StateImpact Pennsylvania and WITF invite public to Retro Report discussion on climate change, nuclear energy and more

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From invasive species to the TMI shutdown, some of Pennsylvania’s top environmental headlines have roots in historical events. Join WITF and StateImpact Pennsylvania Wednesday, Oct. 23 from 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. at the WITF Public Media Center in Harrisburg as Smart Talk’s Scott LaMar hosts a RETRO REPORT on PBS preview screening and expert panel discussion on current environmental challenges in the Commonwealth.

Video clips from the national series will be paired with local clips produced by other member stations also taking part in the RETRO REPORT project. Register to attend using the form below.

DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn, Rob Altenburg, Director of the PennFuture Energy Center, and others will discuss topics to include:

• From the national RETRO REPORT series: Scientists are worried that soon, simply reducing carbon emissions won’t be enough to even slow global warming. A United Nations panel has said the world will likely need to “geo-engineer” the climate. That’s an idea that dates to the Cold War, when a different kind of global challenge gave rise to fears of a nuclear winter.
• From participating local station WITF: 40 years ago, the most serious nuclear accident in U.S. history sparked backlash against the industry and halted its growth for decades. Today, reactors at Three Mile Island Unit 1 are shut down. What new challenges does this present and how is Pennsylvania poised to face mounting concerns about climate change?
• From the national RETRO REPORT series: Pythons are wreaking havoc in the Florida Everglades, set loose in the vast national park decades ago by well-meaning pet owners. Wildlife is being devoured by this invader, which has already eliminated 90 percent of some species. How did the reptiles get there? The  blame lies with a different animal: humans.  Pennsylvania may not have a python problem, but we definitely have our share of destructive invasive species.
• From participating local station WGTE: In reaction to a do not drink alert for 400,000 residents in 2014, Toledo voters want to amend the city charter to acknowledge that the Lake Erie watershed has legal rights to “exist and flourish”. The environmental crisis that exists in the Great Lakes has been decades in the making, and if this new legislation were to pass, it could affect conservation efforts across the country.

Retro Report is a new series coming to WITF TV that digs into diverse topics, making sense of the present by revealing the past. RETRO REPORT on PBS, hosted by journalist Celeste Headlee and artist Masud Olufani and featuring New Yorker humorist Andy Borowitz, airs Mondays and Tuesdays through Oct. 29 on WITF TV.

In today’s 24-hour news cycle, with breaking headlines, all-news networks and online outlets constantly competing for attention, RETRO REPORT on PBS aims to widen the discussion, revealing the story behind the story, providing new insights into how today’s events have been shaped by the past. Each episode explores four distinct stories covering themes like: Environmental Protection, Public Health, Immigration, Civil Rights, Crime & Punishment and more.

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