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As the planet we call home faces a climate emergency, Living on Earth is your go-to source for the latest coverage of climate change, ecology, and human health. Hosted by Steve Curwood and brought to you by PRX.
1232 Episodes
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Delegates from nearly 200 countries are meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s 29th Conference of the Parties. Alden Meyer of the climate think tank E3G is a longtime observer of these meetings, and he shares his first impressions as these talks kick off.
Although the global average temperature has been steadily increasing for decades, in 2023 there was a sudden jump of 0.2 degrees Celsius. Dr. Jennifer Francis, Senior Scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, joins us to discuss the temperature spike and its implications for the climate crisis.
After Hurricane Maria destroyed Puerto Rico’s power grid in 2017, much of the island was left without electricity for up to a year, leaving vulnerable populations in the lurch. Many Puerto Ricans are pushing for a reliable, sustainable electricity system, but a proposed utility-scale solar project has sparked concerns, explains environmental attorney Ruth Santiago.
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Interested in gaining hands-on experience with producing a radio show and podcast? Apply to be a Living on Earth intern this spring! The deadline is November 20th. To learn more go to loe.org and click on the About Us tab at the top of the page.
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The re-election of Donald Trump casts US climate action into doubt. President-elect Trump has vowed he will again pull the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement, cancel President Biden’s climate policies and unleash American fossil fuels. Our colleagues at Inside Climate News join us for a roundtable discussion about what’s next for the climate, environmental policy and journalism.
Also, the latest summit for the UN’s biodiversity treaty to attempt to avert mass extinctions was recessed when it ran out of time to make major decisions. Vox journalist Benji Jones was at the meeting in Cali, Colombia and joins us to talk about what it did achieve and what is still unresolved.
And eels play an important ecological role in many rivers and streams, but they’re so eel-usive that even eel scientists have been challenged to observe them mating in the wild. Ellen Ruppel Shell is author of the 2024 book Slippery Beast: A True Crime Natural History, with Eels, and she sheds light on the eel’s murky ecology and path through the seafood industry.
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Interested in gaining hands-on experience with producing a radio show and podcast? Apply to be a Living on Earth intern this spring! The deadline is November 20th. To learn more go to loe.org and click on the About Us tab at the top of the page.
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The current plans of nations to reduce emissions would result in a destructive three degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels, far higher than the 1.5 C goal set by the Paris Climate Agreement. We discuss the widening gap between these plans and the ambition that’s needed to prevent catastrophic climate impacts.
Also, research shows that public EV charging stations bring additional customers and income to nearby businesses. How businesses can take advantage of these benefits when installing EV charging.
And author and naturalist Sy Montgomery has trekked across the world to write about pink dolphins in the Amazon and tigers in Asia. But for her latest book, What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation for the World’s Most Familiar Bird, she stayed right in her own New Hampshire backyard. Sy joins us to talk about the social intelligence of chickens, how to handle a feisty rooster and much more.
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Interested in gaining hands-on experience with producing a radio show and podcast? Apply to be a Living on Earth intern this spring! The deadline is November 20th. To learn more go to loe.org and click on the About Us tab at the top of the page.
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The heat within Earth’s crust could become a major source of always-on, carbon-free, renewable geothermal electricity thanks to a technology developed for fracking that allows for much deeper drilling into hot zones. How a partnership between the oil and gas and geothermal industries could bring transformational change to the electric power sector worldwide.
Also, an explosion that spilled chemical waste into a river near the Russia-Ukraine border this August led to an ecological disaster with mass fish die-offs. Kyiv blames the Kremlin for a deliberate act of ‘ecocide’ amid the war that started with Russia’s 2022 invasion.
And in addition to the retreat and collapse of huge ice shelves, climate change is associated with rapid greening in Antarctica as plants thrive in warmer temperatures. A recent study found that plants have increased more than tenfold on the Antarctic Peninsula in the last few decades, with potential ecological consequences.
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Interested in gaining hands-on experience with producing a radio show and podcast? Apply to be a Living on Earth intern this spring! The deadline is November 20th. To learn more go to loe.org and click on the About Us tab at the top of the page.
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As control of the US Senate hangs in the balance, the Pennsylvania race between Democratic incumbent Senator Bob Casey and his Republican challenger Dave McCormick is heating up. We explain the climate and environment dimensions of Pennsylvania’s Senate race.
