Join host Jeff Corwin on an adventure to the great state of Alaska as he explores a few of the incredible animals that call it home. Jeff begins on the shores of the icy Cook Inlet helping

Join host Jeff Corwin on an adventure to the great state of Alaska as he explores a few of the incredible animals that call it home. Jeff begins on the shores of the icy Cook Inlet helping conservationists monitor a population of endangered beluga whales. To learn more about the wildlife featured in the episode, visit www.defenders.org/wildlifenation Video Transcript: Jeff Corwin: For today's adventure, I'm traveling to America's last great frontier, the mighty state of Alaska. Alaska is a place of extremes. It is home to some of the most stunning landscapes on earth and a collection of North America's most iconic species. This morning we're exploring the massive Cook Inlet watershed located south of Anchorage. I'm joining Nicole Whittington-Evans from Defenders of Wildlife and Suzanne Steinert to help the ongoing conservation of the great white canaries of the sea. Jeff Corwin: Incredible. So we've got one beluga there and another one right here.  Nicole, when they come up, it's a flash, isn't it? Nicole Whittington-Evans: Yeah. It's just like a marshmallow surfacing on the water and then going back down. Jeff Corwin: What is bringing them here? Nicole Whittington-Evans: They're coming in to the inlet because they are following salmon. They're feeding on salmon and other fish. Jeff Corwin: The beluga whale is uniquely adapted to life in the Arctic. The absence of a dorsal fin allows them to swim under ice with ease. Their highly developed sense of hearing allows them to use echolocation to communicate with each other and navigate through the icy water that often has low visibility. Jeff Corwin: Suzanne, typically, how many belugas would we see here? Suzanne Steinert: This time of year, Jeff, we could see dozens on one tide cycle. Jeff Corwin: Nicole and Suzanne carefully count and photograph every beluga they find to monitor the health of this critically endangered population.   Jeff Corwin: In the late '80s and early '90s, Cook's Inlet was home to well over a thousand beluga whales, but today the population has plummeted by nearly 80%. What has happened to beluga whales? Nicole Whittington-Evans: In Cook Inlet, we're directly adjacent to the largest population center in Alaska. And through that, there's been a lot of habitat degradation for Cook Inlet belugas. Suzanne Steinert: There are a number of threats that are likely contributing cumulatively to preventing this population from recovering. Jeff Corwin: What is one step do you think that we could do today that would ensure their survival into tomorrow? Nicole Whittington-Evans: We really need to be thinking about how we can reduce our impacts to the climate. Suzanne Steinert: And if they're going to have any chance of survival, we've got to figure out how to better balance human and beluga needs. Jeff Corwin:  Our goal is to ensure that every generation has a chance to perch upon this rock and witness these amazing whales. Thank you guys so much. This was awesome. Nicole Whittington-Evans: Yeah, this was fantastic. There's one right there. Jeff Corwin: There is one right there.

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We know that climate change affects us all in more ways than we can imagine. The Gulf of Mexico continues to undergo severe effects of climate change like dead zones & rising waters. There are people

We know that climate change affects us all in more ways than we can imagine. The Gulf of Mexico continues to undergo severe effects of climate change like dead zones & rising waters. There are people who are fighting not only for environmental policy to stop this climate crisis, but their very livelihoods. And most of these people that will exponentially see the effects of global warming in their lifetime, are YOUNG PEOPLE. Young activists are on the front lines of this issue, yet most conversations about how to address it are behind closed doors in rooms filled with primarily older white scientists. If we want to include a more diverse group into these discussions about climate solutions, we can start with inviting young environmentalists to the table and recognizing their collective successes in climate action. https://linktr.ee/ArmonAlex and https://www.facebook.com/maggie.peacock.9066/ Armon Alex is a young climate activist that works to inspire and instill in other young environmentalists the tools to be effective communicators. Through his work in organizations like EarthEcho International, he engages young leaders in conversations about climate solutions and dynamic ways to encourage other generations to follow. As a founder of Project WAVES, a student led initiative & research team studying water quality; and a Co-Founder of the Gulf of Mexico Youth Climate Summit, he understands the necessity & importance of including diverse perspectives in global climate solutions. He currently encompasses all his work in his local government as an Inaugural Member of the City of Corpus Christi's first ever Environmental Task Force and is an Undergraduate student at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi studying Science Communications & Public Relations. Maggie Peacock is a young environmentalist from Lipan, Texas. She works with other youth activists in multiple organizations, such as the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Youth Advisory Council and YOUNGO Ocean’s Voice Working Group, hosts many events and fundraisers in her community’s school district, and is the co-founder of the Gulf of Mexico Youth Climate Summit. She plans to attend Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi to study marine biology and political science. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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RSA Spotlights – taking you straight to the heart of the event, highlighting our favourite moments and key talking points.

In an edited extract from the second event in our brand-new series, we adopted a 'Question Time' format, and gathered expert representatives in each of what we feel are the seven main dimensions of the climate problem: science, behaviour, democracy, law, technology, economy and culture.

Our panel provided expert insights into the competing priorities, responsibility voids and overlapping areas of jurisdiction that make climate change such a difficult issue to resolve. 

Panellists included Economist, LSE, Lord Nicholas Stern; climate scientist, UCL, Chris Rapley CBE; Green Party member of the London Assembly, Baroness Jenny Jones; Co-founder, Futerra, Solitaire Townsend; green-energy entrepreneur and founder of Solarcentury, Jeremy Leggett; psychoanalytic psychotherapist, Rosemary Randall; environmental lawyer, Friends of the Earth, Jake White.
Published on Mar 6, 2015
Watch the full talk here. Or listen to the full podcast.

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