Blue Lab

Behind every electric vehicle is at least one mine and a community that has been altered by it. Mining for the Climate peers under the hood to get to know the people and places impacted by the rush to mine critical minerals. In the process, we take a hard look at the stories told about climate change, mining and the energy transition and we consider less mining-dependent futures. Season 1 takes listeners to a proposed lithium mine in Gaston County, North Carolina, an agricultural region hailed by mining and green technology companies as a future hub for the production of lithium batteries. Season 2 brings listeners to the McDermitt Caldera, a desert region that has recently become the epicenter of US lithium mining. Mining for the Climate is created by Nate Otjen and Juan Manuel Rubio for Season 1 and by Nate Otjen and Jessica Ng for Season 2. It is a production of Princeton University’s Blue Lab, which is co-led by Allison Carruth and Barron Bixler. Additional support at Princeton has come from the High Meadows Environmental Institute, the Humanities Council and the Office of the Dean of Research. Season 1 Copyright 2023 Nate Otjen, Juan Manuel Rubio and Blue Lab. Season 2 Copyright 2025 Nate Otjen, Jessica Ng and Blue Lab. All rights reserved. To learn more about Mining for the Climate and Blue Lab’s other original media projects and series visit: http://bluelabmedia.org/.

“Archival Ecologies” investigates how fires, floods, mold blooms and other ecological events are affecting cultural collections and the artifacts and memories they preserve. As climate change leads to more extreme weather events, the interactions between archives and the environments where they reside are becoming increasingly frequent and fraught. This series tells the stories of such archives, their stewards, and their significance for communities at the forefront of climate change. Season One: ”Fire in Lytton” | During the 2021 summer heatwave in the Pacific Northwest, the historic town of Lytton, BC and nearby First Nations reserves suffered a catastrophic wildfire that took local archives, museums and cultural collections with it. In this first season of Archival Ecologies, we’ll tell the stories of those collections and the communities who have stewarded them. Through the voices of those cultural stewards and knowledge keepers and the objects that have been lost (or salvaged), we’ll explore the interwoven histories and geographies of the region and the larger intersections between climate change, cultural preservation and recovery. Created and hosted by Jayme Collins with research, writing and production support from Jamie Rodriguez, Kavya Kamath and Molly Taylor. Music by Hamilton Poe. Sincere thanks to Kouvenda Media for their partnership on this project. A production of Blue Lab with support from Princeton University. To learn more about Archival Ecologies and Blue Lab’s other environmental projects and series visit: http://bluelab.princeton.edu/

Carried by Water explores stories of movement revolving around water as a force of nature, a resource and a pillar of well-being. Season One explores the legacies and lessons learned from Super typhoon Haiyan / Yolanda, which made landfall in the Philippines on November 8, 2013. Season Two travels to the mid-Atlantic region of the United States—where communities in New Jersey and Delaware along with scientists are grappling with questions of relocation in the face of increasing flooding and sea level rise. Through stories of people making real-time decisions of whether the advantages of remaining in place outweigh the risks of repeated disaster, we consider evolving ideas of climate adaptation, home, identity and resilience. Created and hosted by Mario Soriano with research, writing and production support for Season Two from Asela Perez-Ortiz, Hannah Riggins, Farah Arnaout and Jayme Collins and for Season One from Patrick Jaojoco and Braeden Carroll. A production of Princeton University’s Blue Lab, which is co-led by Allison Carruth and Barron Bixler. Additional support at Princeton has come from the High Meadows Environmental Institute, the Humanities Council and the Office of the Dean of Research. Copyright 2023-2025 Mario Soriano and Blue Lab. All rights reserved. To learn more about Carried by Water and Blue Lab’s other original media projects and series visit: http://bluelabmedia.org/.