Mike Nelson on a new climate emergency, looking ahead to retirement [Video]

As Denver7 chief meteorologist Mike Nelson looks ahead to retirement on Dec. 12 – the digits 12/12/24 totaling 48, the number of years Nelson spent in meteorology – he sat down one last time with Colorado Public Radio’s Ryan Warner for their monthly “climate conversation.”

Mike and Ryan discussed everything from a new “climate emergency” detailed in a federal report, to Mike’s plans for the future after TV news, to the origins of the now-famous “tornado dance” and more.

Watch their full conversation in the video player below:

What is Mike Nelson doing after retirement? He discusses with Colorado Public Radio

A new ‘climate emergency’

A new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that the Arctic tundra is now a source of carbon emissions, thanks to wildfires and a warming planet.

For thousands of years, the tundra has stored carbon rather than emitting it.

“This really is a climate emergency that we face,” Nelson said. “Every bit of that carbon …