420. Alma Reyes Vázquez y Rafael Méndez Tejeda. Revista Ambiental Corriente Verde y temporada de huracanes

·58 min·5 clips

Corriente Verde rejects advertisers without genuine sustainability policies, maintaining strict editorial independence.

The episode begins with introductions of the hosts and guests, Alma Reyes Vázquez and Dr. Rafael Méndez Tejeda. Alma explains that Corriente Verde magazine was founded in 2009 due to her son's environmental passion, filling a gap in Puerto Rico. The magazine features articles by scientists on topics like climate change, sustainable agriculture, and urban planning, with a digital archive of all 15 years' issues accessible for free. Alma details the magazine's strict editorial policy, rejecting advertisers without genuine sustainability practices, which has earned awards like the EPA Environmental Quality Award. Jacqueline Torres shares how she uses the magazine as a teaching resource, noting its historical value in tracking environmental issues over 15 years. The conversation shifts to Dr. Méndez Tejeda, a climatology professor at the University of Puerto Rico in Carolina, who discusses the 2024 hurricane season. He explains that while predictions were for an active season, changes in atmospheric circulation due to unusual rainfall in the Sahara have reduced hurricane waves reaching the Caribbean. Dr. Méndez Tejeda emphasizes that forecasts aim to prepare people, not scare them, and criticizes Puerto Rico's slow recovery from Hurricane María due to lack of preparedness. He then addresses Puerto Rico's climate change mitigation plan, developed under Law 33, which was submitted to the legislature but not discussed. He criticizes legislators for claiming the plan was too long to read and for lacking commitment, noting that no climate organizations defended it. The plan includes metrics for short, medium, and long-term actions, such as reducing government vehicle fleets' fossil fuel use and creating cooling shelters for vulnerable populations. Dr. Méndez Tejeda mentions ongoing studies on climate change impacts on small businesses, giving examples like candle makers affected by bee die-offs and heat. He notes that the committee members worked without pay and faced extensive ethical training. The episode concludes with calls for public pressure on legislators to adopt the plan and a reminder of an upcoming climate walk organized by El Puente Enlace Latino de Acción Climática on November 9.

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