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In our very first episode we cover a ghost town on fire and a neoprene factory in a small Louisiana town. Welcome to World Is Burning, the podcast for your climate anxiety. We talk about who the heck we are, how government and climate disasters are inherently connected, and why the boiling frog fable is more human than you’d think.
Story #1 (Olivia) : Centralia, the ghost town on fire
Terms to know: coal seam fire, displacement
Sources:
I mean obv Wikipedia Centralia mine fire / Centralia PA / Eternal Flame / Coal seam fire
Home Sweet Home (2003) by ABC Australia
This Mine Fire Has Been Burning for Over 50 Years on History.com
Centralia Mine Fire FAQ by the Department of Environmental Protection
Visiting Centralia on Offroaders
The Day The Fire Started on Coalspeaker
‘I Live in Centralia’ on Cracked
Abandoned by Bright Sun Films
Fire in the Hole on Smithsonian
My Favorite Murder Minisode 182 Transcription
Massive Engineering Mistakes by Discovery UK
‘Graffiti Highway’ Near Centralia Buried Permanently by The Morning Call, April 2020
Wonder World short video
Pennsylvania Town Lives With Fire That Won’t Stop in the New York Times, 1981 article
Time Capsule Open Wounds by Reuters
Walks, Tracks and Trails of New South Wales / Burning Mountain Australia
Story #2 (Elise) : Neoprene and St. James’ Parish
You can learn more about the Coalition Against Death Alley on their website. Sign the petition to revoke Formosa Plastics’ air permit here via The Action Network.
Terms to know: environmental racism, industrial zoning / industrialization, air pollution
Sources:
Inside Louisiana’s Horrifying ‘Cancer Alley’ – Business Insider – April 9, 2020
Chemical Corridor’ : By ‘Old Man River,’ New Health Fear – LA Times – ‘May 9, 1989
After Decades Of Air Pollution, A Louisiana Town Rebels Against A Chemical Giant – NPR – March 6, 2018
The Petrochemical Industry Is Killing Another Black Community in ‘Cancer Alley’ – The Nation – Aug 26, 2019
Rise St James Facebook Page
Concerned Citizens Of St John
Why Pollution is A Matter Of Life And Death – New York Times – June 22, 2019
Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ Is Getting Even More Toxic — But Residents Are Fighting Back – Rolling Stone – October 30, 2019
‘Almost every household has someone that has died from cancer’ – The Guardian
The Plant Next Door – The Intercept – March 24, 2017
The Plastics Giant and the Making of an Environmental Justice Warrior – DESMOG – January 7, 2020
Economic damage from Hurricane Laura is far less than initially feared – CNN – August 28, 2020
The Dump
Our amazing cover designer is Sonja Katanic, who you can find @sonjavolcanic on Instagram.
Kaycie Satterfield did our magnificent theme song – you can find her on Instagram @kayciesatterfield and listen to her music wherever you do that!!
We’re excited about the Critical Frequency podcast network that combines the climate crisis and storytelling/media. On the podcast we mentioned their shows Hot Take and Drilled and how they get us thinking. (We don’t know them and probably shouldn’t have mentioned a better climate podcast in our first episode, but hey. The more the merrier.)
World Is Burning the playlist is on Spotify 🙂
If you enjoyed this episode, considering reviewing us on Apple Podcasts and downloading/subscribing/following wherever you like to do those things. It helps us immensely.
Thanks for listening to our first episode! We’re excited for what’s to come.
World Is Burning 