Climate Science, Human Lives at Risk

Waleed Abdalati
photo credit: CIRES

Standing Up for Science (start time: 6:39)  Since President Trump began his second term in January, his administration has been on a rapid-fire campaign to slash federal funding for scientific research, particularly in the fields of climate and earth systems science. Colorado is feeling the pain.  President Trump’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 includes steep cuts in funding to NOAA, or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which funds and manages research on wildfires, extreme heat waves, floods, and much more. NOAA contributes a huge amount to Colorado’s economy, and its research helps saves lives. The proposed budget cuts would likely result in the shuttering of two cooperative institutes in Colorado that are affiliated with and largely funded by NOAA. Those are  the Cooperative Institute for Research on Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at CU Boulder, and the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at Colorado State University. In today’s show, host Susan Moran talks with Dr. Waleed Abdalati, director of CIRES and a professor of geography at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Hosts: Susan Moran, Joel Parker
Show Producer: Susan Moran
Engineer: Joel Parker
Show contributor: Juanita Huérfano
Executive Producer: Susan Moran

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Facts and Faith: A Conversation with Katharine Hayhoe

hayhoe2Facts and Faith (starts at 4:30): Two weeks ago Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, a professor of atmospheric science at Texas tech came to town to speak at Chautauqua.  As a scientist and a Christian, she advocates for illuminating the urgency and reality of climate change to conservative and religious audiences.  We had the opportunity to sit down and talk about the interconnection of faith and science and why so much tension exists between these two communities.

Katharine Hayhoe Website: http://katharinehayhoe.com/
Talk at Chautauqua: http://ucarconnect.ucar.edu/multimedia/videos/climate-change-head-and-heart
Craig Venter, Life at the Speed of Light  Macky Auditorium 7pm Monday Septermber 29th.  http://www.colorado.edu/macky/tags/craig-venter

Executive Producer: Joel Parker
Producer: Kendra Krueger
Co-hosts: Beth Bennett, Kendra Krueger
Engineer: Maeve Conran
Additional Contributions: Shelley Schlender

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