In this episode I’m interviewing a researcher who has been studying the impacts of methane on the greenhouse effect, and trying to assess whether burning natural gas is helping or hurting the climate. His most recent paper suggests that it should not be considered an improvement over coal.

Robert Howarth is an Earth systems scientist and ecosystem biologist with a Ph.D. jointly from MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He joined the faculty of Cornell University in 1985 and was appointed the David R. Atkinson Professor of Ecology & Environmental Biology in 1993. He also is an Adjunct Senior Scientist at the Marine Biological Lab in Woods Hole, MA, and is Co-Editor in Chief of the journal Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research. He has published over 250 scientific papers, reports, and book chapters and has edited or authored eight books. His peer-reviewed papers have been cited more than 85,000 times in other peer-reviewed literature, making him one of the most cited environmental scientists in the world. Howarth’s research is broad ranging and includes climate effects on nutrient pollution in lakes and coastal ecosystems, nitrogen effects in coastal marine ecosystems, sources of methane from natural gas operations and agriculture, atmospheric ammonia pollution, alternative energy policies, and lifecycle assessments for hydrogen, liquefied natural gas, and renewable natural gas. He is one of 22 members of New York’s Climate Action Council, the group charged with implementing the State’s ambitious climate goals laid out in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019.

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In this episode I’m interviewing the leader of a new Canadian political party, the Canadian Future Party. Their website has the following statement that I liked, “The CFP believes people from every corner of the country want to be united behind a common set of ideals: democracy, the rule of law, collective action, and individual rights. A country where you can live as you like, love who you want, and in exchange, you work hard, and we collectively agree on a common set of rules to let us live our different lives, together. Where decisions are based on evidence.” This sounds like they’ve been listening to my podcast.

Dominic Cardy is the leader of the Canadian Future Party. Dominic Cardy brings a wealth of experience in international affairs and Canadian politics, having served as Minister of Education and then as an independent MLA, committed to public service and policy innovation. Born in the UK and raised in Fredericton, Dominic was elected as the Progressive Conservative MLA for Fredericton West-Hanwell in 2018 and re-elected in 2020. He served as Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development until 2022. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Dalhousie University.

Dominic’s career spans roles with the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, the National Democratic Institute, and the Forum of Federations, working across Asia and Africa. He also led the New Brunswick NDP from 2011-2016 and served as Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Opposition from 2017-2018. Additionally, Dominic has been a flying instructor since 1994 and is a member of the editorial board of Inroads, a Canadian policy journal.

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In this episode I'm dipping my toes into a new topic a little bit outside my range, but we can still use the tools of science and evidence to assess. The economy and Modern Monetary Theory. It is a new idea that clashes with classical economics. It can be summarized as the idea that governments whose dollar is not linked to a gold standard don't need to worry about deficits. It encompasses the idea of guaranteed employment for all. The discussion will also explore the failure of the capitalism system. My guest is an expert on this topic. Let's get grounded in the facts.

Jamie Merchant is a writer living in Chicago who writes about political economy and radical political theory. His writing has appeared in many publications including The Baffler, The Brooklyn Rail, The Nation, and In These Times. His book, Endgame: Economic Nationalism and Global Decline, was published by Reaktion Books in 2024.

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