Climate Change in the Pacific Islands

Curiosity Weekly

Warner Bros. Discovery

Self-improvement, Science, Astronomy, Education

4.6 • 935 Ratings

🗓️ 14 May 2025

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and we’re using this week’s episode to highlight scientists and researchers from those regions to emphasize their contributions to science across all different fields of study. Then, Sam speaks with Dr. Steven Mana’oakamai Johnson. He explains how people are responding to climate change across the Pacific Islands and the importance of local knowledge when it comes to understanding and preparing for new types of weather systems in that region. And finally, Sam investigates a recent study where researchers created an artificial leaf that could have a real impact when it comes to renewable energy.

Link to Show Notes HERE

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Transcript

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0:00.0	There are places in the world where natural beauty can be both a blessing and a burden, depending how you think about it.
0:08.0	Take Bora Bora, for example.
0:10.0	It's known for its white sand beaches, turquoise water, and lush greenery.
0:15.0	The stunning scenery makes it one of the most sought-after vacation destinations in the whole world.
0:20.0	But some of us take that
0:22.3	picture-perfect postcard landscape for granted and forget just how fragile the ecosystems of
0:28.3	the Pacific Islands really are. Welcome to Curiosity Weekly from Discovery. I'm your host, Dr.
0:34.7	Samantha Yamin, and in honor of Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific
0:38.5	Islander Heritage Month, we're exploring how people from the Pacific Islands are responding
0:43.3	to the climate crisis and how the rest of the world can better support these communities
0:47.7	and our planet. It's a big topic, so I've brought in Dr. Stephen Manao Akamai Johnson to
0:54.1	help shed some light.
0:55.8	I'll also talk about scientists may have created artificial photosynthesis, which, if it
1:01.1	works, could be a huge breakthrough when it comes to renewable energy tech. Let's dive in.
1:08.3	Since May is Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the U.S.
1:13.6	and also Asian Heritage Month in Canada, we wanted to celebrate some of the incredible
1:18.7	scientific and tech accomplishments from these communities.
1:22.0	Honestly, we love any reason to celebrate scientists from around the world, and these individuals
1:27.0	have made such a huge impact with their work, changing the way from around the world, and these individuals have made such a huge
1:28.6	impact with their work, changing the way we understand the world around us. Let's dive in.
1:34.8	First up, I have to tell you about the iconic Dr. Fay Delmundo. Dr. Fay Delmundo is a pediatrician,
1:42.6	born in Manila, trained in Manila and the U.S., and she started
	...

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