We’re celebrating Earth Day this week — which is officially on Wednesday, April 22nd — the only way we know how… with a big list of podcast recommendations!

Earlier this week, we published an issue of our newsletter that featured episodes on sustainability measures being taken in the U.S. and beyond. In this post, we’re expanding on that list. Read on to find your next favorite show on climate, sustainability, environmental issues and action, or a whole host of related topics. Thankfully, there are a lot of people telling these important stories about climate, and we’re excited to share them with you!

Podcasts Spotlighting Climate Action Progress

Thank you to Layla Palmer for curating this week’s list of podcast recommendations for our newsletter, EarBuds Podcast Collective. She featured episodes from these podcasts:

Podcasts featured in EarBuds Podcast Collective from Layla Palmer

Boiling Point

Jason Rondou of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power discusses the city's transition away from its final coal-fired power plant. The episode explores the city’s shift to using natural gas and green hydrogen, balancing the need for reliable energy with L.A.'s ambitious clean energy goals.

Climate Rising

Galen Nelson, Chief Climate Officer at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), discusses how the state uses grants to accelerate climate innovation in sectors like energy efficiency while gathering data needed to shape smarter environmental policy and economic resilience.

People Places Planet

This episode features New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette, who discusses how New Jersey is operationalizing environmental justice initiatives while adapting to shifting federal environmental policies.

The Climate Conversation

U.S. Representative Sean Casten shares insights on how to achieve a clean and affordable future by leveraging data, enhancing productivity, and modernizing the U.S. electrical grid.

Building Bold: Blueprint For a Better Massachusetts

In this episode of this limited series, learn about the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ decarbonization efforts to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Get a behind-the-scenes look at a transformative project at Salem State University, where geothermal technology is being leveraged to fuel the campus with clean energy. This partnership between public service and higher education is a powerful example of the initiatives driving Massachusetts toward a sustainable future.

Podcasts Featured for Earth Day 2026

Let’s get deeper. Here are some more podcast recommendations for Earth Day, curated by Sheeba Joseph.

Real Organic

…is the Anthem Award-winning “Best Sustainability, Environment & Climate Podcast” named one of the "best climate podcasts" by Earth.org. This weekly podcast is produced by the Real Organic Project, the farmer-led movement and add-on food label dedicated to preserving the integrity of organic food. Hosted by Linley Dixon and Dave Chapman, each episode features expert insights and real stories from the field, highlighting the policies, practices, and people driving the fight for a food system rooted in soil health, biodiversity, and transparency.

Drilled

…A true-crime climate change podcast exposing how corporate corruption and political operatives built decades of climate denial and delay. Hosted and reported by award-winning investigative climate journalists and led by Amy Westervelt, each season unravels new evidence of deception, disinformation, and the power structures keeping real climate solutions out of reach.

WWNO's Sea Change

…A biweekly show, that brings you stories that illuminate, inspire, and sometimes enrage, as we dive deep into the environmental issues facing coastal communities on the Gulf Coast and beyond. Join host Carlyle Calhoun, as we investigate and celebrate life on a changing coast. Based in New Orleans, Sea Change is a production of WWNO New Orleans Public Radio and WRKF Baton Rouge Public Radio. Sea Change is a part of the NPR Podcast Network and is distributed by PRX. Our theme song is by Jon Batiste. Living on the coast means living on the front lines of a rapidly changing planet. And as climate change transforms our coasts, that will transform our world.

Foreign Policy's HERO

…In the latest season, HERO embarks on a special four-part series, that talk to women on the front lines of the climate crisis. From the Paris climate agreement’s chief negotiator, to land and wildlife conservationists, and regenerative agriculture experts, The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women is a podcast from Foreign Policy, supported this season by Daughters for Earth.

NHPR's Safe to Drink

…From thePulitzer Prize-finalist Document team at New Hampshire Public Radio, Safe to Drink is a recently released four-part series that investigates one the biggest contamination events in New Hampshire’s history. Hosted by NHPR climate change reporter Mara Hoplamazian, the podcast covers a water contamination story that keeps repeating nationwide, as well as gives a voice to the people who fought for answers through a maze of chemistry, regulations, and illnesses.