Also, in the lower Mississippi River region commonly known as Cancer Alley, communities of color live among industrial pollution while white neighborhoods have been mostly spared from heavy industry. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is now considering whether to allow a landmark environmental racism lawsuit brought against the local government to go to trial.
And Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica holds enough ice that its melting could raise sea levels worldwide by 2 feet, but it’s so remote that until recently no one had ever approached where it meets the sea. Elizabeth Rush was a writer-in-residence on board the first research icebreaker to visit Thwaites and she chronicles the journey and witnessing the glacier’s unraveling in her book The Quickening: Creation and Community at the Ends of the Earth.
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New research suggests that initial death tolls only account for a tiny fraction of the mortality that can be linked to hurricanes. On average, each tropical storm or hurricane contributes to 7,000 to 11,000 excess deaths as long as 15 years afterwards.
Also, physical disabilities can make getting outside more challenging, but adaptive devices and accessible trails can transform lives. Producers Jenni Doering and El Wilson, who has cerebral palsy, test out an offroad wheelchair and meet a woman who has been able to reclaim the joy and freedom of hiking since becoming disabled.
And recent research into word comprehension in dogs suggests that with training and special equipment, man’s best friend can in fact understand specific words and reply. And motivation appears to be one of the most important factors driving this ability for dogs to correctly converse in human speech.
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Hurricane Helene brought devastating storm surge and winds to the Gulf Coast and deadly floods to the inland mountains of North Carolina. We discuss the societal toll of repeated climate-fueled disasters and whether this latest super cyclone might prove a tipping point for greater climate awareness and action.
Also, physician Jill Stein, the 2024 Green Party nominee for US President, urges a much quicker phaseout of fossil fuels than either of her Republican or Democratic opponents appear willing to consider. She lays out her vision for what she calls a “real” Green New Deal and pushes back against claims by Democrats that voting for her in a swing state could hand victory to Donald Trump.
And millions of Sudanese people have fled armed conflict in recent months, only to face famine as well as floods and extreme heat worsened by climate change. A young climate activist from Sudan describes the harrowing conditions for Sudanese refugees and what gives her hope.
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California is suing ExxonMobil over the oil giant’s alleged “campaign of deception” to convince the public that recycling is a viable solution for plastic waste, when less than 10% of plastics are recycled.
Also, to meet the tremendous energy needs of artificial intelligence Microsoft has inked a major power purchase deal with the owners of Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, where a nuclear power reactor underwent a partial meltdown in 1979. Its unaffected twin reactor operated until 2019 and could provide a carbon-free source of power for AI, if it can get past the hurdles of getting the plant back online.
And for students and scientists who are transgender or gender nonconforming, field research can bring unique challenges and risks. How institutions can help ensure field research settings are safer and more inclusive of trans people.
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West and Central Africa have been hit hard by extreme flooding that has claimed thousands of lives and left millions stranded in Nigeria and neighboring countries. The perilous situation is prompting urgent pleas for wealthy nations to provide more climate adaptation assistance.
Also, oysters on the half shell are big business on Nantucket Island, and a local program that recycles oyster shells from restaurant waste into habitat for young oysters turns ten this year. These recycled oyster shell reefs are helping to protect the coastline from worsening storms and rising seas.
And Living on Earth lost our beloved colleague Peter Dykstra this summer. We look back on Peter’s remarkable career in environmental advocacy and then journalism with the help of his former colleagues, the Living on Earth crew and you, our listeners.
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Heat, drought, and arson are fueling an explosion of fires in Brazil’s Amazon and Pantanal region, highlighting the need for the world to act boldly on climate when Brazil hosts the UN climate talks next year.
Also, climate change got just one token question at the first and perhaps only debate between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. We offer other climate questions that should be asked about the Inflation Reduction Act, holding oil companies accountable and more.
And the relentless heating of the Earth is prompting people to move after climate-related catastrophes and amid more gradual changes. Journalist Abrahm Lustgarten is the author of On the Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America, about the northward migration he anticipates as Americans seek to escape punishing heat, fire, and drought.
