Grounding host Sarah Aronson used to be really into fly fishing. She was even in a documentary about it and people associated her with the practice.
But in 2021, Western Montana experienced intense heath which resulted in restrictions being placed on anglers much earlier in the season. Then in 2023 the Big Hole River in Montana experienced a collapse in its trout population. Historically, one could find 3,000 trout per mile. That dropped to around 500.
So, Aronson stopped fly fishing.
Throughout this season of Grounding, Aronson has talked with academics and experts in fields ranging from environmental philosophy to the pharmaceutical industry, which is the focus of this episode. Aronson’s tried to nail down what it means when our bodies seem to know that something is off with the seasons. What do we do with all our feelings—including numbness and moral injury—within an ever-changing environment while trying to manage the day-to-day?
Moral injury is the theme of this episode. It's the sensation of being at odds, or experiencing dissonance, when one’s values and their actions or habits aren’t in alignment, like Aronson’s were when it was too hot to fish. And like guest Hayley Blackburn experiences in her work in the pharmaceutical industry, in which the packaging, manufacturing and distribution of drugs makes up 12% of healthcare's global carbon footprint. Healthcare overall accounts for 4.4% of global carbon emissions.
Grounding is an independent production of Montana Public Radio's arts and culture team.
In this episode:
Hayley Blackburn is a licensed pharmacist and professor at the University of Montana in Missoula. With other colleagues, Hayley co-founded Rx for Climate, a global alliance for climate-smart pharmacy practice.
Listen to episode four, “Prozac Fish,” via the link above, or wherever you get your podcasts.
