The Climate Divide
Through conversations with residents, researchers and officials, this podcast explores how in D.C. and nationwide, past policies have left many low-income residents and communities of color disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards. “The Climate Divide” is a podcast from Hola Cultura supported by Spotlight DC, the Pulitzer Center and the Fund for Investigative Journalism.
This podcast has also been made available to listeners of WAMU 88.5, NPR’s Consider This podcast, and WTOP Radio.
Check out the 1-hour special WAMU 88.5 aired on The Climate Divide podcast. .
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Season 3: How to Get a Just Transition
In D.C., a combination of grassroots initiatives, city government programs and federal grants are seeking to address pressing climate and health issues and build resilience. Season 3 of “The Climate Divide” explores these solutions to see how they take shape in practice and what impact they will have on residents.
New episodes every Thursday.
Episode 1: How To Protect Trees in a Time of Rapid Development
D.C. has been in the midst of a development boom fueled by rising demand for market rate housing and a need for more affordable housing. This has come at a cost for the District’s trees. In the first episode of season 3, we see how the tree protection nonprofit Casey Trees qualifies the state of the city’s trees in their annual report card and take a look at a bill that attempts to change D.C.’s tree preservation laws.
Trailer
In season 3 of “The Climate Divide,” we’ll focus on the solutions various people and groups are coming up with to ensure that D.C. and its residents are more sustainable and resilient in the face of climate change. The interviews and stories covered will discuss how tree cover, park access and electrifying our homes and transportation will impact the residents in the District that are most vulnerable to various environmental and health hazards.
Season 2: Striving Towards Environmental Justice
Season 2 of “The Climate Divide” examines why some neighborhoods have been overburdened by hazards like pollution, extreme heat and flooding and how these disparities came to be. In a time when both the national and D.C. governments are emphasizing environmental justice, this season focuses on the people most affected who’ve voiced their concerns and advocated for greater environmental justice.
Season 1: Heat Disparity in Washington D.C.
Season 1 of “The Climate Divide” explores the correlation between housing discrimination and the lack of green spaces in some D.C. neighborhoods. These densely populated urban blocks can be as much as 20 degrees warmer than historically wealthier and more bucolic wards in the District.
More About Heat Islands
In the summer of 2021, our Storytelling Program for Experiential Learning‘s Environmental Justice Team produced a three-part investigative series on heat islands in D.C. This series was co-published in the Washington City Paper and also received an honorable mention in the 2022 Institute for Nonprofit News awards.
Heat Islands in Washington DC
DC’s Tree Canopy: Neighborhoods with the most and least trees