Climate Cast

Minnesota has experienced four significant blowing dust episodes over the past few years, and the uptick in frequency has raised air-quality concerns across the state. Now, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will start issuing air quality alerts for blowing dust this summer. Matt Taraldsen, MPCA meteorologist, says the fine particle pollution from dust — technically known as PM10 — is similar to wildfire smoke. “People are very familiar with PM2.5 or fine particle pollution and wildfire smoke,” Taraldsen said. “PM10 can get into the airways and cause inflammation and cardiopulmonary issues even in healthy people — in the right concentrations.” Dust can travel to Minnesota from Texas or Oklahoma, and high winds can blow in dust from North and South Dakota as well. Low snowpack and dryer conditions in the Midwest have contributed to loose soil. “It used to be that we would get snow and it would stay on the ground relatively all winter, and that would prohibit any dust from being lofted because it’s under the snow pack,” he said. “But the past several years, with the exception of 2023, we’ve had open and bare ground for much, if not most, of the winter. So anytime you get these big storms that come in, [with] sustained winds, it can pick up the dust in concentrations enough to impact health.” To hear the full conversation, click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast.

Minnesota has been a part of the solar energy boom that has swept across the nation over the past decade. Research has shown solar energy is now the cheapest form of electricity in the history of electric power generation, but politics on the state and federal level could trigger challenges for the renewable resource. MPR News Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner talked to Brian Martucci [https://minnesotareformer.com/author/brianmartucci/], an energy reporter with the Minnesota Reformer, about the issues solar power could face in Minnesota.

Recycled plastics reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 to 80 percent compared to creating new plastics. But the process isn’t always waste-free. Eureka Recycling, a 20-year-old mission-driven zero-waste recycler, has upgraded its facility to ensure recycled materials are effectively repurposed. “It’s incredible how much less energy it takes,” said Miriam Holsinger, co-president and chief operating officer of Eureka Recycling. “We really work hard to keep the material we sort as local as possible — a lot of it stays right here in Minnesota, where it gets turned into new products, and 95 percent of what we sort actually stays in the Midwest.” Holsinger spoke with MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner about how the climate can benefit from recycling materials. To hear the full conversation, click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast.

Tech companies are looking to the land of 10,000 lakes as a suitable environment to expand their data footprint. About 10 tech giants, such as Microsoft and Meta, are vying to build data centers in Minnesota to support their growing AI networks. “The Midwest is kind of a big emerging market right now,” said Nick Halter, a Twin Cities reporter for Axios. “That's because we have abundant water, which oftentimes is used to cool these [centers] down, and also because we have much cooler temperatures.” That’s because data centers in cooler climates require less energy to cool their facilities than those in warm Southern states. Some tech companies are also targeting Minnesota because of the state’s renewable energy mandates, Halter said. “The big question here is: How can we get to a place where we have 100 percent renewable energy in Minnesota, which is our goal, while the 10 proposed [data centers] would be the equivalent of the entire state's households’ electricity use?” To hear the full conversation with Nick Halter and Paul Huttner, click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast.

The mighty Mississippi, which flows from its headwaters in northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, has topped an endangered rivers [https://mostendangeredrivers.org/river/mississippi-river/] list. A report from nonprofit conservation organization American Rivers states that a combination of extreme flood, drought cycles, toxic runoff, and poor river management threatens the Mississippi. The 2,300-mile-long river is a water source for more than 50 cities in the U.S., including several in Minnesota. Cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (better known as FEMA) are also a concern. “There's just a lot of questions about what's going to happen to that agency,” said MPR News correspondent Kirsti Marohn . “FEMA plays a role in reducing flood risks and supporting resilient development in communities along the river, and then also helping communities prepare for disasters and recover from them.” Marohn covers central Minnesota communities, water and the environment. She joined MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner to explain the threats [https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/04/20/conservation-group-names-mississippi-most-endangered-us-river] the river is facing. To hear the conversation, click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast.