Australia is on fire. The current Australian bushfire season has been the worst in recent history, burning an estimated 26 million acres across the continent, particularly in the south-east. Last month, the New South Wales Government declared a state of emergency due to record-breaking temperatures and drought. An estimated six thousand buildings have been destroyed […]
The California Wildfires, PG&E, and the Energy Grid
California is burning, and Pacific Gas & Electric—one of the biggest privately-owned utility companies in the state—is coming under criticism for their role in the fires and their failure to provide service and safety to more than 2 million California residents who went days without power last week. To shed some light on this situation, […]
Split Show: Greenland’s Not for Sale and the Amazon Is Burning
The Trump administration recently declared its interest in purchasing Greenland from Denmark. What’s this all about? In the first segment, we talk to Claus Elholm Andersen, professor of Scandinavian studies in the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic at UW–Madison, to get some insight on Greenland’s history and resources—and why it’s strategically important to global […]
Rebroadcast: Wildfires and Disaster Response
Today’s episode is a rebroadcast from January 7, 2019. As wildfire season approaches again, we return to this conversation with guest Dave Lowe, who works for the US Forest Service and is one of two fireline archaeologists in the state of Wisconsin. Over the course of the hour, he and Patty discuss the particular hazards […]
The Role of Archaeology in Wildfire and Disaster Response
What are fireline archaeologists and what is their role in firefighting and other disaster management? We learn about this profession on today’s episode with guest Dave Lowe, who works for the US Forest Service and is one of two fireline archaeologists in the state of Wisconsin. Over the course of the hour, he and Patty […]
The Year of Fire: Wildfires, Nature, and Culture
The Carr Fire. The Ferguson Fire. The Cranston Fire. The Substation Fire. 2018 has been the year of fire, with wildfires raging in the Western U.S., Canada, and throughout Europe. On today’s episode, Patty interviews fire historian Stephen J. Pyne about the history and politics of firefighting, media coverage of wildfires, and why Smokey Bear […]
