Explore the importance of the number 1.5 with hosts Zanagee and Olivia. Let’s talk about why climate justice matters for us all.
In our book and on the show, we draw a connection between our planet heating and someone’s body having a fever. We want to give credit for this analogy to Anthony Leiserowitz, Director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. You can learn about the awesome work the YPCCC is conducting here: https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/
Olivia also mentioned that most people (adults) in the US believe global warming is happening and that climate action is needed. Here is the source, as well as other interesting climate opinion maps from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication: https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/
We also reference the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.P ºC: https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/
As well the Paris Agreement: https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/english_paris_agreement.pdf
Here’s a handy UNICEF guide on the Paris Agreement for Young People: https://www.unicef.org/lac/media/19316/file/paris-agreement-for-young-people.pdf
1 Point 5: A Kids Climate Justice Podcast
S1 EP1, Who, How, and Why
[INTRODUCTION]
Olivia: Hi, welcome to 1 Point 5: A Kids Podcast About Climate Justice! I’m Olivia Greenspan.
Zanagee: And I’m Zanagee Artis.
Olivia: And we believe that kids like you deserve a livable future.
Joanna: A liveable future. This means a future where no one will have to worry if our planet is healthy enough for humans to live safe and happy lives.
Zanagee: That’s Joanna. She’s our on-hand dictionary if we ever come to a word or phrase you might not know or understand already.
Olivia: In our show 1 Point 5, we are going to explore the challenges facing our planet, with all different kinds of people with scientists, youth activists, and other environmental leaders who have actually experienced the realities of the climate crisis firsthand.
Zanagee: But since today is our FIRST episode, we thought we’d start this podcast series by sharing who we are as the hosts of 1 Point 5, why the show is called 1 Point 5, and give you a roadmap of what you can expect to hear this season.
[ALL ABOUT 1 POINT 5]
Olivia: So, you might be wondering why our show is called 1 Point 5.
I swear, people keep asking me this. Have you gotten this question a lot?
Zanagee: I have. 1 Point 5? What's up with that?
Olivia: Yeah. Yeah. For real. Adults. Kids. Everyone's been asking.
Zanagee: Yes. The people want to know! Well, we, we named the show 1 Point 5 as a reference to a really important goal in the fight against climate change.
Joanna: Climate change refers to average long-term temperature and other changes over the entire Earth. You can think of climate change like our planet being sick and needing treatment to get better.
Zanagee: Thanks Joanna. Like I was saying, our show’s name, 1 Point 5, refers to a really important goal in the fight against climate change.
Olivia: Since you're listening to the show, you might already be familiar with climate change and its impacts on the earth, but some of you may not be familiar with climate change yet. And that's okay. Basically, climate change is a current thing happening to our planet where basically our entire planet on average is warming up.
Zanagee: That's right, Olivia. And if you've ever had a fever, you can think about climate change, like a fever happening to the earth.
So our own bodies stay at around at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit to keep us healthy and happy. But climate change, that's not good for the earth because that changes Earth's temperature, just like getting a fever, changes your temperature.
Olivia: Yeah. When I heard this, this concept of climate changes, like they're getting a fever. Um, I didn't hear it until I was an adult. And suddenly, even though I already knew about climate change, it made so much more sense to me, because, um, it's so clear, right? If you've ever had a fever, usually you're around 98.6.
And even if you go up a tiny bit, you feel so different. Even if you go up half a degree, you feel sick. You might have to stay home from school and every degree that your temperature goes up, if you've had a 99 degree fever, a hundred, 102 up to maybe 104, then you feel really sick. Um, there's a big difference in how you feel.
And it's kind of the same with earth. Um, every degree that our earth is rising in temperature, uh, the sicker our planet is getting, and the more it's going to take for this for the earth to get better.
Zanagee: Exactly and like our bodies, the planet is really good at keeping the temperatures at average. And like our bodies where we're always at that, that regular 98.6, but this climate change thing, for the earth, it's really throwing things out of whack. So, um, that's why it's warming. And for every fraction of a degree that the earth warms up, there's a huge impact on our planet and all the people, the plants and the animals who live here. And right now, our best estimate is that our planet has warmed a little over one degree Celsius (the most recent best estimate is 1.08 degrees celsius).
Olivia: So we said, we'd explain why our show is called 1 Point 5. And this is the reason. 1.5 degrees is the amount that we have to limit earth's warming to, to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. And we're going to explain what those impacts of climate change are throughout the series.
But all you need to know right now is that the earth has warmed about one degree and we're close to that goal of 1.5 degrees, which means that we need to do as much as we can now to help the earth get better and, and heal it's fever, if you will.
