Extreme Heat, Beavers, and Rethinking How We Tell the Climate Story — with PBS's Miles O'Brien

In episode 260 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons talks with veteran science journalist Miles O'Brien, host of the new PBS series Resolve to Solve with Miles O'Brien. Doug and Miles explore how Phoenix and Sydney, Australia, are confronting extreme heat, from redesigned playgrounds and urban shade to fascinating research on how heat actually affects the human body. Then it's beavers—yes, beavers—and their surprising role in helping Western landscapes hold onto water, restore ecosystems, and provide refuge from wildfire. The conversation expands into a lively discussion about climate journalism: why adaptation remains underreported, the decline of dedicated science reporting, and the challenge of reaching audiences beyond the climate world. Doug and Miles also discuss adaptation as an emerging sector and why we need to invest much more seriously in telling these stories.

Transcript of episode available here.

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Links in this episode:

https://www.pbs.org/show/resolve-to-solve/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Key Themes Covered in This Episode

• Extreme heat adaptation in Phoenix and Sydney, Australia
  Designing cities and public spaces for a hotter climate
• Beavers as unexpected allies against drought and wildfire
• Adaptation as an emerging profession, sector, and economy
• Why climate journalism remains too reactive
• Moving beyond climate doom toward realistic, pragmatic hope
• Taking adaptation stories beyond the adaptation community

For Educators & Students

• Compare how Phoenix and Sydney, Australia, are adapting to extreme heat.
• Explore how urban design can reduce exposure to dangerous temperatures.
• Examine beavers as a case study in nature-based adaptation to drought and wildfire.
• Discuss why climate journalism tends to focus on disasters rather than the adaptation happening between them.
• Consider the emergence of climate adaptation as a profession, sector, and economy.
• Explore how journalists can communicate realistic hope without minimizing the seriousness of climate change.

Who Should Listen to This Episode

• Compare how Phoenix and Sydney, Australia, are adapting to extreme heat
• Explore how urban design can reduce exposure to dangerous temperatures
• Examine beavers as a case study in nature-based adaptation to drought and wildfire
• Discuss why climate journalism often focuses on disasters rather than what happens between them
• Consider adaptation as an emerging profession, sector, and economy
• Explore how journalists can communicate realistic hope without minimizing climate risk

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