What on Earth?
CBC
300 episodes
It’s a wild ride these days on our planet. Buckle up, because scientist (and actual pilot) Johanna Wagstaffe is here to help you make sense of our changing world, where the climate is warming just as everything else can feel like a hot mess. Every week, Jo and our team of journalists illuminate the ways humans are transforming Earth, and reveal a little wonder along the way. Our podcast, videos and radio show deliver science-backed answers to your questions, and help you understand what’s a real solution and what’s screwing things up.
Episodes page 1 of 6
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There’s a bat housing crisis and the solutions are adorable
Sixty-five bats dropped dead inside a home custom-built to protect them. What went wrong? For bat moms looking for a place to raise their pups, it’s not the rent that’s through the roof, it’s the temperature. But bat…
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The seaweed invasion so big you can see it from space
Mountains of sargassum seaweed are choking Caribbean beaches. It’s so dangerous it’s shut down a school. Scientists point the finger at climate change, but solutions are on the horizon. We head to the tropics to learn…
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Is Alberta separatism fueling Ottawa’s pipeline plans?
Alberta has the country on tenterhooks as the province votes on whether to consider splitting from Canada. At least one separatist leader says the threat to leave is serving as leverage for the oil industry. Others in…
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Can AI save the planet before it kills us all?
Depending on who you ask, AI could usher in a green utopia – or the apocalypse. Between those two extremes is a much less hypothetical reality: the technology’s huge impact on our environment now. But tech leaders like…
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The weatherman who spoke the truth – and paid the price
When a meteorologist took a job in Iowa, he was excited to make his forecasts matter to viewers by bringing in climate impacts that were relevant to their lives, like rising costs and energy independence. But then the…
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There's a lot on Carney's plate. Is our climate plan cooked?
As parliament gets back in session, there’s a lot going on: a trade war, talk of Alberta separation, and international alliances being redrawn. Prime Minister Mark Carney has been clear: he doesn’t think the old…
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Is this Super El Niño a peek into forever weather?
It’s gonna be a record-breaking few months of weather. A natural surge of warm ocean water is colliding with a planet hotter than at any point in human history – meaning more heat, more floods, more droughts. Some…
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Introducing our new host, Johanna Wagstaffe
She's a CBC science journalist, meteorologist and seismologist. Now she’s taking the helm as the host of your favourite climate change podcast. All summer long, Jo and the team have been cooking up new ideas and…
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Heat killed his friend. Now his community is saving lives
Stephen Nelson tried to keep his friend Mario safe in the 2021 heat dome. But tragically, his friend died – in an old building that wasn’t designed for our warming world. This galvanized Stephen to do more to keep his…
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More heat, more rats, more problems
From the best of What On Earth: A warmer world is great for rats. (Not so much for us). That’s why cities are seeing a climate-linked rise in rodents. Can birth control reverse that? Producer Molly Segal finds out how…
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The disaster in Nepal as a ‘wake-up call from Mother Nature’
The search for survivors is underway after deadly flooding in Nepal and Tibet. But experts around the world are also unpacking what role climate change played in the disaster. We hear from two experts who know the…
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Bats are dying in wind turbines. Here’s how to stop it
From the best of What On Earth: Bats and wind turbines are both climate darlings. But after Cori Lausen saw a turbine reduce a bat to a "black banana peel," she set out to find another solution. That experience…
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Will Alberta data centres really curb their water use?
There was booing and calls of bullsh*t during a recent government town hall in Sturgeon County. It’s where tech giant Meta is building its largest data centre outside of the U.S. Locals have a variety of concerns;…
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Fed up with broken stuff? Join the Buy it for Life movement
From the best of What on Earth - Online communities are hunting for items that last. At #BI4L, members crowdsource reviews and recommendations to try to find the “best” version of, well, everything – from blenders to…
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Why wildfires have some people furious about fossil fuels
If you’ve breathed in smoke, or worse, had to flee your home this summer, you might be thinking more about our warming world. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip hopes this season of fire translates to climate action. As…
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Want a climate-friendly burial? Mushrooms may be the answer!