The Climate Dispatch

…The Climate Dispatch Podcast, presented by Sierra Club Angeles Chapter and Stranded Astronaut Productions, covers the stories of the climate crisis - from celebrating the wins to breaking down our fears, all while sharing collective hopes for the future. Hosted by climate storyteller Tehya Jennett, we invite a range of guests including activists, educators, and scientists to share their local climate stories, wins, hopes, and issues integral to their communities.

Zero: The Climate Race

…Zero is about the tactics and technologies taking us to a world of zero emissions. Each week Bloomberg’s award-winning reporter Akshat Rathi talks to the people tackling climate change – a venture capitalist hunting for the best cleantech investment, scientists starting companies, politicians who have successfully created climate laws, and CEOs who have completely transformed their businesses. The road to zero emissions has many paths and everyone’s got an opinion about the best route. Listen in.

PRX's The Quanta Podcast

…Exploring the distant universe, the insides of cells, the abstractions of math, the complexity of information itself, and much more, The Quanta Podcast is a tour of the frontier between the known and the unknown. In each episode, Quanta Magazine Editor-in-Chief Samir Patel speaks with the minds behind the award-winning publication to navigate through some of the most important and mind-expanding questions in science and math. Quanta specifically covers fundamental research — driven by curiosity, discovery and the overwhelming desire to know why and how. Join us every Tuesday for a stimulating conversation about the biggest ideas and the tiniest details.

Foreign Policy's State of Seed

…On State of Seed, you’ll find out how seeds feed and sustain the planet. Though more than half of what we eat comes from seeds, most of us know very little about them—and how the sector contributes to our world and the future of food security. Host Laura Rosbrow-Telem talks to the innovative players advancing this vital resource, including leaders of multinational companies and NGOs, UN and government officials, entrepreneurs, national seed associations, scientists, and of course, farmers. Plus, you’ll hear about the key concerns keeping them up at night. State of Seed is brought to you by the International Seed Federation, with production services from FP Studios.

Foreign Policy's The Catch

…On Season 6 of The Catch, host Ruxandra Guidi takes a look at one of the world’s most lucrative fish: tuna. The Pacific islands’ tuna fishery makes up more than half of global tuna supply and underpins these developing islands’ economies. But that could change. Climate change is pushing the fishery out of these islands’ waters, onto the high seas, and these island nations risk losing out. On this season, Guidi reports from the Solomon Islands to hear firsthand how the Pacific nations are grappling with these changes.

HLS Clean Law

…The Harvard Law School Environmental & Energy Law Program influences policy discussions about environmental, climate, and energy issues. EELP offers robust legal analysis and practical governance solutions that will move these discussions forward.

The Transcendent Farmer

…Land & capital represent the two largest barriers for aspiring farmers in the United States, and often, globally. At the same time, minority farmers face additional structural and cultural barriers to access resources available. The Transcendent Farmer podcast seeks to address these issues by bringing stories that marry the practical with the magical to the food and farming community. We bring listeners the latest information and resources related to human design, manifestation, high-value market channels, intergenerational healing, and more.

Indigenous Earth

…Journey alongside Indigenous conservation heroes from around the world, as they share ancient wisdom for our modern environmental crisis. This podcast bridges traditional ecological knowledge with practical steps to turn eco-anxiety into meaningful action. On Indigenous Earth you’re not just a listener; you’re an active participant in a transformative mission to become true stewards of our planet. Unlike typical sustainability content that overwhelms, these episodes leave listeners feeling calmer and grounded while providing accessible ways to reconnect with nature. Indigenous Earth delivers upbeat yet honest conversations that remind us we don’t just live on this Earth—we are this Earth.

Queens Memory Project

…Memories of Water - The stories in this season, titled “Memories of Water,” document the experiences of climate change on a hyperlocal level and how affected communities are responding. Through in-depth interviews with local residents, community advocates, and climate experts, these episodes explore themes of belonging and resilience in the face of an unfolding crisis. Produced by journalists who live and work in Queens, the season strives to imagine a climate-resilient future by uncovering the hidden connections between the past and the present.

Thank you to our contributors of this epic list for Earth Day 2026, Layla Palmer and Sheeba Joseph.

Podcasts for Earth Day 2026