Climate Cast – Details, episodes & analysis

Minnesota’s climate continues to shift. The trend toward warmer winters and more erratic precipitation patterns continues.

“What we see globally and what we see right in our own backyards are the fingerprints of a warming world,” Heidi Roop, the Director of Minnesota’s Climate Adaptation Partnership, said.

She added that we should expect these extremes to continue.

“If we look out towards the end of the century, some of our future climate models show that our spring-time precipitation could be as much as 40 percent wetter and our summers around 20 percent dryer.”

She spoke more about Minnesota’s climate trends with MPR News Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner.

Climate advocates are showing strong support for Gov. Tim Walz’s vice presidential campaign. They point to his record.

“Walz was responsible, or at least, signed into law several climate action bills that are progressive no matter which state you live in,” said Kristoffer Tigue, who wrote about Walz’s climate record for Inside Climate News. “That includes a law from 2023 which requires Minnesota utilities to produce 100 percent of their electricity from carbon free sources by 2040. He also signed several other bills that do a lot to advance the effort to slow down climate change.” 

Tigue joined MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner to talk about Walz’s record in Minnesota and what that might mean for the Harris-Walz ticket.

“A lot of advocates and political analysts believe that the Harris-Walz ticket will probably walk a line that’s similar to what Biden has been doing in his last couple of years as president, which is taking kind of a moderate approach, trying to appeal to a broader audience, rather than appeasing a smaller, more progressive climate constituency,” Tigue said.

But there’s not a lot to go on.

“Both Walz and Harris have largely refrained from talking about climate change since announcing their campaign together, but in the debate with former President Trump earlier this month, Harris did address climate change, and the two have since released a platform, though the details on policy are still pretty slim,” she said.

To hear the full conversation, click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast.

Climate change-enhanced rainfall events threaten nearly 92,000 dams across the U.S. and many are over 100 years old — including dams in Minnesota.

Climate reporter Kristoffer Tigue wrote about aging dams and the risk for extreme rainfall for Inside Climate News.

Tigue joined MPR News meteorologist Paul Huttner to explain how extreme weather events pose a threat to dams in Minnesota and the Midwest.

To hear the full conversation, click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast.

Lakes are a part of Minnesota’s Identity. 

While the thousands of lakes are cherished for their recreational accessibility across the state, some of those pristine bodies of water could — one day — help generate a vast amount of clean energy through solar power.

Matt Simon wrote about floating solar panels for Grist. Simon talked to MPR News meteorologist Paul Huttner about floatovoltaics.

To hear the full conversation, click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast.

Last year, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law requiring the state’s electrical utilities to transition to 100 percent carbon-free energy sources by 2040. 

That means replacing power sources that produce carbon dioxide such as coal and natural gas with renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydropower and biomass.

But how do you define “carbon-free” and what guidelines will be used to make sure utilities are meeting that standard? “We’re really hoping that carbon-free actually means carbon-free,” said B. Rosas, a policy manager with the advocacy group Climate Generation.

Rosas talked to Paul Huttner about the organization’s efforts.

To hear the full conversation, click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast.

Recent abundant levels of rainfall across the state have pulled Minnesota out of drought for the first time since June 2022.

Will this rainfall pattern continue? And how are Minnesota’s precipitation swings a symptom of climate change? 

Kenneth Blumenfeld with the Minnesota State Climatology Office talks about recent rainfall across the state and explains how both dry and wet patterns — sometimes lasting several months — are connected to climate change. 

Looking to buy a new e-bike?

Well, the Minnesota Department of Revenue has a new rebate program to help with the costs.

Assistant Commissioner Sarah Bronson from the Department of Revenue talks through details of the program and how to apply.

The 2024 Minnesota Legislature session is a wrap. So, what got done this year with climate progress in Minnesota?

Walker Orenstein is a reporter for the Star Tribune. He says the changes to the permitting process for clean energy projects passed by lawmakers is a major step forward.

Heating and cooling our homes and buildings in Minnesota contribute about 40 percent of our state’s greenhouse gas emissions. What opportunity exists to reduce our carbon footprint by updating our building codes?

MPR News correspondent Dan Kraker wrote about that recently and shared his key takeaways.

A scientist at the University of Minnesota may have found a better way to track the effects of climate change on Arctic and boreal regions like northern Minnesota where temperatures are rising at some of the fastest rates in the world.

Rui Cheng, a professor in the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Minnesota, is behind the research on using leaf glow to monitor vegetation dynamics.

While not visible under natural light, leaf glow can be detected using remote sensing and can provide important information about the health of Arctic-boreal ecosystems.

Cheng shared more about the research on this week’s Climate Cast.