What On Earth

If Canada wants to be net zero by 2050, more than a million small businesses will have to make the green transition. And while some intrepid business owners are already trying their best to navigate a more eco-friendly path, others say it’s a big ask, especially when many are already struggling to balance the needs of price-wary shoppers with a thin bottom line. We’ll dive into their journey, and learn more about the supports that could change the game.

A year and a half ago, Adrienne Crowder caught an episode we did about a free university course on climate change. She took it, she loved it, and she wanted more. So, she started a network amongst her classmates: ordinary Canadians who support each other to make change in their lives. We hear from many of them, as we kick off special coverage to mark five years of What On Earth.

Ottawa's moves to fast-track resource projects with Bill C-5 are resurfacing concerns about Indigenous consultation. But what does it actually look like when Indigenous people push back against resource projects and take control of climate stewardship on their land? To find out, we head to the heart of Tsleil-Waututh traditional territory near Vancouver. The work they’ve done to restore local ecosystems is not only good for the climate, it's also a way to assert their rights. Then, we'll hear from an Anishinaabe expert who says this is just one example of how taking land back can be climate action.

Don’t have a garden? Adopt a roundabout and plant things for the bees! We meet a TikToker who’s done just that. And then we travel from coast to coast to hear about a push to let sections of city parks grow a little wild. We head to one of these meadows to hear how they attract pollinators, and hear why creating “pollinator pockets” for busy bees and “hairy” moths can be a climate solution across the country – and a patriotic one at that.

This year’s fire season is on track to be one of the worst on record. It’s displacing thousands, including many First Nation communities. We hear from those forced to flee far from home, about the fear they face. We explore the political push to make sure Indigenous communities can take the lead when fires break out. Then, we check in on an Indigenous-led emergency management company that puts this idea into action by supporting evacuees in Toronto.

Meet the ‘cunning foxes,’ student activists who saved the Gachibowli forest in southern India. What On Earth’s youth climate action columnist Aishwarya Puttur shares what she’s heard from protesters who took a stand in defence of a cooling green space in the urban centre of Hyderabad – and what lessons the protest holds for climate action everywhere.

This World Oceans Day, we're sharing a story from The Outlaw Ocean — an urgent look at the migration crisis unfolding in the Mediterranean Sea. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ian Urbina shares insights into how climate change is driving a massive global migration, with 150 million people expected to move in the next 50 years. He follows the story of one rural farmer, a young father from Guinea-Bissau. Find the full series here: https://link.mgln.ai/oo-woe

From scientists to lobbyists to youth risking arrest, meet the people leading the resistance to anti-climate policy in the United States. Since Donald Trump’s second term began, hundreds of pro-climate policies have been rolled back or undermined, leaving many American climate advocates shocked and dismayed. But now, they’re pushing back. We hear about the tactics leaders are using to shift public opinion ahead of the U.S. midterms in 2026.

Corporate leaders say Canada’s new greenwashing rules are causing companies to pull back on their climate ambitions. We hear from the executive chair of Maple Leaf Foods about what he says is a “greenhushing” effect of the legislation. Then, we hear from a lawyer and a climate advocate about the pros and cons of the federal government’s new law.

For those fleeing the flames, there may not be an easy way out. Canada’s minister of emergency management and community resilience, Eleanor Olszewski, shares how prepared the country is to respond. She also answers to concerns from First Nations on why her department only acted after provinces called for help.

Buildings make up a hefty share of Canada’s emissions. But across the country, communities are looking for ways to curb that impact, and make public structures more resilient to climate change. We take a tour of cool projects from Lytton B.C. to Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.

The temperate rainforests of the West Coast exist because of salmon magic. These fish feed the trees, the trees protect the fish, and everything else that lives under the canopy of the ancient old-growth benefits from this interplay. Protecting these 'salmon forests' from logging and wildfire can have enormous benefits for human life and the climate, according to author Lynda Mapes whose new book is called The Trees are Speaking: Dispatches from the Salmon Forests. And we speak to Tsm’syen scientist Sm'hayetsk Teresa Ryan, about why the key to saving what old-growth is left in Canada could come down to Indigenous leadership.

When West Sacramento was saved from wildfire in 2022, goats were hailed as heroes. No, they didn’t wield hoses or jump out of helicopters. They just did what goats do: eat everything in sight, including the dry grass and weeds that can fuel wildfires. We head to Northern California where governments are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on goats to create firebreaks. Then, we ask, could they help in Canada, too?

Wildfire season is here already, with devastating effects in Manitoba. We have some advice for steps you can take now to prepare for heat, smoke and wildfire. There’s a lot you can do to keep yourself, your home and your community safer and more comfortable this summer even if you’re on a tight budget.

Darning socks may not sound like a revolutionary act. But people across the country are embracing the art of mending to push back against clothing waste. We visit Toronto’s second annual Mend In Public Day, and a clothing swap in Victoria, to hear about the personal and political action afoot to curb emissions from the fashion industry.

Drilling into the ground isn’t the only way to source metals for clean energy. You can also get them from castoff phones, laptops and TVs. It’s called urban mining. We speak with Maria Holuszko at UBC’s Urban Mining Innovation Centre about developing more efficient techniques for harvesting the gold, copper and other materials in old electronics. And Craig Wisehart of the Electronic Products Recycling Association takes us to a depot to find out how to drop off your old stuff and where it goes.

Pattie Gonia proves why climate action is a total drag, in the most fabulous way possible. From going viral for hiking in high heels, to performing a climate anthem with acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Alaskan Indigenous artist Quinn Christopherson, Wyn Wylie (the artist behind Pattie Gonia’s camp, fierce, red wig and marvellous makeup) is on a mission to bring some joy to the fight to protect the planet – and show that 2SLGBTQ+ people are vital to the quest for climate solutions.

“Build baby build!” Post-election, the word ‘pipeline’ is popping up again. Mark Carney says he’ll speed up energy project approvals, honour the duty to consult with First Nations and also hit Canada’s climate goals. Eriel Deranger of Indigenous Climate Action worries these promises amount to “doublespeak.” She warns any plans to fast-track projects that impact Indigenous communities could face protest and legal pushback. Keith Brooks of Environmental Defence says the emissions cap and phasing out fossil fuel projects are the path forward.

Canada’s first local state of emergency due to drought was declared on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia in 2022. The shortage was so bad, officials feared the region would run out of water for hospitals and fire departments. And the Coast has been under severe water restrictions for five of the last eight summers, a situation experts warn could become the norm. In her documentary, “Drought in the rainforest,” Liz Hoath with CBC’s audio doc unit tells the story of a community hit hard by rising temperatures and the local government's failure to plan for climate change.

Pope Francis established himself as a leading voice on climate action, but it’s not yet clear how that legacy will be preserved once a new pope is in place. Katharine Hayhoe, Global Chief Scientist of Nature United and Distinguished Professor at Texas Tech, weighs in on Pope Francis’s legacy. Then, we talk to Molly Burhans, cartographer and founder of GoodLands, who is mapping the vast swathes of Catholic Church-owned land around the world to help protect the climate.