The Climate Initiative
PBS Climate Initiative on Connecticut Public
Connecticut Public is proud to support PBS’s climate programming initiative, a bold commitment to explore environmental impacts on our planet through solutions-driven storytelling.
Tune-in for programming focused on the challenges of a changing climate while highlighting examples of positive impact.
Climate in the News
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Tyler Russell/Connecticut PublicThink back to your middle school science class where you might have learned that white light is actually made up of all the colors you see in a rainbow. -
Tyler Russell/Connecticut PublicDroughts are especially problematic for farmers who rely on rain to irrigate their crops, while heavy rain and flood water can contain debris and sewage, contaminating beaches and local residential wells.
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Risk factors include poor circulation and heart disease, which become more common as people age. Older adults also tend to take more medications like diuretics that can be dehydrating. -
More than 200 people in Harwinton were without power Tuesday afternoon, according to Eversource. -
Power could be restored by Tuesday night to thousands of Connecticut residents following weekend storms, according to officials with energy provider Eversource. -
In 2024, Connecticut lawmakers allowed the park to tap into funding typically reserved for state parks.
Every year for Earth Day, the New England News Collaborative stations produce a series of stories about climate change in our region. Some of the things we do to save money - like repairing broken appliances or mending clothing - are actually among the best ways to protect the environment and cut back on our use of fossil fuels. For our 2026 NENC Earth Day series, our journalists are looking into the many ways people in New England are using thrift and resourcefulness to help their wallets and the planet.
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Raquel C. Zaldívar/NENC, Mara Hoplamazian/NHPR, Elizabeth Román/NEPM, Miriam Wasser/WBURAcross New England, people are finding that alternatives to fossil fuels, changing their shopping habits and buying local can help lower their bills. Here are some tips to save money while helping the planet. -
Amy Kolb NoyesRepair cafes, fixit clinics, restart parties – while there’s no standardized term, there’s probably a pop-up volunteer event near you. -
Esta Pratt-Kielley/Maine PublicLocal volunteers offer guidance and recommendations to help homeowners lower their energy costs and reduce climate-warming pollution. -
Raquel C. Zaldívar/New England News CollaborativeNew England utilities and grid operators are working to reduce demand on the grid during times of peak use. In the long run, those efforts could help mitigate how much more infrastructure New England needs to build. -
![Soon-to-be mother, Keishalee Torres [left], and Caring Health Center's Women, Infants, and Children's (WIC) program nutritionist, Caroline Seymour, comparing whole wheat pasta to white flour pasta at Food Zone International Supermarket in Springfield, Massachusetts.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6a4e2a5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1176x662+0+0/resize/480x270!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa1%2Fbf%2Fb25134794d159389648123abaceb%2Fimage.png)
Nirvani Williams/NEPMThe price of kitchen staples like eggs, milk and cheese as well as prices for meats have soared since the pandemic. So is it possible to eat affordable, healthy food that’s also good for the climate? -
Hannah LossThe idea behind the trend is simple: save some cash, and reduce the use of fossil fuels. -
Miriam Wasser/Miriam Wasser/WBURNew England has some of the highest electricity prices in the country. But this past winter, 140,000 households in Massachusetts got a break on their bills because they have a heat pump. -
Stephen Dotson/Town of BrattleboroThese small panels can be plugged into a regular wall outlet, and when paired with a battery, they generate enough electricity to keep a refrigerator running through a power outage. -
Raquel C. Zaldívar/New England News CollaborativeAcross New England, farmers are finding that switching to renewable energy isn’t just a nice thing to have, it’s becoming a necessary part of their economic survival.
![Soon-to-be mother, Keishalee Torres [left], and Caring Health Center's Women, Infants, and Children's (WIC) program nutritionist, Caroline Seymour, comparing whole wheat pasta to white flour pasta at Food Zone International Supermarket in Springfield, Massachusetts.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/74e7b88/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1176x662+0+0/resize/960x540!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa1%2Fbf%2Fb25134794d159389648123abaceb%2Fimage.png)
Latest Radio Episodes
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Daniel Garrido/Getty ImagesConnecticut’s night sky is disappearing. Experts say wildlife is paying the price. We explore how artificial light impacts insects, birds and even our own health. -
Tyler Russell/Connecticut PublicConnecticut residents are feeling pain at the pump as oil prices once again take center stage in national politics. What policy decisions put the U.S. back in this place?
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Beavers are known as a "keystone species," contributing to biodiversity wherever they set up their habitats. Today, Connecticut author and journalist Leila Philip joins us to talk about her book "Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America." -
How do we begin to understand the full economic, human, and environmental impacts of war? This hour we talk with someone who is doing that math. -
Connecticut's Department of Agriculture provides an update on how this winter season has impacted local agriculture and farms.
Featured Video Programs
NPR: Climate & Environment Stories
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NPR's Adrian Ma speaks with Derek Mallia, professor University of Utah's Department of Atmospheric Sciences, about why wildfire smoke in the northeast has a distinctive smell.
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Wildfire smoke and unhealthy air persist and shift direction, as Trump demands explanation from Canada. -
Human-caused climate change is driving many of the wildfires burning across Canada. What's harder to say is how much worse the planet is because of warming global temperatures.
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Higher oil prices since the Iran war began mean many oil companies have brought in excess profits. Some U.S. lawmakers want to tax those windfall profits and give the money to lower-income Americans.
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Orange skies and heavy smoke covered large parts of the U.S. on Thursday as Canada and Minnesota grapple with wildfires. Hazardous air quality is expected to continue.
More Climate & Nature Content to Explore
Watch more programs from PBS looking at Climate, Nature, and Our Planet