Join hosts Stu Livingstone and Karen Smith as they put a spotlight on the people that are studying and thinking about environmental change. There is so much science happening that's shedding light on not only our current impact on the planet but also the things that we can do to find a new path forward. Part of that story is about following the science, but the other part is about the people that are doing the science and the action that will spur transformative change. Subscribe to learn about our place in the environments that are emerging around us.
#57 Envisioning the future of carbon removal in Canada with Na'im Merchant
This week we are speaking with Na’im Merchant, Co-founder and Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada. With over 10 years of experience in social impact and international development in health and environment, Na’im brings his expertise in building policies and programs in partnership with governments and stakeholders to the growing carbon dioxide removal technology space in Canada. Carbon Removal Canada is dedicated to advancing inclusive policies and innovations to scale up carbon removal.
In our wide-ranging conversation with Na’im, we talked about the fundamentals of carbon dioxide removal, the diversity of emerging CDR technologies and the policy landscape in Canada and elsewhere that can and will shape the development and deployment of these technologies. As CDR becomes an increasingly important dimension of decarbonization in the coming decades, it was fascinating to discuss its opportunities and challenges within the Canadian context with Na’im.
https://carbonremoval.ca/
28 Aug 2026
#56 How to talk about climate change in Canada with Amber Bennet
Welcome back to Emerging Environments. This week we are speaking with, Amber Bennett, one of Canada’s top climate communication strategists and capacity builders. Over the past five years she has worked to bring groups and leaders together to build a growing and diverse network of more than 4,500 climate communicators. As Executive Director of Re.Climate at Carleton University, she helps lead a national team to deliver research, resources, training and strategy around climate change communication and public engagement.
In our conversation with Amber, we explored the complexities of climate change communication and how Re.Climate breaks this down using analysis and synthesis of recent polling on climate change perspectives in Canada. We talked about Canadians' overwhelming concern about climate change, but we also talked about the disconnect between this concern and declining climate change literacy and growing support for oil and gas pipelines. We also talked about how climate change communication is changing and how climate change communicators are adapting to a challenging media and geopolitical environment. It was great to talk to Amber and we hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.
30 Jul 2026
#55 The stories we tell about nature - with Kristy Ferraro and Adam Meyer
In this episode, we are speaking with Dr. Kristy Ferraro and Dr. Adam Meyer. Kristy is an ecosystem ecologist working at the intersection of biogeochemistry, animal movement, and conservation ethics. She completed her PhD at Yale University, focusing on the ecosystem ecology of animal reintroduction. She’s currently a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan and was previously a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Adam is a field and mathematical ecologist who just finished his PhD at Memorial University and starting in September, will be a Research Excellence post-doctoral fellow at the University of Toronto. His research seeks to understand the impacts and management of moose in Newfoundland forest ecosystems. Kristy and Adam both take interdisciplinary approaches to their science, continually integrating cultural and ethical perspectives into their work.
We reached out to Kristy and Adam after coming across their article titled “Beyond Hero and Villain Narratives in Ecology and Conservation Science,” which was recently published in Bioscience. Drawing from their article, we talked about how morals and storytelling shape both conservation science and public understanding of nature. We also revisit the topic of invasion biology, considering how the language implicit to the discipline acts as a double edged sword, raising awareness but also polarizes and oversimplifies. Ultimately, Kristy and Adam are calling for a thorough examination of how we talk about these things in conservation, and challenge us as scientists and consumers of media to keep a critical lens as we confront the issues and how they’re being portrayed. It was a pleasure to explore this connection between the humanities and conservation science with Kristy and Adam, and we hope it sparks some deep reflection for those listening.
https://theconversation.com/the-cost-of-casting-animals-as-heroes-and-villains-in-conservation-science-263883
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