “global warming” to “climate change,” where climate alarmists may have taken things too far, and ChatGPT’s response to everyone calling Ethan…
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131. Rethinking Carbon
If and when humans completely stop emitting carbon dioxide, how will the climate respond? For some time, communicators were operating with the misconception that there would be a “carbon lag” — carbon previously emitted would still be in the atmosphere, still be trapping heat, and still be…
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Tip of the Iceberg E61: But what about China and India?
A couple weeks ago, world leaders descended on Dubai for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) — a reminder of the fact that the United States cannot mitigate climate change alone, and needs China and India to curb their emissions too. But that’s not an argument to slow climate...
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130. Maritime Shipping
Maritime shipping is a bit of a paradoxical climate issue. On the one hand, it accounts for 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, burns extremely dirty bunker fuel, and has a number of inefficiencies leading to outsized pollution. On the other hand, it is also by far the most sustainable mode of...
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Tip of the Iceberg E60: Floods have solutions
In the last few months, catastrophic floods have ravaged parts of Libya, Myanmar, Cameroon, India, and Somalia, not to mention several such disasters in the United States. Climate change and floods have an interesting relationship — scientists contend climate change may be leading to fewer floods...
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129. Rice
A staple food for over half the world population, rice is perhaps one of the most universally enjoyed foods. But recently, as India enacted an export ban on rice and other countries have considered the same, global prices have spiked, Americans began panic buying, and many farmers and consumers...
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Tip of the Iceberg E59: Don’t knock baby steps
Many climate solutions are extremely exciting, but none are perfect. All have their limitations, and Hywind Tampen — the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm — is a prime example. Owned by fossil fuel company Equinor, Hywind Tampen is used to power drilling operations in the North Sea. It...
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128. The North Dome Gas Field
Last year, The Guardian did a five-month investigation into “carbon bombs,” or fossil fuel projects that would, over the course of their life, emit over one billion tons of carbon. They found that there are 195 planned oil and gas carbon bombs around the world, and if they proceed as planned…
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Tip of the Iceberg E58: No, the Gulf Stream isn't collapsing in two years
As Hurricanes Idalia and Lee hit Florida and ocean temperatures reach record highs across the world, there's much reason to be concerned about the state of our oceans. Unfortunately, some in the media took this sentiment way too far. A few weeks ago, several news outlets published stories with...
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127. Oysters
In addition to being a tasty appetizer, oysters produce $186 million dollars and supports 1.7 million jobs in the U.S. each year. They’re also essential role players in the global nitrogen and carbon cycles, making them building blocks for life on earth. Unfortunately, climate change and other...
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Tip of the Iceberg E57: Hurricane Hilary
On August 18, the National Hurricane Center issued the first Southern California tropical storm watch in history as Hurricane Hilary barreled up the coast. At its worst, Hilary was a category four Pacific Hurricane, which hit 145 mile per hour winds, brought flooding, mudslides, and torrential...
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126. Vinyl Chloride
Vinyl chloride is a manmade chemical primarily used to make PVC, which is found in a variety of everyday products, including cables, pipes, flooring, shoes, and credit cards. The chemical is linked to cancer, liver disease, and a variety of other human health impacts. In February, a Norfolk...
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Tip of the Iceberg E56: The Maui fires
On August 8, intense winds from nearby Hurricane Dora led to around 30 downed utility poles causing outages for over 12,400 customers. These winds and downed power lines contributed to fires in various parts of Maui. In Kula, a fire scorched about 1,000 acres, threatening 544 structures and…
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125. The Denver-Julesburg Basin
Last year, The Guardian did a five-month investigation into “carbon bombs,” or fossil fuel projects that would, over the course of their life, emit over one billion tons of carbon. They found that there are 195 planned oil and gas carbon bombs around the world, and if they proceed as planned…
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Tip of the Iceberg E55: The Mountain Valley Pipeline
On July 27, the Supreme Court issued an emergency ruling in favor of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), allowing the controversial West Virginia gas project to continue construction. The MVP is a 303-mile under-construction natural gas pipeline from northwestern West Virginia to southern…
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Bonus: Owen Started the Canada Wildfires
The Winner’s Circle is back! Ethan welcomes Producer Hallie Cordingley back to the show to first share some behind the scenes stories and insights regarding Boston University’s New Venture Competition, where Hallie pitched The Sweaty Penguin and won the first place $20K prize. Then, Hallie looks…
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124. Whales
From Whole Foods announcing they would stop selling Maine lobster due to concerns about right whales last November to people on both sides of the aisle misattributing a humpback whale mortality event off the coast of New Jersey to offshore wind development in early 2023 to a slew of recent orca...
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Tip of the Iceberg E54: The Fossil Fuel Correspondents Dinner
A new bombshell investigation from F Minus released this month found more than 1,500 lobbyists in the United States are working on behalf of fossil fuel companies while, at the same time, representing some of our favorite cities, universities, public school districts, tech companies, restaurants,...
