Ep 4: Connecting Faith and Climate with Dr. Katharine Hayhoe

Welcome to the fourth episode of the Climate, Mind and Behavior Podcast. Each month, we’ll explore groundbreaking intersections between climate change, resilience, contemplative practice and human behavior.

Dr. Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist and the director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University. As an evangelical Christian and daughter of missionaries, Dr. Hayhoe resides in the unique space between religion and science. Growing up in Canada, Dr. Hayhoe never knew climate change was controversial. It was not until she enrolled as a graduate student at the University of Illinois that she encountered doubters. Today, Dr. Hayhoe spends a lot of time trying to convince conservative Christians that climate change is real, human-influenced and a global crisis—and that it is their duty as members of faith to act. Dr. Hayhoe’s work as a public speaker, author and researcher has garnered her wide public notice. Recently, Time magazine listed her among the 100 most influential people in 2014. In August 2016, Dr. Hayhoe and her husband, Andrew Farley, are releasing the second edition of their book, A Climate For Change: Global Warming Facts for Faith-Based Decisions.

Dr. Hayhoe visited the Union Theological Seminary in New York this Spring as part of their 2016 Women of Spirit Lecture Series. We sat down together to discuss her personal journey from a young evangelical Christian, to as some have called her, “the best communicator on climate change” of our generation, and the ways she connects her faith to the global climate movement.

To learn more about Dr. Katharine Hayoe, visit her website, KatharineHayhoe.com. Our Theme music this week is composed by Podington Bear. You can find his music on iTunes or on his website, PodingtonBear.com. The photograph for this episode is by Ashley Rodgers at Texas Tech University.