S6 E2: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Climate Adaptation

In this episode of CPR’s Connect the Dots, host Rob Verchick and his guests explore how parents, families, and communities are adapting their lifestyles to the realities of climate change.

Our lives revolve around the weather: what we wear, where our kids play after school, where we go on vacation, what hobbies we partake in, and where we choose to live and work. Even what foods are available are often weather-dependent. 

With the climate crisis, the weather is changing dramatically, and our lives will likely follow suit. Last summer for example, 1 in 3 Americans were affected by climate-related disasters. Heat waves are on the rise, and 300 million people live under heat stress conditions.

Due to uncertainty and ominous conditions, some couples are opting not to have children. The thought of parenting brings more stress than in the past. What world will young people inherit? What lives will they lead? How soon will our lives be irrevocably changed by climate change? Rob and his guests explore these questions and more.

Guests in this episode include:

• Dr. Kimberley Miner, scientist and systems engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab in California 
• Lowell Chandler, a Montana renewable energy attorney 
• Kristy Dahl, senior climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists 
• Christian Møller-Holst, founder and CEO of Goodwings