It’s made of mycelium and hemp, it’s better for the earth and it’s now available in Canada. CBC’s Anand Ram introduces us to an American woman who laid her father to rest in one of these biodegradable coffins. And we…
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A quick, low-cost DIY solution to improve indoor air quality
From the Best of What On Earth – Wildfire smoke has choked Canadians across the country this summer. Air purifiers are expensive, but there’s a cheaper way to clean your air indoors. We visit a workshop teaching…
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How to turn your climate gloom into action
From the best of What On Earth – You’ve got climate questions, Hannah Ritchie has answers. She’s “Clearing the Air” in her new book, drawing on her expertise as a data scientist to delve into some of the common — and…
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What if your home could float when a flood hits?
Flood-prone communities are doing everything to keep water out. But as climate-fuelled storms become more severe, some architects say we need to work with water, not fight it. We learn how amphibious engineering kept…
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Mother Nature’s angry. But why does she sound like Iggy Pop?
From the Best of What On Earth – Mother Nature is a real wild child and has a bone to pick with us humans when it comes to how we’ve treated the planet. Punk rock legend Iggy Pop voices her whiskey-soaked rage in the…
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Americans want payback for smoky skies. Are they right?
People on both sides of the Canada - U.S. border have been choking on smoke in recent weeks, much of it coming from fires burning in Canada's forests. Now, U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening new, fire-related…
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Doc Martens? Nice. Why this teen thrifts for climate
Sixteen-year-old Evon Murphy loves thrift shopping. Partly because she enjoys fashion and likes to save money. But also because buying secondhand is one way to reduce the impact of the fashion industry on the climate.…
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This program teaches kids to survive smoky skies
From the Best of What On Earth – Carter Vigh died when wildfire smoke brought on a severe asthma attack. Now his mom is part of an effort to teach other kids about the risks of smoky days and poor air quality. We hear…
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Why this climate solution is meeting Indigenous resistance
From the Best of What On Earth – Electric vehicles need lithium for their batteries. But Indigenous communities in Northern Argentina say extracting this critical mineral is harming their water supply. We head down to…
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Lessons learned from Canada’s gnarliest wildfires
Jesse Winter became a photojournalist so he could be out covering stories. He got more than he bargained for, including documenting the aftermath of a young firefighter’s death. His new book, Wildfire: Dispatches from…
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Why your flight feels more like a rollercoaster these days
From the Best of What On Earth – If you're a frequent flier, you may have noticed flights have been getting rockier lately. The potential culprit? Climate change. CBC producer Julia Pagel finds out how warming…
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Heat is killing us. Is air conditioning the only fix?
As Europe tallies thousands of deaths, there are calls for way more AC. In North America, where a heat dome is disrupting holidays, air conditioning is common — but it can also contribute to inequity and emissions. As…
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Farewell to Laura Lynch, who’s had one helluva career
What On Earth will continue, but host Laura Lynch is moving on. For the last six years, Laura has brought you climate solutions stories, and before that she covered world events for decades, including the 9/11 attacks…
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Face to face with the disappearing whales
Laura heads out on a boat, searching for grey whales. Plot twist: they find her. We hear why scientists are sounding the alarm about the fate of these massive mammals, and why they think climate change is part of the…
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Five years after the deadly heat dome, are we any safer?
Cindy MacDougall calls herself a climate change casualty. If it wasn’t for her husband’s quick action during the 2021 Western Canada heat dome, she might not have survived the disaster. Still, her heart is permanently…
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How to protect wildland firefighters from cancer risk
Years after working in smoky, sooty conditions controlling fires, workers can experience the adverse health effects of the job. Proving the link can be difficult. But now in British Columbia, wildland firefighters are…
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Can movie magic move the needle on climate change?
Our youth climate action columnist Aishwarya Puttur says yes it can. She’s seen young people in the entertainment industry taking up the climate cause lately – from local film festivals to the United Nations – and…
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Should you tattle on your neighbour in the name of climate?
