NOTE: This episode originally ran in September of 2022. In this episode, Erin Simon, WWF’s head of plastic waste and business, explains the scale of the plastic pollution crisis and why it matters for both people and nature. She dives into the factors driving this crisis (5:42) and discusses how companies and individuals can help address it (9:12). And lastly, Erin breaks down efforts by the United Nations to create a new treaty to address the plastic crisis (18:00). LINKS: Erin Simon Bio ...

Today’s episode marks International Day of Forests (March 21) by celebrating the 25th anniversary of a little-known but important US law: the Tropical Forest and Coral Reef Conservation Act, or TFCCA. At its core, the TFCCA was designed to facilitate debt-for-nature swaps, which enable developing countries to restructure the debt they owe to the US in a way that relieves their financial burden in exchange for redirecting a portion of the funds toward conservation. These swaps were...

This week we’re marking World Wildlife Day by exploring one of the key issues threatening global species: wildlife crime and the sale of wildlife products online. It’s a big problem. Over 15,000 African elephants are killed every year for their ivory. Roughly three rhinos are killed every day in South Africa alone for their horns. And tigers are captured not just to become pets or ticketed attractions; they’re also killed for their fur, claws, and teeth. And all of these products have sadly...

Food waste is a major contributor to the climate and nature crises. And food date labels are fueling the problem. Right now consumers might see upwards of 50 different terms used on food items: Use By, Sell By, Best By, etc. Confusion caused by this patchwork of terms leads many people to simply throw out food that may still be perfectly good to eat. Congress could help by passing the Food Date Labeling Act (FDLA), which would establish a simple, nationwide framework focused on just two...

What is green hydrogen? In short, it’s hydrogen produced using entirely renewable electricity, which can then be used for industrial processes like creating cement or steel, among other things. That’s important because those industrial processes are currently the third-largest source of greenhouse gases in the United States, after the transportation and electricity sectors. If we can power those processes with green hydrogen instead of fossil fuels, it could go a long way toward helping the...

Namibia is an incredibly diverse place in southwestern Africa. It encompasses everything from coastal ecosystems, to savannahs, to floodplains and deserts. And Namibia is home to over 2.5 million people, and an incredible array of wildlife, from cheetahs, to elephants, to impalas, and rhinos. Aside from all that incredible biodiversity, one thing that makes Namibia stand out is its community-led approach to conservation. For nearly three decades, Namibians have been forming and leading...

Over the holidays we passed an important milestone: the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This bill was signed into law by President Nixon on December 28, 1973. Over the last 50 years the ESA has proved a remarkable success, with 99% of the species covered by the Act avoiding extinction. To mark this occasion, WWF’s Leigh Henry joins the podcast to talk about the circumstances that led to the passage of the ESA back in 1973 (1:21), how the law actually works in practice...

For the last 12 days world leaders have convened in Dubai for COP28, the critically important UN climate summit. Important progress has been achieved on some issues, but negotiations have been more difficult in other areas, including on finalizing the Global Stocktake and determining whether it will include language about the need to “phase out” fossil fuels. As COP28 winds to a close this week, we spoke to Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, WWF International’s Global Lead for Climate and Energy. In...

COP28 kicks off on November 30 in Dubai – that’s the annual UN summit where national governments come together to assess global climate efforts. Today’s episode is a two-part preview for this year’s summit. In Part 1, you’ll hear from Liz Georges, WWF’s senior director for climate communications. Liz is going to tell us what it’s like to be at a COP (2:15) and break down the top 5 issues and activities that we’ll be watching heading into Dubai (8:35). Then, in Part 2, you’ll hear from Shaun...

The term “blue foods” refers to any food that comes from an aquatic source – whether that be the ocean, a river, or the like. These foods represent a staple for the diets of billions of people around the globe. Blue foods also matter against the backdrop of climate change because they produce far fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to land-based food production. But in some situations, harvesting blue foods can upset delicate marine ecosystems. And, as global stocks of sought-after food...

Snow leopards are among the hardest animals to find in the wild, both because of how rare they are, and because their coats are adapted to provide camouflage that makes them hard to see against the rugged mountain landscape they call home. That’s why they are sometimes call the “ghosts of the mountain.” With an estimated 4,000-6,500 snow leopards remaining in the wild, conservationists have been working in snow leopard range countries across Asia to build a more stable future for these big...

Most of us know the bison as one of the iconic American species. In fact, it’s the official US National Mammal. These animals once numbered in the tens of millions across North America, and they held a sacred place in the lives and traditions of Native Nations across the continent. But by the late 1800s, barely 500 bison remained. In this episode, you’ll hear from Dennis Jorgensen, WWF’s bison program manager; and Monica Rattling Hawk, WWF’s Native Nations liaison. They discuss the history of...

