Ways & Means

Why many college students' ballots are getting tossed — and what could be done about it. --- In this episode of Ways & Means – as we head into the 2024 elections – why lots of North Carolina college students’ votes did not count in the last election, or the time before that, or the time before that. Why those votes weren’t counted, and how to prevent it from happening aga

In this episode: how a crusade shut down a coal-fired Chicago power plant for good. What the closing of that plant meant for children’s health and the environment. And what it didn’t mean. This is the eighth and final episode in our “Climate Change Solutions” series, where we look at research-based ideas to help cool a rapidly heating planet. Guests: Kimberly Wasserman is

In this episode of Ways & Means: the hidden role that climate plays in the story of migration. How a changing climate is driving thousands of people to enter the U.S. each year. And how relatively small, inexpensive changes on the ground could make a difference with a daunting geopolitical problem. This is the seventh episode in our “Climate Change Solutions” series, where we l

In this episode: kicking America’s multi-billion-dollar food waste habit. How tons of wasted food contribute to climate change, and how one simple change – better food date labels – just might help make a dent in the problem. This is the sixth episode in our “Climate Change Solutions” series, where we look at research-based ideas to help cool a rapidly heating planet. Gue

In this episode of Ways & Means – New research into how solar mini-grids could change lives for farmers in Ethiopia, and why that matters for the climate as a whole. This is the fifth episode in our Climate Change Solutions series, where we look at surprising answers to the question of what we can do to help cool a rapidly heating planet. Guests: Jonathan Phillips, Director, Jam

Upgrading stoves for people in the developing world could bring about a double win: improving people’s lives while making a big contribution to fighting climate change. We follow along with Duke Professor Subhrendu Pattanayak on a research trip to rural Kenya, and are invited into people's homes to see how they cook, and what might make them change their methods. This is the four

We are thrilled to welcome Lauren Rosenthal to the Ways & Means host chair! Lauren is an award-winning reporter and audio producer. Recently she's been focused on climate stories. (Check out her work on Season 2 of "In Deep," a podcast from APM Reports + American Public Media which explored "one city's year of climate chaos.") Lauren will start by hosting the next episodes of our C

In this episode of Ways & Means, we explore the impacts of meat production. Can we find a better way to raise animals as food and help the planet at the same time? This is the third in our series Climate Change Solutions, a look at surprising answers to the question of what we can do to help cool a rapidly heating planet. Guests: Cameron Oglesby, journalist and Duke Sanford Scho

Location, location, location. Place matters a lot when it comes to the impact solar panels can have on the environment. The biggest environmental benefit comes from regions powered by coal. If your local electric utility runs on coal and you install solar panels on your home, it means that the power plant doesn’t have to burn as much coal to power your home, and that is really go

The Amazon has been called the lungs of the planet. Its dense jungles play a key role in absorbing the Earth’s greenhouse gases, but the forest is disappearing quickly. In this episode: research from Colombia, Africa and China illustrates how economics can help slow deforestation and combat the climate crisis. Guests: Lina Moros, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia Wumen