When it comes to the world of podcasts, environmental issues in podcasting remains one of the hottest and most popular topics. Environmental issues, like religion and politics, ignite passionate discussion because so many people hold very strong opinions about the subject.
The Many Environmental Issues in Podcasting
The most successful podcasts come from topics and subject matter that many people throughout the public feel very passionate about. Powerful topics can cover subjects such as the current presidential administration and government policies or issues of racial or ethnic equality. However, one of the broadest and hottest genres is environmental issues in podcasting. The reason for this is because environmental issues cover topics that affect many people throughout the world. Whether it's the poaching of endangered wildlife, global warming or deforestation, environmental issues involve matters that affect local villages and communities as well as the entire world. These are matters that almost every concerned global citizen has a vested interest in, and usually a very strong opinion about. These are the reasons that environmental podcasting is so popular.
Animal Welfare and Wildlife Refuge
The topic of animal welfare is a subculture in and of itself. Millions of volunteers as well as many celebrities across the world often stand up and speak out against the abuse and well-being of domestic animals. This subculture integrates into environmental issues when the discussion of animal wildlife comes up. The specific topic of wildlife includes important issues such as the illegal poaching of endangered species, the threat of forest fires and deforestation on wildlife, and the mistreatment or exploitation of exotic animals taken from their natural habitat. These and other issues are discussed, often very heatedly, on environmental podcasts throughout the Internet, such as the popular ones below.
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Some of the most active wildlife activists work for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife service, and these podcasts prove it.
- On The Wing - An excellent example of how birding enthusiasts become podcasters.
- The Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge - This refuge in Minnesota offers a number of educational YouTube podcasts.
- The H20 Podcast - This extensive library covering issues related to water conservation and the environment is impressive. The owner of the site feels so strongly about these issues that he offers free help to get other environmentalists started with podcasting.
Global Warming
The topic of global warming is probably one of the most divisive and heavily debated environmental topics today. Because of this, it's also a segment of the environmental podcasting podcast database that is also one of the most popular. Review the global warming podcasts below for a small taste of how strongly many on both sides of the debate feel about this issue.
- John Chiang Berkeley Course - This impressive podcast, one from the Berkeley webcast library, covers the scientific and social aspects of climate model projections.
- National Public Radio - The media powerhouse known as NPR offers the public a front row seat to the "Global Warming Is Not a Crisis" debate between several well-informed experts. This podcast is one of the best overviews of the state of the science behind global warming claims.
- Scientific American - This well-known science media organization offers a podcast titled "Global Warming Beliefs" on what people believe regarding global warming and why.
Deforestation
One of the scariest environmental issues of our time is deforestation. This is where very large tracts of sometimes ancient or otherwise environmentally important land gets clear cut or otherwise stripped of trees and other natural resources for various reasons. The podcasts below discuss the issue of deforestation of natural and important forests across the world and what people can do to prevent them and the destruction they cause to the environment and to the natural wildlife that depends on those forests to survive.
- A Better tomorrow - Amateur podcaster Rizaldy Garcia discusses the issue of deforestation.
- Science Magazine - This podcast features an interview with an expert on Amazon deforestation.
- Mark Colvin - Professional podcaster, Mark Colvin, interviews experts regarding the public pressure on tropical nations to prevent or reduce deforestation and the positive environmental effects of such a change.
- FORMA - The Organization known as Forest Monitoring for Action offers a YouTube podcast to offer a technological solution to track tropical deforestation.
Pollution
Environmental pollution has been an important public issue ever since the world became industrialized. As humanity seeks to find a way to deal with its non-biodegradable waste, people across the world face the effects of pollution on the air, land and in the water.
- The Peoples Pharmacy - This podcast discusses the issue of "indoor air pollution" and the affects it can have on breathing problems.
- Podfeed - This podcast directory lists a whole series of podcasts on pollution.
- Greenpeace - This well known activist environmental group issued this podcast on how noise pollution and military sonar can impact the whales.
Other Environmental Issues
While the environmental topics described in this article are some of the most important ones being discussed throughout the podcast community today, there are many other important issues that remain. If there is a particular environmental issue that you're interested in, doing a Google search on "environmental podcasts," or by searching LoveToKnow on those topics, will turn up an entire collection of information on the issues that are important to you.
