What On Earth

Climate-friendly menstrual products come with a lot of complex considerations, like personal preferences, stigma and cost. We visit a start-up in Nova Scotia that’s making compostable pads. Then – we hear about the policy and social changes that could help make sustainable options more accessible.

How do you include more voices in the climate change conversation? In a diverse country like Canada, there’s a growing need to have a wider variety of languages in the discussion. Climate justice columnist Chúk Odenigbo takes us through the concept of linguistic justice and why it matters.

Carbon pricing is a climate solution, but also a political football. Now that an election is underway and the consumer carbon tax has been scrapped, could the federal industrial price on carbon be the next wedge issue? Kate Ervine from Halifax’s Saint Mary’s University helps us go beyond slogans like “axe the tax” to understand what you should know about the industrial price on carbon.

Kids and veggies don’t always go hand in hand, but this after-school workshop is introducing plant-based cooking to children as a climate solution. It’s called EcoCooks. Producer Nick Logan stopped by a session to meet the kids 9-12 who are learning to make, and appreciate, tasty, vegetable-forward food that also cuts emissions. Then, we learn about other community efforts across Canada to put more veggies in the spotlight and onto plates.

Peace and neutrality offer the best chance for future climate research in Antarctica. That’s what CBC’s international climate correspondent Susan Ormiston learned aboard HMCS Margaret Brooke – a Canadian naval ship carrying 15 Canadian scientists to the South Pole to learn about the southern ocean’s capacity to continue regulating Earth’s climate. Their research is taking place as growing geopolitical tensions threaten to upset the Antarctic Treaty and hamper future conservation efforts on the continent.

It might not sound like a climate job, but mechanical insulators help make buildings more energy efficient. We head out to meet a young woman who trained in the trade through a program set up by the Youth Climate Corps BC. The group is training young people around British Columbia for a wide variety of good, green jobs and hopes to expand across the country.

Fired climate scientist Tom Di Liberto says lives are at risk from extreme weather as more cuts loom over the U.S. government agency responsible for forecasting and much more. Di Liberto lost his job as part of a massive purge by the Trump administration, and worries the layoffs will not only cost the U.S. more money, but will cripple weather forecasting across the continent, leaving many people vulnerable to natural hazards.

Canada's oil and gas companies are hoping carbon capture and storage will be a big part of the country’s net zero plans. But shipping CO2 through pipelines to storage facilities can come with risks. We go to rural Mississippi to hear about a rare carbon dioxide pipeline breach that was nearly deadly – and find out what Canada can learn from the incident.

There’s a push to see those responsible for intentional destruction of the environment tried in the International Criminal Court, just like war criminals. Three small island nations have proposed making ecocide a crime like genocide and crimes against humanity. But what would that take – and is there a better way to hold people to account for harming the planet and our climate?

With a looming trade war, local fruits and vegetables are attractive. But at what price? Some consumers are suddenly seeing prices skyrocket. Fruit and vegetable farmers are struggling with climate linked extreme weather events. That’s wrecking harvests and driving up production costs all over the world. But customers can help.

A new space race may affect Earth’s climate. As rocket companies, owned by billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, drive the pursuit of energy resources in space, sustainability experts are scrambling to understand the carbon footprint of a quickly ramped up space industry. At the same time, they’re also considering the potential for climate solutions that may exist beyond our planet. It’s a quandary Scottish researcher Andrew Ross Wilson dubs ‘the space sustainability paradox.’

The climate solution that’s heating up across Canada has become an important part of food security and sovereignty. But many are powered by fossil fuels. The City of Fredericton has created a zero emissions greenhouse to grow saplings, and researchers at the University of Windsor are finding more sustainable ways to power them.

People in social housing aren’t always included in conversations about climate solutions. That’s why Zamani Ra is finding ways to draw people from those communities into the environmental movement. The founder of the Toronto-based not-for-profit CEED Canada shares how workshops that start with recycling can make climate action relevant for all.

Sociologist Dana Fisher says disasters like the Los Angeles wildfires and Hurricane Helene can spur community action in the face of the climate crisis. The author of Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shock to Climate Action says individuals coming up with solutions for resilient communities are what give her “apocalyptic optimism.” She shares how we can use the idea in our own personal fight against the climate crisis.

Warmer winters and weird weather have forced organizers of this classic sled dog race to change the route to stay safe in rapidly changing conditions. CBC Whitehorse reporter Cali McTavish takes us to the Yukon Quest starting line in Teslin, where mushers, organizers and Indigenous community members talk about what the race means to them, and how climate change is having an impact.

Meet the people using TikTok to break up with shopping, and learn why they say affordability is propelling them toward more climate-friendly habits, as they take on the social media challenge of a 'No Buy' year. And author Aja Barber shares stories of her own shopping addiction, how she “saw the light” and what happens when a 'No Buy' year turns into a lifestyle.

Millions of new homes may help the housing crisis. But climate change means reconsidering just where all those new developments should go. Waterfront? Maybe not. Nestled up against the forest? Think again. How to build for our climate future. We hear why to build where and a New Brunswick real estate agent shares what clients need to know about buying and selling safely.

It helps farmers and protects against wildfire. “The world needs to know about biochar,” says one scientist. So, what the heck is this charcoal-like, carbon-storing material? We meet a man on Vancouver Island who’s spending his retirement years making it for his neighbours. Then, producer Rachel Sanders finds out what potential this climate solution holds, what the pitfalls may be and what the challenges are with scaling it up.

From hurricanes to wildfires, extreme weather whips up false and misleading information. When people are left vulnerable after a disaster strikes, they may be more susceptible to being misled about the cause of their strife. And that often means pointing fingers at anything but climate change. We’re delving into the murky world of misinformation and disinformation – and looking for ways to separate climate facts from fiction.

What if we told you there’s a way to lower your food costs while also reducing emissions? Apps that connect shoppers with stores and restaurants selling edible food that would otherwise go to waste offer a climate solution that also makes daily life a little more affordable. We’re testing three popular apps to see how they may help combat the problem of food waste and the harmful greenhouse gas emissions it creates.