Sea Change

Throughout the Western history of conservation, protecting nature has often meant removing people. It's what happened during the creation of many of America's national parks. But what if protecting nature didn't have to mean displacing the people who call it home? That's the question that brings us to Culatra, a small fishing island off Portugal's southern coast, and one of the country's seven natural wonders. 
For decades, the Portuguese government saw only one way to save the fragile lagoon surrounding Culatra: kick out the residents. This episode follows one woman's decades-long fight for her island — and the unlikely alliance she built along the way with the very scientists once sent to evict her.
CREDITS
This episode was reported and produced by Geert Vlieger. Sound design also by Geert. Johanna Zorn edited the episode with help from Executive Producer Carlyle Calhoun. Fado was performed on acoustic guitar by Ricardo Martins and Cláudio Sousa. All other music in the episode is composed and produced by Geert. Sea Change’s theme music is by Jon Batiste. Archival tape from Cristiano Guerreiro.
Production of this episode was made possible with support from the Walden Collective and Sciaena, and funding from the European Union’s Big Green Project. One brief update: Valentina Munoz is now in Lisbon and is no longer working for the NGO, but hopes to continue working on community-based ocean protection programs. 
Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. And to help others find our podcast, please share this episode with a friend!
Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

Neil McQueen learned to surf as a Texas teenager, and it changed his life – eventually pulling him away from a career as a plastics engineer and into the fight to save the very waters that shaped him. Thanks to the way ocean currents loop through the Gulf, the Texas coast collects roughly 10 times more plastic debris than any other Gulf state, much of it spilling from the massive petrochemical complex that lines its shores. 
In this episode of Sea Change, reporter Avery Thompson follows Neil from the surf off Mustang Island to the halls of the Texas Capitol to witness a personal reckoning with the plastics economy that helped build modern Texas—and one man’s determination to leave the ocean better than he found it.
To learn more about the citizen-led science project tracking pre-production plastics, called nurdles, check out the Nurdle Patrol. And for more about the Surfrider Foundation's work on the Texas coast, click here. 
CREDITS
This episode was reported by Texas-based reporter Avery Thompson. It was edited by Carlyle Calhoun and Eve Abrams, with additional help from Johanna Zorn, Eva Tesfaye, and Michael McEwan. Carlyle Calhoun is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Jon Batiste, and sound design by Dennis Funk with help from Avery Thompson. 
Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

In the Netherlands, water has always been both a threat and a triumph. A quarter of the country lies below sea level, and for centuries the Dutch have engineered their way to safety. It’s a place not unlike New Orleans: a delta shaped by risk, resilience, and the belief that with enough ingenuity, water can be controlled. But as sea levels rise, that centuries-old confidence is beginning to crack.
In this episode of Sea Change, reporter Jonathan Groubert takes us to the Netherlands to explore a relationship in turmoil. From floating farms to visions of entire cities on water, the Dutch are beginning to rethink everything they thought they knew. The question is no longer how to win the war against water—but whether it’s time to learn how to live with it.

This is part 3 of our three-part series about elements. And today is a biggie: carbon. When we hear about carbon, it's usually about its role in heating up the planet. And while that's an absolutely critical part of the story, the story of this most miraculous of substances is so much larger. 
We talk to Peter Brannen, author of The Story of CO2 is the Story of Everything, about how carbon has always been central to just about every major turning point in the history of life on Earth...including why life is here in the first place. 
CREDITS
This episode is hosted by Executive Producer Carlyle Calhoun. Editing help from Eva Tesfaye and Jack Rodolico. Our theme music is by Jon Batiste, and our sound design by Dennis Funk. 
Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We are part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO’s Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

This is part 2 of our 3-part series about elements.  Last time we met nitrogen, today, it’s partner in crime and in life – phosphorus.  
WLRN Environment Editor Jenny Staletovich has gotten to know the main character of this story pretty well after reporting on the environment in South Florida for more than a dozen years. Bone Valley in Central Florida has quietly fed the world’s hunger for phosphorus, even as its waters, in particular the Everglades, suffer from the fallout. 
In this episode, you'll meet fishing captains turned environmental crusaders, hear about Guano Wars fought over this "Devil's Element," and learn how some are figuring out how to fix our phosphorus paradox.
CREDITS
 WLRN Environment Editor Jenny Staletovich reported this story. The episode was hosted by Executive Producer Carlyle Calhoun. This episode was edited by Eve Abrams. Editing help from Carlyle Calhoun, Michael McEwan, Ryan Vasquez, Alana Schrieber, and Eva Tesfaye. Sound design by Dennis Funk, and our theme music is by John Batiste. 
Sea Change is a WWNO and WRKF production. We're a part of the NPR Podcast Network and distributed by PRX. Sea Change is made possible with major support from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. WWNO's Coastal Desk is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the Meraux Foundation, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.