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123. Permitting
For 53 years, permitting has been a core tenet of environmental protection in the United States, requiring a variety of projects to receive environmental impact statements and public input. But as clean energy, electricity transition, and forest management projects have faced delays of several...
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Tip of the Iceberg E53: World’s hottest day
After a historically warm June and July 3, 4, 5, and 6 consecutively breaking records for the world’s hottest day, some headlines began to suggest these heat events were climate change run amuck. While climate change has driven the vast majority of this heat, a significant portion is also due to…
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122. The Bovanenkovo Gas Field
Last year, The Guardian did a five-month investigation into “carbon bombs,” or fossil fuel projects that would, over the course of their life, emit over one billion tons of carbon. They found that there are 195 planned oil and gas carbon bombs around the world, and if they proceed as planned…
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Tip of the Iceberg E52: Held v. Montana
The first constitutional climate case in U.S. history wrapped up in Montana last week, with sixteen plaintiffs aged 5-22 making the case that a provision in the Montana Environmental Policy Act violates the state constitution, which guarantees a right to a “clean and healthful environment” for...
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121. Electric Vehicles
Between their cheaper operating costs, reduced air pollution, and major dent in greenhouse gas emissions, electric vehicles have often been the focus of the clean transportation transition. Leading auto manufacturers have set ambitious targets to transition sales to EVs, and policymakers have...
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Tip of the Iceberg E51: Wildfires have solutions
Weeks of unprecedented wildfires across Canada have scorched millions of hectares, displaced over 100,000 people, and pushed the nation into a crisis as crews fight hundreds of blazes. Smoke from the fires also crossed the U.S. border into cities such as New York City and Detroit, and on June 7,...
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Bonus: Take Your Kahootzpah
For the first time, Ethan welcomes to the show our Associate Producer Madeleine Salman, Social Media Manager Sabrina Rollings, and Researcher Emma Jones. They’ll discuss what they do behind the scenes, share some details on our new projects around TikTok and creating educational resources for...
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120. Environmental Art
In 2022, climate activists around the world engaged in a string of protests throwing food at famous artworks such as Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers,” Monet’s “Grainstacks,” and da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa.” The protests received their fair share of criticism for failing to engage new people in the climate...
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Tip of the Iceberg E50: Sued if you do, sued if you don’t
On April 12, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced vehicle emissions standards that would require auto companies to lower the average carbon dioxide emissions from their tailpipes to 82 grams per mile by 2032. Then, on May 11, the EPA announced emissions standards for coal and…
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119. The Eagle Ford Shale
A few months ago, The Guardian did a five-month investigation into “carbon bombs,” or fossil fuel projects that would, over the course of their life, emit over one billion tons of carbon. They found that there are 195 planned oil and gas carbon bombs around the world, and if they proceed as...
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Tip of the Iceberg E49: Permitting reform sparks common ground in Congress
It may not be the flashiest environmental issue, but it appears that permitting reform could be the hot topic of the summer, with both Republican and Democratic legislators putting forth proposals. The concern is clear: while it’s important to determine whether or not new energy projects will…
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118. Stilt Houses
As climate change has driven increasing sea level rise, hurricanes, and floods, coastal communities have had to come up with new, innovative ways to adapt to their changing environments. One such idea has been around for millennia: stilt houses, or houses build on elevated platformed raised by...
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Tip of the Iceberg E48: Be kind
On April 4th, Global Witness published the results of a survey of 468 climate scientists, and found 183 (39%) said they have experienced online harassment or abuse. For scientists who have published over ten academic papers, that number goes up to 49%. And out of the harassed scientists, 51%...
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117. Chloroprene
On March 20, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion for a preliminary injunction under the Clean Air Act requesting that Denka Performance Elastomer LLC — the only chloroprene plant in the United States — impose significantly greater pollution controls. Chloroprene is a chemical used in…
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Tip of the Iceberg E47: Arizona v. Navajo Nation
On March 20, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Arizona v. Navajo Nation, wherein the Navajo Nation argued that the United States government breached its legal responsibility to ensure access to water on the Navajo reservation. The American Southwest is currently experiencing its worst...
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116. The Leviathan Gas Field
In February, Ethan had the opportunity to travel to Israel and participate in the Jerusalem Press Club’s Climate Innovation Press Tour, meet several clean tech CEOs, and learn about Israel’s cutting edge climate solutions. But despite all these clean energy ideas, shockingly few have actually…
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Tip of the Iceberg E46: The clickbait headline who cried wolf
The release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Synthesis Report summary last week prompted a barrage of doom-and-gloom headlines invoking phrases like “final warning,” “survival guide for humanity,” and “act now or it’s too late.” But the summary said none of this. Of its 33…
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115. Red Spruce
What do flying squirrels, acid rain, and violins have in common? They are all connected to the Red Spruce — a coniferous tree found in northeastern North America that provides a habitat for many animals, stores carbon very effectively, and is used for a variety of important products, most notably...
