The supertree shielding coastlines and storing carbon
5/22/202612 min
Coastal fishing communities around the world are struggling with declining fish stocks. That’s because of climate change, environmental degradation and overfishing. But one tree – the humble mangrove – has a superpower that’s supporting healthy fisheries in many parts of the world. The majority of fishes we eat worldwide are supported by mangroves: Their roots serve as a nursery for baby fish. So, today on the show, two reporters travel to Cambodia, where they discover why a local fishing solution now plays a crucial role in slowing global warming.
Read more about Rebecca Hersher and Ryan Kellman’s journey here (and check out their incredible photos).
Interested in more climate science? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
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Emily Kwong· Host0:23
[shortwave jingle] You're listening to Short Wave from NPR. Hey, everyone, Emily Kwong here, and today we have a story of good news about climate change. And as part of NPR's Climate Solutions Week, two of my colleagues are here to tell that story, Ryan Kellman and Rebecca Hersher. Hi.
Ryan Kellman0:44
Hi.
Rebecca Hersher0:44
Hi.
Emily Kwong· Host0:44
All right. Where are we going today?
Ryan Kellman0:46
This story starts in Cambodia, and Cambodia, as you may know, experienced horrific political violence in the 1970s under a group called the Khmer Rouge.
Emily Kwong· Host0:58
Yeah. I'm familiar with this history. During the Cambodian genocide, it's estimated that 1.7 million people died. It completely changed the course of history for that country.
Ryan Kellman1:07
Yeah. And even after the regime fell in 1979, things were still really hard for those who survived because the Khmer Rouge also destroyed the country's economy, and that's where this story really begins, in those years just after the Khmer Rouge's reign, the late 1970s and