As Vancouverites see people watering their lawns during a drought, it’s a question they’re asking themselves. While cities in British Columbia take drastic measures to limit water use, Laura heads to the watershed to…
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This footballer wants fossil fuels out of the World Cup
Tessel Middag wants her sport to be a force for good. But she says that’s hard to imagine when FIFA’s “Major Worldwide Partner” for the 2026 World Cup is Saudi state oil company, Aramco. And it’s not just Tessel.…
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Here’s your fire season forecast
Can a weekly fire weather outlook help Canadian communities learn to live with fire? Mike Flannigan, wildfire forecaster and professor at Thompson Rivers University, thinks so. A weekly forecast is one of the things…
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Is lightning in a box a climate solution for farmers?
Farmers are using an old trick as a new way to grow food and reduce emissions. Lightning sparked inside a box helps create fertilizer with less cost to the planet. But it’s controversial, with critics calling it “snake…
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Is Ottawa backsliding on Indigenous clean energy promises?
Indigenous communities across the country are charging ahead with renewables. Melina Laboucan-Massimo brings news from Indigenous Clean Energy’s training program, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.…
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Who killed the 21st century milkman?
A system from another era was the inspiration for a modern-day solution to the pileup of plastic in the world. The milkman once delivered cold bottles of milk to the doorsteps of homes and took the empty ones away. So…
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Trump is wrong. Climate action is working
Donald Trump claimed on social media that climate scientists were “WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!” about their global warming projections. But climate scientist Zeke Hausfather says the experts were not wrong, and the new…
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How kids can save themselves from climate anxiety
Twelve-year-old Kiké Dueck once had such bad climate anxiety that they didn’t want to eat or go to school. But then they found a solution. Kiké got involved in lobbying Regina city hall for greener transit and even…
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Why more trees - not fewer - could save a city from fire
Ten years ago this month the Horse River Wildfire burned through Fort McMurray and into the Canadian consciousness. We hear why experts say it’s the fire that taught us nowhere is safe, even busy urban centres. And,…
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Why can’t more Canadian kids ride electric school buses?
Hop on board an electric school bus in Richmond B.C. and meet a driver who says “once you start driving them, you don’t want to go back.” So why aren’t more kids across Canada riding to school on these quieter and…
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Here’s how it feels to get caught in an avalanche
Backcountry skier Hannah Hughes realized she couldn’t fight the wall of snow when it hit her. She survived but the experience has her rethinking her relationship with risk, and she isn’t alone. The 2025-2026 ski season…
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Goodbye, dystopia. Hello, 'thrutopia'
Tired of stories about bleak, hopeless futures? You’re not alone. Writers are ditching dystopian narratives for a fresh take on climate fiction. Enter ‘thrutopia,’ a new genre that aims to chart a middle path through…
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A ‘breath of hope’ in the climate fight
Nations gathered in Colombia to chart a path to a cleaner future. Many say this ‘coalition of the willing’ could speed the transition away from fossil fuels. But there are those who say that Canada’s lack of ambition…
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Suzanne Simard says it’s time for a fresh look at forestry
She became famous for her work that said trees communicate through a forest web. But Suzanne Simard’s research also faced backlash. Not only is she defending her work as a scientist, she’s back with a new book…
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Critics say the math isn’t mathing on Ottawa’s climate plans
After a year in office, climate minister Julie Dabrusin says she’s proud of her record. But critics say more pipelines, less progress on emissions cuts and other moves overshadow efforts to protect nature and boost…
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Can baby coral nurseries rescue reefs from climate change?
Coral reefs support marine life — and livelihoods. But bleaching caused by warming oceans is putting both under threat. Fishing communities in Mauritius and Seychelles are feeling it more than almost anywhere else. But…
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Outdoor skating rinks are on thin ice
Climate change is melting away winter, but a new documentary summons the magic of the most Canadian of frozen delights: the outdoor skating rink. For Earth Day, we speak with the filmmaker behind Icemakers about why he…
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Big Oil is banking on plastic
And Beth Gardiner says industry hopes you won’t notice. So what does it take to fight back? That’s the number one question the journalist asks in her new book, Plastic Inc.: The Secret History and Shocking Future of…
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