James West

Climate Desk Producer

James West is a producer for the Climate Desk. He wrote Beijing Blur (Penguin 2008), an intimate yet far-reaching account of modernizing China’s underground youth scene. After completing a masters in journalism at New York University in 2007, James returned to Australia where he worked as the executive producer of the national affairs program Hack. He has produced a variety of Australian television and radio programs, including the debate show Insight on SBS TV.

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How to Cook After a Catastrophe

—By James West

| Thu Feb. 9, 2012 4:00 AM PST

A weather presenter and a celebrity chef walk into a kitchen…that was the novel hook for this cooking class (and, hell, it's not often Climate Desk gets to film a cooking show).

This is about as far away from the dry, cracked soil of a Texas cattle ranch as it gets: Fifth Avenue, New York City. At a seminar that cost $225 a head, a small selection of guests learned about the impact of 2011's record number of billion dollar disasters—there were 12, including the ongoing drought in Texas—and how to cook around them using substitute ingredients. While author and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich talked about the ingredients affected by last year's weather, TV meteorologist Bonnie Schneider (you've probably seen her on CNN) explained how climate change is causing tougher farming conditions and leaving Americans with bigger food bills.

The take-out lesson? Disaster cooking is about more than simple substitution.

"Recycling food is not about reheating food," Bastianich said. "It's about making something new." After demonstrating how to create a delectable ragout, she added, "There's going to be a run on oxtails!"

Lidia Bastianich at Eataly, New York: James West

Lidia Bastianich at Eataly, New York: James West

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Tell Us: How Do You Teach Your Kids About Climate Change?

—By James West

| Thu Feb. 2, 2012 9:47 AM PST

When I was in New Hampshire recently, I met Sarah Larson Dennen, a teacher at Moharimet Elementary School in Madbury. We were talking about something else entirely - the decline of New England's sugar maple - but another part of our on-carmera interview has stuck with me ever since: how Sarah teaches her young students about climate change.

"Language is really key when you're talking to kids," Sarah explained. "I don't use terms like 'global warming'. I use terms like 'climate change'. And I try to back things up by really showing them data."

"I look to see that these kids are care-takers of our whole natural world," she said.

That got me thinking: how do you teach your kids about climate change? You don't want to tell your kids the world is in uttter peril… right? But if they ask about climate change, what do you say?

Climate Desk wants to hear your stories. Leave your comments below. Or - and I encourage this! - head to our YouTube page and click "Create a video response" when you're commenting:

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Interactive: Is God Hearing Your Climate Change Prayers?

Five faith leaders in America's most religiously diverse neighborhood face the challenge of climate change.

—By James West

| Thu Jan. 26, 2012 4:00 AM PST

If you're having trouble viewing the map in Chrome, you can also watch the videos on Climate Desk's YouTube Channel.

MIT Climate Scientist's Wife Threatened In A "Frenzy of Hate"

Kerry Emanuel's inbox was flooded with menacing emails after Climate Desk's video on Republican climate hawks.

—By James West

| Fri Jan. 13, 2012 4:00 AM PST

Kerry Emanuel began receiving four or five emails a day.: James West Kerry Emanuel in Portsmouth, N.H. James West

Prominent MIT researcher Kerry Emanuel has been receiving an unprecedented "frenzy of hate" after a video featuring an interview with him was published last week by Climate Desk.

[Read the full article]

Turning Your Teeth Green (In a Good Way)

—By James West

| Tue Jan. 10, 2012 2:00 PM PST

Dr. Nathan Swanson, Newmarket Dental, New Hampshire: James West

Dr. Nathan Swanson had one of those "holy crap" moments one day when he looked at the amount of waste his old dental practice produced.

"All the offices, in all the roads, in all the states, in all the countries, it's a phenomenal amount of waste!" he said during my recent trip to New Hampshire.

So when he opened his own dental practice five years ago, he began a long journey to claim the title as New Hampshire's greenest dentist, by seeking out corn-based spit cups, biodegradable toothbrushes and a new $30,000 digital x-ray.

"You know, I might not be able to change everybody's way of doing business or practicing dentistry," he told me. "But I'm certainly going to change mine."

Nathan is part of a growing movement, according to Ina Pockrass, the co-founder of the Eco-Dentistry Association, which provides industry-standard certification and helps market over 100 green dentistry products. Nathan is one of 700 members in 45 states, catering to a growing market of what Ina calls "eco-Moms" and "label readers." Since mid-2009, the association has witnessed a "torrent of interest", she says.

"Dentistry is getting beyond drill, fill and bill."

Nathan Swanson is Climate Desk's first Trailblazer, a weekly story showcasing one person's way of tackling climate change. If you want to nominate a Climate Desk "Trailblazer" in your neck of the woods, follow @climatedesk on Twitter, or like our Facebook page and shoot us a message.