Climate Harm Has Victims, and Governments Have Names
26/06/2026 | 26 mins.
On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, host Justine Norton-Kertson takes a look at a climate human rights case out of Australia, and its implications for the ability to hold corporations accountable for their role in damaging the climate. Then, we explore what a solarpunk system of climate accountability would look like. Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmag Our Social Media Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmag TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmag Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmag News Articles and Other Sources Trapped by floods and fearing death in the heat: the Australians taking legal action over the climate crisis https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/22/trapped-by-floods-and-fearing-death-in-the-heat-the-australians-taking-legal-action-over-the-climate-crisis Meet the 10 Australians and Read their Complaint https://earthjustice.org/hardtruthscase/legal Fossil Fuel Exports at Center of UN Human Rights Case Against Australian Government https://earthjustice.org/press/2026/fossil-fuel-exports-at-center-of-un-human-rights-case-against-australian-government U.N. court rules countries have duty to limit greenhouse emissions https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/07/23/world-court-climate-ruling Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change https://www.icj-cij.org/case/187 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Heat Index is a Labor Standard
24/06/2026 | 24 mins.
On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, host Justine Norton-Kertson looks how extreme heat is changing the way World Cup matches are played, and asked why those same protections aren't afforded to all working people. Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmag Our Social Media Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmag TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmag Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmag News Articles and Other Sources Study warns of dangerous heat at 2026 World Cup as climate risks grow https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/study-warns-dangerous-heat-2026-world-cup-climate-risks-grow-2026-05-14 World Cup puts urban heat risk in the spotlight https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/society-equity/world-cup-puts-urban-heat-risk-spotlight--ecmii-2026-06-16 Mexico, Italy and others see up to two more months of heat stress than in the 1970s, study says https://apnews.com/article/climate-heat-stress-feelslike-temperatures-50-days-daae5fb348e8cb587bccdf770e842611 Two World Cup matches were played in ‘severe heat’, analysis finds https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/19/world-cup-matches-severe-heat-level-analysis Hydration breaks affect game more than I initially thought, says England's Tuchel https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/hydration-breaks-affect-game-more-than-i-initially-thought-says-englands-tuchel-2026-06-22/ Heat at work: Implications for safety and health https://www.ilo.org/publications/heat-work-implications-safety-and-health Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hurricane Season and the Myth of the Evacuation Order
22/06/2026 | 38 mins.
On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, we have part 3 of our series on Disaster Prep as Community Care. We’re talking about hurricanes, flooding, storm surge, power outages, the myth of the evacuation order, and we continue our conversation about what solarpunk disaster prep and response look like. Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmag Our Social Media Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmag TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmag Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmag Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Data Center Revolt
19/06/2026 | 16 mins.
On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, host Justine Norton-Kertson dives into the data center revolt with three examples of communities fighting back and saying no, including Illinois, La Pine, Oregon, and Monterey Park, California. Then, Justine outlines a solarpunk standard for data center approval.
Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmag Our Social Media Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmag TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmag Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmag News Articles and Other Sources Americans wary of AI-driven data center boom, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows https://www.reuters.com/world/us/americans-wary-ai-driven-data-center-boom-reutersipsos-poll-shows-2026-06-11 US power use to beat record highs in 2026 and 2027 as AI use surges, EIA says https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-power-use-beat-record-highs-2026-2027-ai-use-surges-eia-says-2026-06-09 Gov. Pritzker slows down data center development https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/06/09/gov-pritzker-slows-down-data-center-development A small Central Oregon town shoots down data center development https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/28/la-pine-rejects-data-center-central-oregon In first, California city overwhelmingly votes to permanently ban datacenters https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/03/california-monterey-park-datacenters-ban Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Clean Air Is Climate Infrastructure
17/06/2026 | 20 mins.
On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, host Justine Norton-Kertson continues the discussion about wildfire and smoke from earlier this week, but from the angle of clean air as public infrastructure rather than from the perspective of small community disaster preparedness.
Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmag Our Social Media Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmag TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmag Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmag News Articles and Other Sources Wildfires are making the US smoggy again, reversing progress on cleaner air, study finds https://apnews.com/article/smog-wildfires-climate-change-ozone-artificial-intelligence-bc9cde6da8ae4019cc07b800c70106ad Fires reverse progress toward ozone air quality standards in the United States https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aed3197 NASA-Funded Study Shows Wildfire Smoke’s Hidden Ozone Toll https://science.nasa.gov/earth/nasa-funded-study-shows-wildfire-smokes-hidden-ozone-toll Wildfire smoke has reversed US progress toward ozone air quality, study finds https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/04/wildfire-smoke-air-quality-ozone The Clean Air Act 101 https://www.nrdc.org/stories/clean-air-act-101 American Lung Association State of the Air Report https://www.lung.org/research/sota Science in Action: How to Build a Corsi-Rosenthal Box https://engineering.ucdavis.edu/news/science-action-how-build-corsi-rosenthal-box Monitor the Air Quality Index Near You https://www.iqair.com/usa Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
THE PRESENTOur newly renamed podcast, Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast is all about radical hope and resistance in the age of climate disaster. This newest iteration of Solarpunk Magazine's podcast will launch it's first episode on Monday, January 27, 2025.On Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast, host Justine Norton-Kertson (founder and co-editor-in-chief of Solarpunk Magazine) envisions a world where humanity thrives in harmony with nature, equity and justice guide our communities, and creativity fuels solutions to our shared challenges. By imagining brighter futures and confronting current crises with resilience, we aim to cultivate hope and empower individuals to co-create a sustainable, inclusive, and thriving planet. Our mission is to inspire hope and action by exploring solarpunk ideas, sharing grassroots solutions, and amplifying the voices of change-makers who challenge dystopian realities. Through critical analysis, meaningful conversations, and creative storytelling, we provide listeners with the tools and inspiration to build a more just, equitable, and sustainable world while nurturing optimism in the face of adversity.THE PASTOur podcast began with the title Solarpunk Futures and has gone through a few different iterations. Starting in the fall of 2021, the original podcast ran for seven monthly episodes. Then beginning in fall 2022, the podcast was rebranded as Solarpunk Presents. That iteration was hosted by our then non-fiction co-editors Ariel Kroon and Christina De La Rocha. In January of 2023, Solarpunk Presents branched off on its own as a separate podcast, and in the spring of 2024 Solarpunk Futures came back briefly for a few episodes before going on hiatus for a reworking and rebranding. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
UK