C4E Presents
C4E Presents
Podcast Description
Welcome to C4E Presents, a podcast from Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth. From climate attribution to marine plastics, we confront the difficult questions about climate change head-on. Join us for exciting conversations with Stony Brook University’s environmental scholars and researchers to explore these issues together. Hostedby Heather Lynch, director of Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth.
For more information, visit stonybrook.edu/c4e/
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on a range of climate-related topics, including biotechnology in agriculture, ethical decision-making in environmental humanities, the socio-economic implications of oil, and the role of effective communication in climate science. Episode examples include discussions on the Green Revolution in Ghana, the importance of ethics in environmental decisions, and the challenges posed by misinformation.
From Stony Brook University’s Collaborative for the Earth, C4E Presents explores environmental science, climate change, and actionable climate solutions through engaging talks with environmental scholars and scientists. Host Heather Lynch guides listeners through environmental science issues, including marine plastics and climate attribution, to confront today’s toughest climate challenges. Discover expert perspectives and solutions for a healthier planet. Learn more at stonybrook.edu/c4e/
This special episode of Collaborative for the Earth (C4E) examines how PFAS—the ”forever chemicals” found in everything from firefighting foam to nonstick pans— represent a rare issue uniting political opposites.
Distributed by American Public Media from July through September 2026, C4E presents in its second national radio broadcast the growing body of evidence linking PFAS and other industrial chemicals to skyrocketing illnesses among children and young adults, as well as other vulnerable people. Both the MAHA movement's concerns about environmental toxins and progressive environmentalists' fight against corporate pollution are at a flashpoint over perhaps the most obvious explanation for declining public health. As both Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s supporters and environmental advocates demand action, this story asks: why has it taken so long to confront the chemical crisis hiding in plain sight?
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Skip ahead to the chapter that interests you:
- 00:00 Forever Chemicals Everywhere
- 01:10 Better Living Through Chemistry
- 02:06 Why PFAS Last Forever
- 05:17 Detection and Drinking Water
- 08:30 Origins and Early Warnings
- 10:42 Corporate Knowledge and Coverups
- 13:49 Regrettable Substitution
- 14:36 Global Spread to Food
- 17:13 Long Island Farm Findings
- 21:44 Health Effects in the Body
- 23:55 Reducing Exposure at Home
- 25:40 Testing Water and Standards
- 28:21 Regulation Gaps and New PFAS
- 30:18 Politics and Superfund Liability
- 32:33 Who Pays for Cleanup
- 34:51 Regulatory Rollbacks and Delays
- 35:46 PFAS Awareness Challenge
- 36:56 Gen X Film Journey
- 41:46 Cookware Ban Backlash
- 44:56 Federal Policy Whiplash
- 47:33 Cleanup Tech Reality Check
- 52:41 Water Systems Under Strain
- 58:02 Personal Steps That Help
- 01:00:55 Firefighters and High Exposure
- 01:04:35 Labels Food and Daily Choices
- 01:10:02 Where We Go From Here
- 01:11:26 Closing Credits
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You can find all our episodes at www.stonybrook.edu/c4e or wherever you stream audio.
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C4E Presents is a production of Stony Brook’s Collaborative for the Earth.
Special thanks to The New York Climate Exchange and Stony Brook’s Office of the Provost, Office of Marketing and Communications and the MS in Journalism program for their support.
Host: Heather Lynch
Writer: J.D. Allen
Editors: Terry Sheridan, Lori Kie
Producers: Jordan Vallone, Melanie Formosa
Post Production: Denis Murray
Program Manager: Jennifer Gilday
Disclaimer
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