2 Degrees Out West

With so much intense news about climate change constantly in front of us, it can be easy to lose sight of the real potential we have to address this challenge if we work together. To wrap up this extraordinary and strange year, WRA President Jon Goldin-Dubois joins the podcast to reflect on what his summer trip hiking the Colorado Trail can tell us about how we can work together to address climate change, and how a little “trail magic” is just what we need to get it done.

We are all feeling the impacts of climate change, and experiencing them in a real and emotional sense. While the evidence of the impacts of climate change are all around us, are we really allowing ourselves to feel these impacts personally? How can we both process this existential issue, and turn those emotions into action? How do we avoid feeling panic over the future, and stay motivated to act before it's too late? In this episode, we look at how we can productively process our feelings about the climate crisis to avoid paralysis and ensure we reach our goals.

At WRA, we work where decisions are being made – including at state legislative sessions across the West. As legislatures across the West convene for 2021, we sat down with our Government Affairs team for a preview of the issues ahead, in our latest episode of our podcast, 2° Out West:

As 2020 draws to a close, we spoke with WRA President Jon Goldin Dubois about how our organization is stepping up to the challenges ahead:

We don’t have to tell you that this year has been a tough one. From the global pandemic, worsening drought conditions, and yet another season of catastrophic wildfires that have impacted so many, this year has unquestionably stood apart from the rest. But through all the struggles of 2020, there has also been some important progress made in our work to protect the West’s land air and water. That work has us encouraged, and feeling hopeful about what 2021 has in store. So we wanted to share some of that with all of you. We brought together some of our team to talk over Zoom about what they're grateful for in 2020, and what has them feeling hopeful for the year to come.

As climate change experts warn that our climate will only continue to get hotter if we don’t take decisive action on climate soon, we spoke with some of WRA’s water experts, as well as with ranchers and Navajo tribal water official to understand whatthis drought means for people across the West, and what we can do to protect our rivers in the face of a mega drought.

While we usually cover different policy topics, update you on legislative efforts, or dive into the real world impacts of climate change on this show, we wanted to change things up for this episode. Welcome to our first ever WRA book club. In this episode, we’ll discuss what we are reading, watching, or listening to that is serving up food for thought as we continue our work to protect the West’s land, air, and water and address climate change.

For this episode, we’ve brought together a group of advocates from across our organization to give us an update on what life is like now, and what our organization is doing to continue our work to ensure clean air and healthy rivers and lakes, protect and connect Western landscapes, and address climate change.

In this episode of 2° Out West, we speak with scientists, policy experts, and green chile lovers to learn more about what the threat of climate change means for New Mexico’s most beloved crop, New Mexico green chile.

In this episode of 2° Out West, we speak with WRA's Clean Energy Program Deputy Director Erin Overturf about why she sees reasons to stay hopeful in the face of the looming climate crisis, and what we can do to take action and make a difference before it’s too late.