H2O and Beyond

Episode 25 - "California's Tulare Lake"

In this episode of H2O and Beyond, we explore the story of Tulare Lake — once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi — and one of the most overlooked water systems in the United States. Joined by experts from the Tulare Basin Watershed Partnership, we dive into the history, science, and complexity of a lake that doesn’t behave like most others. Unlike permanent lakes, Tulare Lake has always been dynamic — rising and falling with storms, droughts, and human intervention. But over the past century, it’s been almost completely engineered, drained, and reshaped to support agriculture in California’s Central Valley. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro – The lake that disappeared… and came back 04:20 How the basin works (why water gets trapped) 09:00 Why the lake constantly rises and falls 13:20 Human engineering – levees, farming, and control 19:05 Ecosystem overview – why this place was unique 27:30 Wildlife + biodiversity of the lake 34:10 Native communities and how they lived with the lake 40:50 Modern challenges – agriculture, water demand, sustainability 42:40 Hope for the future + closing thoughts 🎧 Listen to more episodes & follow us here: https://linktr.ee/h2oandbeyond Feedback Form: https://forms.gle/RNjdFLY2wSrk7PW2A Resources: https://www.tularebasinwatershedpartnership.org/ If you liked this episode, please Like and Subscribe!

Episode 25 - The Aral Sea - World's Worst Water Disaster?

In this episode of H2O and Beyond, I’m joined by historian Dr. Sarah Cameron to unpack the story of the Aral Sea — one of the greatest environmental catastrophes of the 20th century. How did a massive inland sea in Central Asia nearly disappear? What role did Soviet cotton production play? And what happens to communities when an entire ecosystem collapses? We dive into the Cold War politics behind the diversion of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, the rise of cotton as a “strategic crop,” and how irrigation infrastructure slowly strangled the sea. We also explore the human side of the crisis — from fishing communities forced to abandon their livelihoods to toxic dust storms that reshaped public health in the region. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 3:59 What is the Aral Sea? 10:46 How did the sea affect the climate? 12:07 Why did the Soviets drain the sea? 24:13 How were locals affected? 28:41 Dust Storms 31:54 What does the Aral Sea look like now? 38:04 Revival Efforts 45:41 Closing 🎧 Listen to more episodes & follow us here: https://linktr.ee/h2oandbeyond Feedback Form: https://forms.gle/RNjdFLY2wSrk7PW2A Resources: https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501730436/the-hungry-steppe/#bookTabs=5 https://decentarch.hypotheses.org/866 https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/life-and-death-aral-sea-conversation-wilson-fellow-sarah-cameron If you liked this episode, please Like and Subscribe!

Episode 24: "Water Wars"

In this episode of H2O and Beyond, I’m joined by Morgan Shimabuku from the Pacific Institute to break down how water becomes a trigger, casualty, and weapon in conflict. We explore what actually qualifies as a water conflict, why the term “water wars” can be misleading, and what global data reveals about where and how these conflicts are increasing. We discuss real-world examples from around the globe, including the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Ukraine, and Gaza—examining how water infrastructure is destroyed, shut off, or weaponized, and what that means for civilian populations. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 7:39 What are water conflicts? 11:12 Trends in water conflicts 17:30 Are water conflicts an issue in the developed world? 22:04 How are water conflicts resolved? 29:09 Conflicts in Gaza 34:09 Other work at the Pacific Institute 36:28 Closing 🎧 Listen to more episodes & follow us here: https://linktr.ee/h2oandbeyond Feedback Form: https://forms.gle/RNjdFLY2wSrk7PW2A Pacific Institute Resources: https://www.worldwater.org/water-conflict/https://www.worldwater.org/conflict/map/www.pacinst.org

Episode 23: "Southeast Asia's Unregulated Rare Earth Mines"

In this Episode of H2O and Beyond, I'm joined by Mr. Regan Kwan, a research analyst from the Stimson Center as we talk about the unregulated rare earth mines of Southeast Asia. Rare earth elements are crucial to modern life. They’re in our phones, computers, electric vehicles, and renewable energy technologies. But the environmental cost of extracting them is often paid far from where these technologies are used. We examine how a technique known as in-situ leaching is devastating river systems, groundwater, ecosystems, and human health. While these mines may appear less destructive on the surface, the water impacts are severe: acidic wastewater pumped directly back into rivers, abandoned waste pools that overflow during monsoon seasons, and pollutants that infiltrate soil, crops, and drinking water. In Myanmar, there are over 800 unregulated rare earth mines! Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 7:07 What are rare earth minerals? 12:57 Why the sudden spike in interest? 18:57 How are rare earth minerals mined? 23:45 Myanmar's 800 unregulated mines 33:07 Ecological impacts 38:22 Should outsiders care about this issue? 43:50 Just how big is the rare earth industry? 45:39 How are these mines detected? 47:14 New trends in the industry 51:59 Role of the Stimson Center 58:42 Closing🎧 Listen to more episodes & follow us here: https://linktr.ee/h2oandbeyondFeedback Form: https://forms.gle/RNjdFLY2wSrk7PW2AStimson Center Links: https://www.stimson.org/2025/unregulated-mining-along-rivers-in-mainland-southeast-asia/https://www.stimson.org/2025/mining-in-mainland-southeast-asia-river-basins-dashboard/https://www.stimson.org/event/testing-the-waters-unregulated-mining-in-the-mekong-region/ Some major media hits from the data release: Reuters: https://youtu.be/AezIFldj5uA?si=W3FNcClmCpdeFEaJ Mongabay: https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/toxic-runoff-from-politically-linked-gold-mine-poisons-cambodian-rivers-communities/ CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/25/asia/rare-earth-river-pollution-myanmar-china-intl-hnkT PBS: https://youtu.be/lV7NkSebOMU?si=hyDB0lTYMJgWyGhj CNA (with Regan): https://youtu.be/XPX9hqZOlXc?si=cDPK8i68kQ7ZecNn Korean OBS: https://youtube.com/shorts/2-XVqWNq0SA?si=ybmyTtT3hNMP9aB1If you liked this episode, please Like and Subscribe!

Episode 22: The Power of Traditional Climate Knowledge

For thousands of years, Pacific Island communities survived rising seas, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and storms—without satellites, sensors, or climate models. In this episode of H2O and Beyond, I speak with Patrick Nunn, a geologist who has spent more than three decades working with Pacific Island communities, learning how traditional knowledge preserved real environmental history—and how colonization disrupted it. We explore how myths and legends are actually encoded memories of past disasters, why many Pacific Islanders historically avoided coastlines, and how modern climate adaptation efforts often fail when they ignore local knowledge. We also discuss why money alone won’t solve climate change, and why the future depends on combining Indigenous knowledge with Western science. This episode challenges the idea that vulnerable communities are helpless—and asks what we’ve lost by failing to listen. 00:00 Intro 06:10 Who are the Pacific Islanders? 10:28 What is traditional knowledge? 16:39 Current sea level rise in the Pacific Islands 21:24 The problem with money-first climate aid 24:12 When scientists ignore traditional knowledge 29:00 Why money won’t solve climate change 30:38 How have communities lost their traditional knowledge? 33:00 Place-based knowledge vs global science 35:51 Why has traditional knowledge been ignored in the past? 43:04 How should aid communities go about helping? 46:17 What role does religion play in educating pacific islanders? 49:07 Closing Feedback Form: https://forms.gle/RNjdFLY2wSrk7PW2A🔗 https://linktr.ee/h2oandbeyond Learn more about Dr. Nunn's work! https://patricknunn.org/