Conversations Live: Revisiting Climate Change

President Trump has ordered an about-face on U.S. energy policy, walking back Obama-era policies aimed at curbing emissions and preparing the United States for the impacts of climate change. Will that stop the clean energy transition now underway—and what’s at stake?

Guests

DR. ERICA SMITHWICK is an associate professor of geography at Penn State. She’s also the director of the Center for Landscape Dynamics as well as the Landscape Ecology at Penn State lab. Her research includes global change biology.

DR. RICHARD ALLEY is an Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences and an associate of the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute at Penn State. He and Professor Mann participated in the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, which was co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

DR. JONATHAN BROCKOPP is an associate professor of history and religious studies at Penn State. He also directs the Initiative in Religion and Ethics for the Rock Ethics Institute and is developing a new course at Penn State called the Ethics of Climate Change.

More Episodes

A female veterinarian using stethoscope to listen to a dog's heart.

Ask a Veterinarian 2023

Season 13 Episode 2 | 27 min

Local veterinarians answer viewer pet-related questions such as proper diet, exercise, and more!

Aired 10/19/23

 

Close up of younger woman blowing vape smoke out of her mouth.

Vaping and the Opioids Crisis

Season 9 Episode 3 | 57 min

News on vaping is increasingly making the headlines as new studies are showing adverse health effects related to the habit. But what is vaping exactly? Can it be safer than smoking cigarettes? And how is it regulated? Also, is there any connection between vaping and the opioid crisis?

Aired 01/30/20

 

Close up of hands in yellow gloves planting a white flower in a garden.

Get Your Garden On! (Spring 2026)

Season 15 Episode 5 | 57 min

It’s spring. That means it’s a great time to get outside and garden. Whether you’re checking on your trees and shrubs, weeding your garden beds or thinking about the vegetables and flowers you want to grow this summer, you’ve come to the right place. Experts to share their insights into the growing season and answer viewer questions.

Aired 05/14/26

 

More from Conversations Live »