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Tip of the Iceberg E45: The major climate win accompanying Willow's approval
This week, the United States blocked all future oil and gas exploration in our Arctic Ocean, and blocked leases on more than half of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, a massive step in reducing potential future carbon emissions from the world’s second-highest emitting country. But...
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114. Green Crabs
The European green crab is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as one of the world’s 100 worst invaders. Between their ability to eat 40 juvenile soft-shell clams per day, their practice of ripping up seagrass when burrowing, and their potential to produce 160,000…
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Tip of the Iceberg E44: The East Palestine train derailment
On February 3, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Over 100,000 gallons of hazardous chemicals were dumped in the community, contaminating water, soil, and storm drains and potentially killing more than 43,000 fish, crustaceans,...
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113. The Marcellus Shale
A few months ago, The Guardian did a five-month investigation into “carbon bombs,” or fossil fuel projects that would, over the course of their life, emit over one billion tons of carbon. They found that there are 195 planned oil and gas carbon bombs around the world, and if they proceed as...
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Tip of the Iceberg E43: Climate lessons from Turkey/Syria’s earthquake
In the early morning of February 6th, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit just east of Nurdagi, Turkey, followed by over 125 aftershocks including ones clocking in at 6.5 and 7.5 on the Richter scale. The earthquake led to over 5,700 building collapses in Turkey, more than 75,000 injuries, and more…
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Bonus: John Oliver Is Gaslighting Us
For the first time, Ethan welcomes to the show our Associate Producer Owen Reith, Journalist Melina Nguyen, and Sound Editor Megan Antone. They’ll share what they do behind the scenes, some takeaways from their first 6-8 months on the team, and then face off in a Sweaty Penguin Kahoot recapping...
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112. Salt Marshes
Yesterday was World Wetlands Day, and salt marshes are some of the most important wetlands in the world. Found along the entire U.S. coastline (and every continent except Antarctica), salt marshes absorb carbon, protect coastlines from erosion, filter pollutants, provide many economic benefits…
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Tip of the Iceberg E42: Nuclear fusion is not the "holy grail of clean energy"
In December, the National Ignition Facility announced a breakthrough in nuclear fusion technology: for the first time, a nuclear fusion reaction created a net gain of energy, and since that reaction doesn’t emit carbon or other pollutants, a lot of people have proclaimed that we are one step…
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111. Drought
Drought is one of the most commonly cited impacts of climate change, leading to water shortages, crop failures, wildfires, and social inequalities. But why do droughts happen? And how does climate change play in? Today, we’ve got a “Drought 101” as it were — we’ll explore the science behind...
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Tip of the Iceberg E41: Cold waves, bomb cyclones, and the Pineapple Express
The United States saw a slew of extreme weather in the last few weeks, including a winter storm around Christmas time and extreme rains and flooding in California in early January. Why did these storms happen? How did climate change play in? Ethan breaks down what we know and what we still need…
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110. The Montney Formation
A few months ago, The Guardian did a five-month investigation into “carbon bombs,” or fossil fuel projects that would, over the course of their life, emit over one billion tons of carbon. They found that there are 195 planned oil and gas carbon bombs around the world, and if they proceed as...
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Bonus: Holiday Mailbag
Surprise! We're back! To finish off the year, Ethan responds to a selection of some more skeptical questions and comments from our listeners, breaking down how we know humans cause climate change, how today’s climate change differs from recent Ice Ages, and where we can be excited versus cynical...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Sometimes, climate change IS a laughing matter. Every week, The Sweaty Penguin cuts through the noise and the doom-and-gloom of the climate conversation with late-night-comedy-style monologues and in-depth conversations with leading global experts on a variety of environmental issues. Through a nonpartisan approach, The Sweaty Penguin makes environmental issues less overwhelming and politicized and more accessible and fun. In partnership with Peril and Promise, a PBS/WNET public media initiative on climate change, The Sweaty Penguin invites you to join the hottest conversation in town.
HOSTED BY
Ethan Brown
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Sweaty Penguin have?
The Sweaty Penguin currently has 222 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Sweaty Penguin about?
Sometimes, climate change IS a laughing matter. Every week, The Sweaty Penguin cuts through the noise and the doom-and-gloom of the climate conversation with late-night-comedy-style monologues and in-depth conversations with leading global experts on a variety of environmental issues. Through a...
How often does The Sweaty Penguin release new episodes?
The Sweaty Penguin publishes regularly with 222 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Sweaty Penguin?
You can listen to The Sweaty Penguin on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Sweaty Penguin?
The Sweaty Penguin is created and hosted by Ethan Brown.
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