Zanagee: Yes, the light bulb 1.5. Wow. We are getting somewhere people. So our show is called 1 Point 5. Again, in reference to that goal of keeping warming at, or below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Olivia: Some of you may have heard of something called the Paris climate accord. Uh 1.5 degrees Celsius is the goal that scientists and governments around the world have agreed upon to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and give humanity, our global community, the best chance we have to, to prosper on our one and only plan.
Zanagee: Exactly but enough about numbers. We're going to jump in more to talk a bit about ourselves.
[MEET THE HOSTS]
Olivia: Now that we know why the show is called 1 Point 5, why don’t we share a little bit about ourselves?
Zanagee: Absolutely. Hello listener. It's so great to meet you and to start, uh, I am from Connecticut, just like Olivia in the United States. And we met because we're, we were both pursuing environmentally related projects and now we're working together on one point.
Olivia: Yes. Um, and um Zanagee, I don't know if you remember, we also wrote a book together called A Kids Book About Climate Change. It was a great, great time.
Zanagee: We sure did. Yes. We wrote A Kids Book About Climate Change to provide a resource that Olivia and I didn't have when we were kids. And we really want it to write this book because it explains climate change in a simple, easy to understand way. We talk about how the planet is warming, why it's like a fever for your own body, and also what some of the solutions are to fix this problem that we face.
Olivia: Yeah, I had such a, a great time writing that book with you. And, um, it's been so cool to see kids and parents read the book and share their feedback.
Um, and I'm so excited to be doing this podcast with you Zanagee because we just get to dive so much, um, and so much more depth into, into the topics we introduced to that book because as you'll see, you know, climate change is a really complex topic. And, um, it helps to have really simple plain language, um, so that you can have a really good foundation for understanding what's happening to our planet so that we can fix this problem.
Anyway, we were introducing ourselves. Zanagee, beyond being co-author of A Kids Book about Climate Change and being a great friend, uh, who are you?
Zanagee: I'm Zanagee artists. I use he him pronouns. I am 21 years old. I'm an author, a climate activist, and also a founder and the executive director of the global youth led climate justice organization, Zero Hour.
Olivia: I love Zero Hour I'm Zero Hour's number one fan. I stan Zero Hour. Um, can you tell us a little bit more about the work that you guys do?
Zanagee: Absolutely. So basically what you need to know about zero hour is that we are a group of young people in the U S and all over the world, leading a movement for change.
Take action on climate change. So we've hosted rallies, we've marched in the streets. We've talked to elected officials and we are demanding climate justice for all, because as young people, climate change is an issue that is affecting us right now. And it's going to affect our futures if we don't take action right now.
Olivia: So would it be right to say that. Do you remember a couple of years ago when all those young people were in the streets, like millions of young people around the world, marching for climate justice. Um, you remember that? Right?
Zanagee: Sure do!
Olivia: I was there too. Um, would it be right to say the Zero Hour helped organize those marches?
Zanagee: Yes. So Zero Hour led the youth climate marches here in the U S and in 25 locations all around the world in 2018. And then we also helped again, uh, for the global climate strikes in 2018, where people were taking to the streets, telling their stories and talking about climate change as an issue that people should care about.
Olivia: Awesome. Um, that's so cool. It was so. Uh, I'll never forget that feeling of, um, being with so many young people, um, who all care about this issue of climate change. It was so special. Um, okay. Is there, is there anything else you want to share about yourself?
Zanagee: Oh, let's see. What did I forget? Well, justice. So I mentioned, uh, Zero Hour is, uh, it's a movement for climate justice.
And since this word is also in the subtitle of our show, 1 Point 5: A Kids Podcast About Climate Justice, let's have Joanna help us out.
Joanna: Climate justice is a term used to frame climate change as an ethical and political issue, rather than one that is purely environmental or physical in nature. This is done by relating the causes and effects of climate change to concepts of justice.
Zanagee: Thanks Joanna. Yes, basically when I say Zero Hour organizes to demand climate justice, for all, what I'm saying is that we're focusing on addressing the ways climate change impacts people who live on earth in different ways.
Olivia: Climate justice is a really special term and one that I learned also as an adult, but the way I think about it, um, is When you talk about climate justice, you're not, you're not only talking about what climate change is.
So you're not only talking about the fact that the earth is warming up, that it has these impacts on the earth, but you're basically also talking about how it affects people around the world and all different kinds of ways, because everyone has different backgrounds. Um, which means that, uh, we'll need to pursue different solutions to make sure that all these different kinds of people around the world are taken care of.
