What On Earth will continue, but host Laura Lynch is moving on. For the last six years, Laura has brought you climate solutions stories, and before that she covered world events for decades, including the 9/11 attacks and the Arab Spring. Now, Laura is retiring (although she prefers to say heading off to new adventures). Today we celebrate her career through the stories she’s covered and the people from all walks of life she’s interviewed.

Laura heads out on a boat, searching for grey whales. Plot twist: they find her. We hear why scientists are sounding the alarm about the fate of these massive mammals, and why they think climate change is part of the problem. But researchers and communities on Canada’s west coast have solutions to protect the populations that remain.

Cindy MacDougall calls herself a climate change casualty. If it wasn’t for her husband’s quick action during the 2021 Western Canada heat dome, she might not have survived the disaster. Still, her heart is permanently damaged. We hear what happened, and how she’s working to share the stories of others who suffered. Then, we hear about the progress in British Columbia on the “right to cool” for those most at risk – and about an ambitious plan to make buildings across Canada safer in extreme heat.

Years after working in smoky, sooty conditions controlling fires, workers can experience the adverse health effects of the job. Proving the link can be difficult. But now in British Columbia, wildland firefighters are getting early cancer screening and expanded workers compensation coverage for cancer. With climate change contributing to the hot, dry conditions that lead to longer, more intense fire seasons, we explore what else can be done to reduce the exposure to carcinogens these front-line workers face.

Our youth climate action columnist Aishwarya Puttur says yes it can. She’s seen young people in the entertainment industry taking up the climate cause lately – from local film festivals to the United Nations – and shares stories about how she’s seen this type of storytelling make a difference.

As Vancouverites see people watering their lawns during a drought, it’s a question they’re asking themselves. While cities in British Columbia take drastic measures to limit water use, Laura heads to the watershed to learn how conservation can help keep the taps on. But it’s not the only approach that Canadians are using to tackle water shortages. In south central Manitoba, a modified wetland is forcing people to work with nature instead of against it.

Tessel Middag wants her sport to be a force for good. But she says that’s hard to imagine when FIFA’s “Major Worldwide Partner” for the 2026 World Cup is Saudi state oil company, Aramco. And it’s not just Tessel. Advocates like Frank Huisingh feel uneasy watching athletes compete in extreme heat while flanked by advertisements for the globe's leading oil corporation. But as the world continues to warm, can advocates convince football’s governing body to ditch oil and gas sponsorships, and make way for climate-conscious partnerships?

Can a weekly fire weather outlook help Canadian communities learn to live with fire? Mike Flannigan, wildfire forecaster and professor at Thompson Rivers University, thinks so. A weekly forecast is one of the things that gives him hope that people across Canada can be better prepared to respond to wildfire risk this summer as conditions start to look like “Dante’s circles of hell.” Then – we hear how the Abegweit First Nation has a new deal with the P.E.I. and federal governments to make its own decisions about managing emergencies like wildfire.