We’d normally have a new episode out for you today, but we’re modifying our release schedule this week because we’ve got a special episode about bison conservation timed to the release of the new Ken Burns documentary on PBS, The American Buffalo. This two-part series will conclude tonight, Tuesday, October 17, at 8:00pm ET, so we decided to release our complementary episode on bison a day late. That way you can watch the documentary, and come back to Nature Breaking tomorrow for an in-depth...

Much of the climate progress we’ve secured in the last few years has been spurred by the urgent calls to action from young people who are already living with the consequences of decisions that were made by older generations. For this episode, we spoke with one person who has been at the forefront of youth climate organizing and activism. Alexia Leclercq is the winner of WWF’s 2022 Conservation Leadership Award, which is given out annually to recognize exceptional young leaders in the...

This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the NEST Climate Campus in New York, where WWF hosted two days of programming for Climate Week NYC – an annual showcase for the latest in climate policy and activism on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting. Our guests for this special event were Sheila Bonini, WWF’s Senior Vice President for Private Sector Engagement, and James McCall, Chief Sustainability Officer for HP Inc. Sheila and James spoke about how companies can...

September 5 is World Amazon Day, and we’re celebrating with an episode about the many things that make the Amazon rain forest so special. For example, did you know that the Amazon is the largest rain forest in the world? It covers an area nearly the size of the entire continental United States, and it’s home to about one in 10 known species on Earth. It also helps stabilize the local and global climate. But it also faces challenges from deforestation, climate change, and more. In this...

The last 12 months or so have been marked, in part, by the emergence of Artificial Intelligence as a mainstream tool. But did you know that AI has been helping with conservation projects for years? This episode features a conversation with Dave Thau, WWF’s Global Data and Technology Lead Scientist. Dave has years of experience using AI to help make sense of different data inputs that are important for monitoring the health of species and ecosystems. You’ll hear Dave talk about how AI is being...

Seaweed is an incredibly versatile product. It’s showing up more and more on our plates in restaurants and at grocery stores. But seaweed can also be used as animal feed for livestock, and it can even be used as an alternative to plastic in packaging. Importantly, seaweed farming requires no land, freshwater, fertilizer, or pesticides. And it also improves the health of surrounding waters while absorbing carbon, meaning it could play an important role in combatting climate change. Today’s...

BONUS EPISODE: The last few weeks have brought an unprecedented series of extreme weather events. At a global scale, July 4th went down as potentially the warmest day in recorded history. And more locally, communities from Arizona to China have been breaking all-time records for heat. We’ve also seen wildfires in Canada sending smoke into communities from Detroit to Washington, and intense floods inundating areas of Vermont and New York. It’s clear that climate change is fueling a season of...

What’s the best thing you ever received in the mail? Maybe a college admission letter or a card from a loved one? Well, what if you could add farm-fresh vegetables to that short list of favorite deliveries? WWF is piloting a new program to help farmers deliver produce directly to people’s doors through the US Postal Service. It’s called Farmers Post. The goal of the program is to reduce food waste by connecting farmers directly with consumers to sell produce that might otherwise go unused....

In recognition of Pride Month and Juneteenth, Charles Sumpter and Jessica Leung join the show to talk about what WWF is doing to strengthen its approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). They talk about why these issues matter to WWF’s mission (1:35), how the organization’s journey on this front has evolved in recent years (6:25), how a new internship program is building a more diverse pipeline of future conservationists (23:45), and more. LINKS: WWF’s BRIDGE Internship Program:...

In the wake of World Ocean Day on June 8, this episode examines worsening global conflict around fisheries, and what we can do to address it. Put simply, huge swaths of the world rely on fishing, either for subsistence or income. And when fish become more scarce due to overfishing, climate disruption, or other factors, it creates an opportunity for conflict. Today’s guest is Sarah Glaser, who leads the Oceans Futures initiative at WWF. The initiative aims to use the best science and...

The link between travel and conservation goes back at least to the 1860s, when President Lincoln signed the Yosemite Act, setting aside a large area in California for “public use, resort, and recreation.” But are travel and conservation still compatible? Joining the show to help answer that question is Jim Sano, WWF’s Vice President for Travel, Tourism, and Conservation. You’ll hear Jim talk about how tourism dollars provide essential funding for national parks that help preserve nature...

Perhaps no species on Earth has been more directly associated with climate change than polar bears. As Arctic sea ice melts, the habitat for these bears will continue to shrink. But did you know that polar bear populations have a complicated history? In this episode you’ll hear from Elisabeth Kruger, a manager for Arctic wildlife at WWF-US, about how conservation measures helped polar bears in the 1970s when commercial hunting was their primary threat (2:55), and what the future looks like...

Pollination underpins the web of life, helping crops produce food and helping flowers produce seeds. Perhaps no species is more directly associated with the topic of pollination than the European honeybee, but there are actually some 20,000 known species of bee in the world, and nearly 4,000 in North America alone. And pollination doesn’t end with bees. Many other species, from butterflies, to bats and even beetles play critical roles. Unfortunately many of these little helpers are under...