Earthbeat Host and IPS Fellow Daphne Wysham conducted a special one-hour interview with Dr. James Hansen, NASA’s top climate scientist, as an Earth Day 40th anniversary special.

In this broadcast of that interview, Dr. Hansen discusses the role of nuclear power in the climate crisis, the need for alternatives to cap and trade as a solution to climate change, and the possibilities that Earth will become like Venus due to fossil fuel consumption.

A video of the interview is available. Our theme music is Baladi by Tony Anka, Bellydance Superstars vol. 2

Host Daphne Wysham interviews Dr. Helen Caldicott about the influences exerted by the nuclear power industry. Then Brad Plumer of New Republic moderates a debate at the National Press Club between Arjun Makhijani, president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research and Dr Patrick Moore, co-chair of the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition about the safety, cost and feasibility of nuclear power as a solution to the climate crisis.

Our theme music is Baladi by Tony Anka, Bellydance Superstars vol. 2.
Image used courtesy of Michael S. Anderson via Flickr

BP says it’s attached a new cap on its oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. Plumes of oil have covered thousands of square miles of ocean waters and shoreline, leaving Gulf Coast communities reeling from the impact.

BP has squared off against the press, threatening photographers and other journalists with felonies if they come within 65 feet of their cleanup operations. Nevertheless, pictures of the despoiled ocean, oil-coated birds, turtles and marine mammals are making it into the public domain. Joining Earthbeat Host Daphne Wysham in the studio to discuss the the BP oil disaster are the Reverend Lennox Yearwood, the president and CEO of the HipHop Caucus. Joining the conversation after returning from a recent trip to the Gulf is Allison Fisher, Energy Organizer with the group Public Citizen.

Then, how the US Government tested nuclear weapons on the people living in the Marshall Islands. Bob Alvarez, a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies, testified recently before Congress on how the government is now considering cutting off support for the roughly 62,000 affected islanders.

Then, Thinking Outside the Bomb, how native Americans continue to be affected by nuclear weapons testing in the American West.

Image is a nuclear bomb test in the Pacific.

Thousands of gallons of oil continue to gush out of an uncapped oil well in the Gulf of Mexico as the companies responsible go to Washington to point fingers and place blame. BP blames Transocean. Transocean blames Haliburton. Haliburton blames BP.

Joining host Daphne Wysham in our Washington, DC studios to discuss the disaster and its effects both on the Gulf and in Washington is Nick Berning of Friends of the Earth, Bill Snape of the Center for Biological Diversity and David Helvarg, the president of the Blue Frontier Campaign.

Then a discussion with David Helvarg about his new book Saved by the Sea: A Love Story with Fish.

Music in this week’s edition of the show is ‘One Life’ by New Orleans music legend Kermit Ruffins. Our theme music is Baladi by Tony Anka, Bellydance Superstars vol. 2.

Earthbeat Host and IPS Fellow Daphne Wysham conducted a special one-hour interview with Dr. James Hansen, NASA’s top climate scientist, as an Earth Day 40th anniversary special.

In the interview, Dr. Hansen discusses the role of nuclear power in the climate crisis, the need for alternatives to cap and trade as a solution to climate change, and the possibilities that Earth will become like Venus due to fossil fuel consumption.

A video of the interview is available. Our theme music is Baladi by Tony Anka, Bellydance Superstars vol. 2.

We review of the recent UN climate meeting in Barcelona with Ilana Solomon of Action Aid and Janet Redman of the Sustainable Energy and Economy Network. Then, details of President Obama’s climate agreement with China with Julian L. Wong of the Center for American Progress.

Image used courtesy of Sam Feinstein via Flickr.

If you’d like to hear this edition of Earthbeat – please send us an e-mail

Denmark’s Ambassador to the United States, Friis Petersen, joins host Daphne Wysham for a discussion on how his country became a world leader in renewable energy, lower greenhouse gases, and a strong national economy. The Danish city of Copenhagen will host the crucial United Nations Climate Summit – COP 15 – in December.

The federal government classifies incinerators as a source of renewable energy. Meg Sheehan of Ecolaw in Massachusetts discusses the irony of naming waste as renewable.

And an architecture research group that’s working to slow climate change – we speak to Edward Mazria, the founder and executive director of Architecture 2030.

Image by Fred Sorensen of Denmark used with permission via Flickr.

Music used is Flight to Denmark by Duke Jordan.

Our theme music is Baladi by Tony Anka, Bellydance Superstars vol. 2.

If you’d like to hear this edition of Earthbeat – please send us an e-mail

Nuclear power proponents are pushing for new giveaways in the climate change bill that’s currently before the U.S. Senate. We hear from Dr. Helen Caldicott the author of Nuclear Power is Not the Answer on the dangers of nuclear power. Dr. Caldicott joins the discussion with host Daphne Wysham and Michael Mariotte, the executive director of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service. More information about the rise of nuclear power in the US Senate can be found at Mother Jones magazine. The report Dr. Caldicott mentions is Carbon Free Nuclear Free.

Then we talk about foraging for your own food with author Langdon Cook. He’s the author of the book, Fat of the Land: Adventures of a 21st Century Forager.

Image used with permission by C. Tyson Photography via Flickr. All Rights Reserved.

Our theme music is Baladi by Tony Anka, Bellydance Superstars vol. 2.

If you’d like to hear this edition of Earthbeat – please send us an e-mail

Today on Earthbeat, host Mike Tidwell discusses how President Obama is missing in action when it comes to climate leadership.

‘Black carbon’ makes up 50 percent of the non-carbon dioxide global warming pollution in our atmosphere. In this rebroadcast of an April 2009 interview, we speak to Durwood Zaelke, the president and founder of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development.

The TED talks are renown for bringing together some of Silicon Valley’s leading thinkers and innovators. John Doerr is a partner in the famed venture capitalism firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers and known for investing in Amazon, Google and others before they were household names. John is now focusing his efforts, and his fortune on green technology.

Alex Steffen is the founder of the website Instructables and is the cofounder and executive editor of the website WorldChanging. He speaks about how innovation will help us create a sustainable future.

Music for this edition of Earthbeat comes from the album Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar by Matthew Montfort.

Our theme music is Baladi by Tony Anka, Bellydance Superstars vol. 2.

Image used with permission by DJ Xavior via Flickr.

If you’d like to hear this edition of Earthbeat – please send us an e-mail

Host Daphne Wysham speaks to the president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, Arjun Makhijani; the Washington Representative for the Union of Concerned Scientists, Marchant Wentworth; and the deputy legislative director for the League of Conservation Voters, Sara Chieffo.

The fight against coal heats up with Congressional testimony and high-profile arrests of NASA scientist James Hansen and actress Daryl Hannah. Kate Rooth of Greenpeace USA and Stephanie Pistello of the Alliance for Appalachia and Appalachian Voices join us to discuss the recent actions.

And an architecture research group that’s working to slow climate change – we speak to Edward Mazria, the founder and executive director of Architecture 2030.

Music for this edition of Earthbeat is Planet Passion by Ancient Future.

Our theme music is Baladi by Tony Anka, Bellydance Superstars vol. 2.

If you’d like to hear this edition of Earthbeat – please send us an e-mail