Earthbound
Earthbound is a podcast about what it means to be human on a warming planet. Host Thomas Schueneman, a climate writer, global freelance journalist, and audio producer, talks with scientists, philosophers, activists, artists, Indigenous leaders, policy experts, and everyday people about how a changing Earth is reshaping our lives—and how our choices, values, and imaginations are reshaping the planet in return. From climate politics and planetary health to environmental justice, mental well‑being, psychology, and philosophy, the show explores the quiet work of repairing our relationship with nature and each other. Earthbound offers clear‑eyed, human‑centered stories from the Anthropocene.
Apple Podcasts 
Spotify 
PocketCasts 
RSS Feed 
YouTube 
Earthbound is a podcast about what it means to be human on a warming planet. Host Thomas Schueneman, a climate writer, global freelance journalist, and audio producer, talks with scientists, philosophers, activists, artists, Indigenous leaders, policy experts, and everyday people about how a changing Earth is reshaping our lives—and how our choices, values, and imaginations are reshaping the planet in return.
From climate politics and planetary health to environmental justice, mental well‑being, psychology, and philosophy, the show explores the quiet work of repairing our relationship with nature and each other. Earthbound offers clear‑eyed, human‑centered stories from the Anthropocene.
New to Earthbound?
11
June 18, 2025
Catastrophe Ethics: Doing Good in a World Gone Bad
Find your place in the world. Dig in, and take responsibility from there. -Gary Snyder When the world faces existential threats like climate change, how do we make ethical choices that matter? In this thought-provoking episode, host Tom Schueneman explores philosopher Thomas Rieder's groundbreaking book "Catastrophe Ethics: How to Choose Well in a World of Tough Choices." Opening with a powerful scene from Netflix's "Landman," this episode confronts the fundamental ethical dilemma of our time: w
25
Jan. 27, 2026
Bill McKibben: Here Comes the Sun and How Renewables Can Power the Future
Renewables, particularly solar power, are now the backbone of new generation capacity worldwide (including in the United States). It’s cheaper than fossil fuels in most places and doesn’t need routing through the Strait of Hormuz
14
Aug. 1, 2025
Wildfire Days: A Woman, a Hotshot Crew, and the Burning of the American West
Kelley Ramsey describes in exquisite detail the grueling life of a wildland firefighter navigating a male-dominated culture while battling some of the worst wildfires exacerbated by a century of forest mismanagement and climate change.
Recent Episodes
35
Aug. 7, 2026
The Ocean is Confused: Connecting with Our Ocean for a Better Tomorrow
A wide-ranging conversation with marine biologist and science communicator Andrew Lewin on ocean health, shifting baselines, policy, and why we are drawn to the ocean.
34
July 14, 2026
Somebody Should Do Something | Individual Action vs. Systemic Change
Philosophers Alex Madva and Michael Brownstein discuss their book (written with Daniel Kelly about the trap of "either/or" thinking and how we can find agency in a polycrisis world.
33
June 20, 2026
Breaking the Chains: The Lust for Power vs. the Light of Energy
More Than Enough Light What is more addictive than fentanyl, cocaine, or heroin? Evan Jaqua’s answer is power. And once people have it, they will do almost anything to keep it. This is a solo episode, a short essay built around the ideas of Evan Jaqua and the Solutions Party, the political reform organization he founded. The interview tape didn’t meet the bar for broadcast, so I took his thinking and ran it through my own. I hope to have Evan back for a clean recording. For now, it’s just
32
May 15, 2026
The Psychology Behind Our Rage: Understanding Outrage Overload
What if the problem with climate communication isn’t the message, but the messenger’s assumptions? A conversation with David Beckmeyer, a researcher and host of the podcast and Substack Outrage Overload. We explore the psychology behind our tribal fears and how the modern media environment exploits our primal neurological circuitry to stoke fear, distrust, and division. David explains how we can take agency and reclaim our brains.
31
April 28, 2026
Diana Colleen: They Could Be Saviors | Curing Billionaire-ism
What if the problem isn’t that the people with the most power don’t care? What if it’s that they’ve lost the capacity to? That’s the question at the center of Diana Colleen’s debut novel, They Could Be Saviors. A group of the world’s wealthiest men is kidnapped and brought to a facility where they’re offered a choice: undergo psychedelic-assisted therapy, or stay put indefinitely. It sounds far-fetched. Spend a few minutes with the headlines, and it starts to feel less like science fiction and m
30
April 14, 2026
From Dystopia to Liberation: Lee Schneider's Utopia Engine Trilogy
Novelist Lee Schneider completes the Utopia Engine Trilogy with a story of climate collapse, AI dominance, and the stubborn possibility of liberation. What if the Earth pushed back? That’s the question at the heart of Liberation, the final book in Lee Schneider’s Utopia Engine Trilogy. Schneider is a novelist, screenwriter, futurist, and podcast producer, and in this episode, he sits down with me to talk about a near-future world battered by climate breakdown, controlled by an authoritaria
Become a part of the Earthbound Podcast Community
Join other like-minded folks already listening to Earthboud and receive extended show notes, blog posts, and updates on new episodes!
Support On