Zanagee: Yeah, definitely. And there are so many different solutions that we're going to hear about, uh, from lots of different. So we were excited about that. And also you can check them out in our book, A Kids Book About Climate Change.
Olivia: You sure can. And we will also have, um, show notes where we share a few more resources for, um, after every episode. Uh, okay. So, so nausea, I'm hearing that you're, you're from Connecticut. You're, uh, one of the founders of Zero Hour. Um, you're doing incredible work in the climate justice movement. Is there anything else about yourself that you want to share?
Zanagee: Sure. Like I said, um, I grew up on the shoreline of Connecticut. I love spending time outside, love the water. I am also a student right now. I'm a senior at Brown University studying political science and environmental studies. And I don't really know what I want to do with my life after graduating, but I am definitely in love with the environment and love working on issues of climate change and policy.
Olivia: Well, listen, if there's one thing I know about you it's that you actually are one of the people who like truly loves the environment more than anyone I know. Like you really just, you love nature and you love the plants and you love the animals and you love to show me pictures that you take of the animals, which I love to see.
Zanagee: What can I say? I'm a tree hugger.
Um, well thank you.
Yes. And so let's talk about you. Tell us about yourself.
Olivia: Um, okay. Uh, I use she, her pronouns and I graduated from college a couple of years ago. I studied. Um, these topics called economics and psychology. And, um, after graduation I worked on a few entrepreneurship projects. Uh, I also was on a fellowship with Cliff Bar for a year.
So if you've ever had a Cliff Bar. Um, shout out Clif Bar, you guys are the best. Um, they helped me with some of my climate justice work and actually a kid's book about climate change would not exist if not for Cliff Bar. So thank you, cliff bar. And, um, other than that, I volunteered for climate justice organizations.
And in general, if you know me, you know that in basically every single area of my life, I use all the tools at my disposal to combat climate change.
Zanagee: And I think you have a lots of tools at your disposal. So I'm wondering if you could talk a bit about those and everything that you've learned.
Olivia: Yeah. Um, it's another one of my, um, best slash worst qualities, depending on who you talk to.
Um, I, I don't stop talking about the new things I'm learning every single day, but, uh, something I learned recently, which really honestly blew my mind is that talking about climate change, um, and spreading information is, is one of the most impactful things we can do. Um, I used to not, I used to not really understand that, the importance of, of just speaking about things, but it turns out that research actually demonstrates that not shutting up about climate change is one of the best ways to fight climate change. At this point.
And another really think cool thing that I learned recently, um, which again, I just, I really didn't know. It was really the opposite of what I thought is that far fewer people in the US deny that climate change is happening and a serious issue. So actually most people in the United States where we live believe that climate change is real and that climate action is needed.
I'm going to repeat that because, uh, we don't hear it enough. Most people in the us believe that climate change is real and that climate action is needed.
Zanagee: Well, that's relief because we do need most people to care about this and we need people to talk about it and. If you haven't gathered this already, we're going to be talking about this a lot, talking about climate change, why it's important and why we mean it.
As many people as possible talking about how much they care about our planet and how they can use their own skills and perspectives in this climate justice moves. And so we're excited and we're excited to be on this journey and help build another community of people who care about preventing the worst impacts of climate change and taking action for climate justice.
Olivia: Yes. Um, and you know, whats so cool? You, you listening right now, are actually now part of this awesome group of people who care about climate change and want to use everything at their disposal to help.
Zanagee: Yes. And that is that it's cool to the maximum. One hundred and ten percent cool.
More about what you can expect here this season on 1 Point 5, when we return after this quick break.
[BREAK]
Olivia: Okay. Listeners, welcome back to 1 Point 5, A Kids Podcast About Climate Justice. So now, Zanagee and I are going to shift gears and we're going to lay out a roadmap about what you can expect to hear this season on 1 Point 5.
Zanagee: This season will be split into three parts.
What is climate change, intersectionality and solutions. And to get the most out of the season of 1 Point 5, we recommend listening to the episodes in order so that we continue building on new knowledge from every episode. So part one. What is climate change? We'll focus on well, what climate change is and why the climate is changing.
And since this is 1 Point 5: A Kids Podcast About Climate Justice, we'll also dive a bit into how climate change affects young people and what we can do about it.
Olivia: Exactly. And once you're all climate change experts, after listening to part one, part two, we'll focus on intersectionality, another new word, intersectionality.
Joanna, can you help us out for anyone who might not be familiar with this term?
Joanna: Sure thing, Olivia. Intersectionality can be thought of as a way to think about an issue in a broader social context. For instance, an issue that affects Black people and another issue that affects women both affect Black women.
Zanagee: For the purpose of our show, thinking about intersectionality basically means thinking about all the ways climate justice is relevant for different kinds of people, Black people, low income people, women, the list goes on every identity that we have, climate change can affect us in different ways.
And so it's important to think about that with climate justice.
Olivia: Right? And you can, you can think about yourself, you know, Some words that you use to describe yourself. You might use, like once we've mentioned women, low-income, Black, and Indigenous, you know, we all have different identities and I'm sure, you know, being in the world, you know, how, um, you know, how those identities interact with the world.
And intersectionality basically just means a way of thinking about how climate change affects all different kinds of people. With different identities all over the world in different ways. Um, and you know, I'm, I'm sure you know, that climate change affects us all differently because we all have different life experiences and come from different backgrounds.
So it's important to think about intersectionality when we think about climate change. Um, because like we said in the beginning, climate justice means not just thinking about what climate change is, it means thinking about how climate change affects people who live on this planet that we all share.
Zanagee: Yes, exactly.
And so Part II, we'll give you an introduction to climate change under this intersectional lens. And we're going to be talking with, uh, lots of our friends, um, who have. Very different experiences, very different identities who have experienced climate injustice. And also talk about what they're doing about it, how they're taking action, how they're sharing their own stories and also what you can do about it.
Olivia: Yes. Um, so. We're actually speaking from the future right now because we, we spoke to those friends already. And I had such a fun time speaking to Kevin and to Rome and Jamie, um, actual friends that we have in real life who were so, so generous to come on our show and share their experiences with us.
Um, I'm so excited for, for Part II.
Zanagee: Yes, me too. And now we're going to move on to Part III: Solutions.
Olivia: Yes. Um, I sent this last time, uh, I'm also very excited for part, part three, uh, solutions. Um, can you tell us about what we'll expect to hear in Part III?
Zanagee: We're all excited. We're we're we're so on the edge of our seats.
Okay. Let's talk about part three. So Part III will be all about solutions to the climate crisis. We'll hear from experts split into four solution themes. Water. Earth. Air. And fire.
Olivia: Yes. Um, you know, another thing that I've, I've learned working in, um, in the climate movement is that it's so important to, um, it is really important to understand how climate change works and why it's a big problem.
But it's equally, if not more important to talk about all of the incredible solutions, um, that both exist today and that we could see in the future to kick this climate crisis to the curb. Um, and so I really am excited to, uh, speak to all of our friends in part three and hear about the vast range of solutions that can help heal our planet.
Zanagee: Yes, me too. And maybe some of these solutions, you, listener, you could bring into the world. And so we're going to be hearing from people about what you can do in your own life, in your own home to take action and actually help solve the climate crisis with us.
Olivia: Yeah. One of the things, I dunno, if you feel this way, Zanagee, um, but one of the things I think is so cool about the climate justice movement. Is that so often as kids, um, kids are asked, what do you want to be when you grow up? And it's not until they're adults that they start, uh, you know, that we start actually doing stuff in the real world, but because the climate crisis is so urgent, um, when we say solutions, you listen or could bring it to the world.
We don't mean "when you grow up," we mean today. Um, because there are kids all over the world, um, like Zanagee when he was a teen, um, actually bringing climate solutions into the world. So I want you to keep that in the front of your mind that you are so much more powerful than, um, than anyone could imagine.
Zanagee: Yeah, for sure.
Back in my day, just just four years ago. I didn't know anything, um, about climate justice or taking action on climate change. So you have it in you, you have the potential, we're so excited, uh, for this journey. And so from Part I on what climate change is to Part II on an intersectionality finally, to Part III on solutions.
We are so excited for you to join us on this journey and become a change-maker with us.
[CLOSING]
Zanagee: Thank you, listeners, for joining us today. 1 Point 5 is written by me, Zanagee Artis
Olivia: and me, Olivia Greenspan.
Joanna: With occasional support from me, Joanna, from Natural Readers dot com.
Zanagee: Our show is edited and produced by Matthew Winner with help from Ari Mathae and the team at Sound On Studios. Our executive producer is Jelani Memory. And this show was brought to you by A Kids Podcast About.
Olivia: This show is inspired by our book, A Kids Book About Climate Change, and the millions of young people around the world fighting for their right to a livable future.
Zanagee: You can write to us at listen@akidspodcastabout.com. And check out other podcasts made for kids just like you by visiting akidsco.com.