State of Change

How do you get people to start paying attention to the urgency of climate change? Just like the name says, Science Moms is a growing non-partisan group of scientists and mothers who are spreading the word about our climate and joining forces to demand change from our leaders. Amy talks with UW Madison professor Dr. Tracey Holloway, who is a member of Science Moms.

Amy Barrilleaux

Tracey Holloway, Professor of Environmental Studies & Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison; Science Mom

Science Moms website

Wisconsin Agriculture's Critical Role in Addressing Climate Change

New Energy Study Shows Net-Zero Emissions Possible for Wisconsin by 2050

Federal Funds for Wisconsin: Take advantage of sweeping federal investments in clean energy and efficiency

We’re hearing it more and more: Solar farms in Wisconsin are taking away prime farmland used for food. But it turns out, a million acres of farmland in Wisconsin are already being used energy production by growing corn for ethanol. A quarter of all the corn grown in our state is processed into ethanol. Nationwide, it’s 45%.

But which land use produces the most energy per acre, corn or solar? And how much land do we really need for solar in Wisconsin to end our reliance on coal and gas? Hear from Clean Wisconsin Science Program Director Paul Mathewson, Ph.D., about his latest analysis that’s been getting a lot of attention.

Host: Amy Barrilleaux

Dr. Paul Mathewson, Science Program Director, Clean Wisconsin

• Corn Ethanol vs. Solar: A Land Use Comparison
• Wisconsin's Roadmap to Net Zero report
• Modeling shows Koshkonong Solar Energy Center will improve the health of nearby waterways
• Clean Wisconsin Science Program page

Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.

Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate

How often do we think about the food we eat and its impact on climate?

A new food product called Kernza® perennial grain is part of a major effort to fight climate change by changing what we plant and eat. But can Kernza really find a place on dinner tables – and in cereal bowls –across Wisconsin? In this episode, we sit down to taste a few samples and learn why changing farming systems is key to helping our climate.

Kernza® is the perennial grain crop from an improved intermediate wheatgrass developed by The Land Institute in Kansas. Research partners in the US, including Wisconsin and Minnesota, and abroad continue to improve the grain.

Thank you to our guests: Nicole Tautges, agro-ecologist with the Michael Field Institute; Valentin Picasso, associate professor of agronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Scott Laeser, Clean Wisconsin Water Program Director

Host: Amy Barrilleaux, Clean Wisconsin

Background Reading:

Agriculture is responsible for 15% of Wisconsin’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and that contribution is growing. Find out how natural climate solutions like perennial agriculture can help – and why they’re urgently needed in Wisconsin: cleanwisconsin.org/natural-climate-solutions

Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.

You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org.

Two years ago, the small village of Mazomanie, in Dane County's northwestern corner, saw the small creek that runs through the center of their town grow into a raging river as record rains fell in an unprecedented storm.

After it was all over, the region saw more rain in a 24 hour period than has ever fallen in Wisconsin before, costing small communities like Mazomanie homes, businesses, and millions of dollars in damage.

The science community has long pointed to climate change as a major reason for an increased heavy rain events leading to more flooding. But local communities like Dane County--and now state officials--are taking action to limit the impacts of climate change, as well as tackle the root cause: carbon emissions.

In this episode of State of Change, we talk with the Mazomanie Village Administrator about his experience with the 2018 flooding that rocked his community. We also talk with Dane County Executive Joe Parisi about Dane County's leadership in local action on climate change, and we chat with Chelsea Chandler, our new Climate Solutions Director, about efforts at the state level through the Governor's Task Force on Climate Change.

Background reading:

--A post on our blog on Dane County's Climate Action Plan that was released earlier this year. --Our science team created this local climate action map. --They also looked at whether we're seeing more heavy rain events in Wisconsin. --A post on our blog in the aftermath of Dane County's record rainfall and devastating flooding --Great collection of photos from the Wisconsin State Journal documenting the aftermath of flooding in Dane County

A special thanks to Peter Huebner of Mazomanie, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, and Chelsea Chandler of Clean Wisconsin.

Superior, Wisconsin, was once home to booming industries, which have all but disappeared. But recently, a new opportunity for economic development came knocking: a 625 megawatt gas-fired power plant on the banks of the Nemadji River, which feeds into Lake Superior.

While for some this sounds promising, for others in Superior and nearby communities, there are serious concerns: not only would the plant contribute billions of tons of carbon emissions over its lifetime, contributing to climate change, but it would also require destroying wetlands along the river, the very wetlands that help to reduce the flooding that have ravaged this community in recent years from heavy rain events.

Plus, the plant would require more water each day than the entire City of Superior uses per day, threatening to put a strain on the groundwater many people rely on.

In this episode, we go to the banks of the Nemadji River in Superior to talk with local residents and learn about what this gas plant could mean for the area if it is built.

Learn more about this proposed project and sign up for updates about ways you can help block this plant at www.cleanwisconsin.org/stop-nemadji

Background reading:

• We bust the myth that gas plants help support renewable energy, as the utilities behind this proposed plant have argued.
• We don’t get into it in the episode, but a big reason why we don’t need gas plants is because of the rise of energy storage solutions. We unpack how batteries will play a role in Wisconsin’s energy future.
• Katie Nekola mentions that the lifespan of this plant conflicts with Gov. Evers’ goal to have Wisconsin carbon-free by 2050, which he announced in August 2019. We delve into the governor’s goal and why it matters.
• You can watch our video on this issue, which features many of the people you heard in the episode.

Special thanks to Dr. Jonathan Patz of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Pastor Bridget Jones of Bethel Lutheran Church in Superior; Sandy Gokee of the Red Cliff Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa; and Katie Nekola of Clean Wisconsin.

...

Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.

You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org

Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email

Like State of Change? Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate