NPR's Climate Week: A spotlight on solutions

October 04, 2023 / 10:09 am

caption: NPR's Climate Solutions Week features stories from around the world, and here in the Pacific Northwest, from Oct. 2 - 8.

Reporting teams across the NPR Network have been searching the world for solutions to climate change. Here in the Pacific Northwest, KUOW is spotlighting local efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions, manage the effects of wildfires, and explore more sustainable energy and transportation ideas.

All this week (Oct. 2 - 8), you can find our reporting on climate solutions, plus content from across the NPR Network, below.

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Improving rail travel

caption: A mile-long BNSF Railway coal train winds its way through Seattle's Carkeek Park in June 2023.

Like other Amtrak routes, the Cascades run — between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Eugene, Oregon — is often late.

Late is par for the course for Amtrak trains nationwide.

The passenger rail company blames illegal interference from freight trains for most of its passengers’ often-substantial delays.

Rail advocates say enticing more passengers to take a train instead of driving or flying — and making a dent in the heavy climate impact of American transportation — will require measures to reduce those delays and boost train travel’s speed and reliability.

Riding the rails causes less climate damage than driving alone or flying.

But in Washington state, rail service can be slow and unreliable, in part because freight trains often get to go first.

READ: Dude, where’s my train? Why freight makes Amtrak late

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Combatting climate disinformation

caption: A picture taken on November 10, 2015 shows a small globe surrounded by smoke to illustrate global warming. (Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images)

Communities big and small are trying to rein in climate change.

But many people working on these climate solutions are running into a big obstacle: falsehoods and conspiracy theories about their work.

So what does this mean for fighting global warming?

READ: People working on climate solutions are facing a big obstacle: conspiracy theories

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A local fight against toxic chemicals goes global

caption: Rev. Ben Chavis, right, raises his fist as fellow protesters are taken to jail at the Warren County PCB landfill near Afton, N.C., on Sept. 16, 1982.

All around the world, there's a tragic history of industries dumping their waste or setting up their most hazardous facilities in communities viewed as politically powerless or less likely to protest their presence.

But the people of Warren County, North Carolina, found that they were not powerless.

Fueled by the spirit of the civil rights movement, they challenged their own political leaders over the toxic chemicals being dumped in their community.

In the process, they helped birth a national movement, one that would eventually put environmental justice on the national agenda — and is shaping the fight for climate action today.

READ: How everyday people started a movement that's shaping climate action to this day

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Wind-powered cargo ships

caption: Pyxis Ocean sets sail in August on its first voyage since being retrofitted with WindWings.

Well over a century after the Age of Sail gave way to coal- and oil-burning ships, climate change concerns are prompting a new look at an old technology that could once again harness wind to propel commercial cargo ships — this time with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Imagine what looks like Boeing 747 wings with movable flaps, set vertically on a ship's deck. The vessel cruises under minimum power from its giant engine as computerized sensors adjust the fiberglass wings to take advantage of the wind's speed and direction.

This wind-assisted propulsion saves a substantial amount of fuel and reduces the carbon belching from the ship's stack. Many experts think the idea has the potential to navigate the notoriously dirty shipping industry toward a greener future.

READ: New technology uses good old-fashioned wind to power giant cargo vessels

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Commuting to work via e-scooter

caption: An electric scooter on the Highway 520 bike path on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.

It's KUOW reporter Casey Martin's third day of going car-free for a week.

He's documenting his alternative transit plans as part of a Seattle-area challenge called the Week Without Driving.

Wednesday brought warm, sunny weather to the region. And that meant it was a perfect day to leave the car at home and hop on a scooter to cross beautiful Lake Washington.

Full disclosure: Casey Martin loves e-scooters.

READ: ‘#WeekWithoutDriving’ Day 3: e-scootering across the world’s longest floating bridge

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Community efforts

caption: To help conserve usage of the taxed resources like the Colorado River (pictured here), engineers are recycling raw sewage into safe drinking water.

Climate change can often feel like an overwhelming and insurmountable challenge.

But many communities across the nation are already working to adapt and become more resilient.

Some are getting creative with water conservation, finding new sources of energy to power their communities, and even recycling poop.

READ: The communities experimenting with how to be more resilient to a changing climate

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Why solutions?

caption: While new technologies can sound tempting as climate solutions, scientists say not all of them are available or scalable now. That's why scientists argue for mobilizing technologies that already exist and are affordable, like renewable energy.

Humans are driving global warming.

And that means we humans can find solutions to change our trajectory.

We already have many solutions.

Now is not the time to back away from the challenge.

READ: Climate solutions are necessary. So we're dedicating a week to highlight them

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Changes to make at home

caption: CM Heating technician Saul Benitez installs an electric heat pump in Shoreline, Washington, on July 28, 2023.

Driving a car, making dinner, heating water and turning on the air conditioner — our everyday actions emit some of the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

But sustainability experts say there are ways we can make these daily tasks more climate friendly.

By using home appliances and vehicles that run on electricity, we can help reduce our carbon footprint and leave more fossil fuels in the ground.

While these individual moves won't reverse climate change, they are smaller steps that each of us can take to help solve the larger problem.

READ: 6 big purchases that can save energy and money at home (plus budget-friendly options)

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Wildfire prep

caption: The McDougall Creek wildfire burns in the hills West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, on Thursday as seen from Kelowna.

As the world enters a new age of wildfires, science reporter Jacob Margolis dives deep into personal stories that illuminate the history of how we got here, why we keep screwing things up, and what we can do to survive and maybe even thrive while the world around us burns.

MORE: How to get ready for the next wildfire near you.

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Climate podcasts

caption: Clockwise from top left: Colorado Public Radio; KQED; NPR; WWNO and WRKF; WNYC Studios; KCUR

This week of stories isn't just about covering the climate.

It's meant to highlight innovators around the world who are dedicated to finding solutions, and to remind people that they can always do something about climate change.

Add these podcast episodes about climate solutions to your listening rotation!

READ: Looking for innovative climate solutions? Check out these 8 podcasts

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Local ride-share hiccups

caption: King County's Metro Flex graphic.

KUOW reporter Casey Martin got off to a bumpy start on day two of going car-free in Seattle.

He attempted to try out King County Metro’s Flex.

It's an on-demand van service.

And it works like a ride-hailing app, but costs as much as a bus ride.

Unfortunately, there was zero flex to today’s performance.

READ: ‘#WeekWithoutDriving’ Day 2: Is Flex a flop?

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Safety from smoke

caption: Wildfire smoke drifts through Snoqualmie Pass in 2017.

When wildfires tear through Northwest forests, pouring heavy smoke across Washington state, health officials’ guidance is often to simply stay inside.

But that’s not an option for people who work outdoors.

After two years of emergency rules guiding smoke response for employers and employees, the state is drafting a set of permanent rules.

But as smoke from wildfires becomes a seasonal occurrence, farmworkers are facing a dilemma.

READ: WA drafts permanent rules to better protect outdoor workers from wildfire smoke

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