By the time Brian Sharp saw the whale dead on an Edgartown beach, her jet black skin was pockmarked by hungry seagulls, her baleen had been dislodged from her mouth, and thick rope was wrapped tightly — as it had been for the last 17 months — around the most narrow part of her tail.

The decommissioning timeline now stretches out to 2035. At the present rate of evaporation of radioactive water from Pilgrim, the water and its contaminants could be dispersed into the air before that date ever comes.

The air contains an enormous amount of electricity. Clouds are full of it. But how to actually capture it for a continuous energy resource? Dr. Jun Yao and his colleagues at UMass-Amherst have created a small-scale cloud they call the “generic Air-gen effect” that produces a reliable stream of electricity that can be harvested for general use. In this interview, Dr. Yao describes how the Air-gen innovation was developed, how the electricity is harvested from the air via a special material made of protein nanowires, and when the device can be scaled up for general use.

Solar has become one of the least expensive sources for new energy generation and fields of solar panels are appearing everywhere, including on forest and farmland. Most people have a sense that cutting down forests to install solar is not a good idea, but we assume it must be necessary in order to curb climate change. That was the thinking of early legislation passed to fast track solar installations without environmental review. But has that assumption stood up to the facts? This talk explore two aspects of the negative impacts of of solar installations on forest land and the viability of alternatives.

Michelle Manion, Vice President of Policy & Advocacy at Mass Audubon discusses the impacts of current trends in solar installation to nature. She reveals the conclusions of a study commissioned by Mass Audubon on the true cost of more sustainable alternatives. The talk also looks at the heat island effect of large solar installations and consider their impact on climate goals. Jessica Rempel, Natural Resources Analyst for the Cape Cod Commission, joins the discussion to discuss how to balance solar and protection of nature and landscape.

The discussion is moderated by Beck Mordini, Executive Director of Biodiversity for a Livable Climate. This talk is part of Life Saves the Planet, a partnership between Bio4Climate and the GBH Forum Network.

The Biden administration opened up $20 billion in grant funding for clean technology projects in July.

“When these unpredictable extremes happen, it's a lot more difficult to come to a definitive answer.”

With greenhouse gas reduction limits looming, advocates and policymakers have plenty of ideas for the next step on climate legislation.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health received a $275,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to monitor water quality at the state's more than 1,100 beaches.

What might optimistic—yet realistic—scenarios for New England’s climate future look like? As our summers get hotter, storms get stronger, sea levels rise and other consequences become more apparent, climate change is top of mind. Hear from a panel of three renowned climate experts on their transformational visions for New England – and reasons for hope.

Discover the specific impacts that may affect New England the most, and how we can rise to meet these challenges. This inspiring evening will leave you with an understanding of not only the threats but the positive actions that can help our communities, region and nation address climate change.

Learn what you as an individual can do, how to talk with your children about the climate future and how to discuss climate solutions with your neighbors, relatives and friends – even the skeptical ones– in a productive and empowering way.

This event was presented with support from Museum of Science.

The four students traveled to Cape Cod earlier this month to learn about the massive restoration project on the Herring River in Wellfleet.