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The Bureau of Land Management is updating its master plan for developing solar energy on western lands, to help the US meet ambitious clean energy targets. The proposed plan aims to reduce barriers to solar by highlighting “previously disturbed” lands and automatically excluding critical habitat.
Also, Democratic VP candidate Tim Walz has signed climate legislation as Minnesota Governor and supported regenerative agriculture bills as a Congressman, but he has received criticism for his history of supporting the ethanol industry and oil pipelines.
And poetry can be up to the seemingly impossible task of capturing ecological loss, wild joy, and empathy for other species on this embattled planet. US Poet Laureate Ada Limón shares poems from her new anthology, You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World and discusses why she believes we need a new kind of nature poetry for the new nature amid the climate crisis.
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Renewables like wind and solar don’t produce electricity around the clock, so there’s often a mismatch between when the power is being generated and when it’s being used. “Virtual power plants” can tap home and electric vehicle batteries and shift the timing of HVAC and appliance demand to help close this gap.
Also, if you combine hydrogen from carbon-free sources and oxygen in a fuel cell, you get water and electricity. This chemical reaction is fueling visions of future, carbon free flights to change voyages of fantasy into reality.
And the Athabasca oil sands in Alberta, Canada ranks as one of the world’s most destructive crude oil operations. People laboring in the Athabasca oil sands often live in austere work camps, with long 12-hour shifts and female workers imperiled by sexual harassment and violence. That painful reality is captured in the 2022 graphic memoir Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands.
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A recent poll of 2,600 green-focused voters aged 18-34 in five key battleground states, revealed favorability for Presidential Kamala Harris. We discuss findings by the Environmental Voter Project and how young green voters could impact upcoming elections.
Also, we take a look at Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’ environmental history from her time as attorney general, senator, and Vice President. We walk through what this record could mean for her campaign going forward.
And since young voter turnout can make all the difference in an election, we speak with youth environmental activists on either side of the aisle about what they want from a presidential campaign. American Conservation Coalition Action and the Sunrise Movement have different approaches but both care about the same issue: solving the climate and environment crises.
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When a wildfire powered by extreme heat and drought nears a neighborhood, all it takes is a single spark to send homes up in flames. We share some steps homeowners and renters alike can take to reduce that risk.
Also, on the northern California coast the Yurok tribe is getting 125 acres of its stolen land back thanks to an historic partnership between the National Park Service, California State Parks, and Save the Redwoods League. Chairman of the Yurok Tribe Joseph L James describes how the land will help nurture Yurok cultural traditions.
And to raise awareness about the threats facing coral reefs, crafters everywhere are picking up their crochet hooks and contributing to a worldwide “Crochet Coral Reef.” The curator of the Pittsburgh Satellite Reef at the Carnegie Museum of Art describes what it’s like to stand inside the exhibit and how it came together.
From abolitionist Harriet Tubman to novelist Louisa May Alcott, some of the country’s most important women trailblazers shared a connection with the natural world in their girlhood. Tiya Miles shares their stories in her book Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation.
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A new satellite recently blasted off into Earth orbit with the important mission of tracking methane emissions from oil and gas infrastructure across the globe. Free public access to the data from MethaneSAT is a game-changer for holding oil and gas companies accountable for climate pollution.
Also, since 2001 the Mars Society has run over 300 simulated missions at a remote site in the high desert of Utah, to study the effect of extra-vehicular activity or EVA on the human body and mimic field research people might run on Mars one day, such as looking for fossilized life. What a day in the life of a participant looks like and why some believe we should send humans to Mars.
And the handful of astronauts and cosmonauts on board the International Space Station float in a strange paradox, with the Earth constantly in view, but always out of reach. A new novel called Orbital explores the splendor of planet Earth as seen from orbit through a day in the life of six astronauts up on the ISS.
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The oceans cover 70 percent of our “blue planet” yet remain largely unexplored because of the intense pressures at depth. But there are some intrepid few who have descended into this “underworld” and lived to tell of its marvels, and journalist Susan Casey profiles them in her latest book. She joins Host Steve Curwood to talk about The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean.
Also, Poet Catherine Pierce joins Living on Earth’s Jenni Doering to read her poem, “Earth, Sometimes I Try to Play It Casual” and her thoughts about the meaning of “celebrating the Earth” by being present to the wonders around us.
Plus: Poet and essayist Ross Gay is back with a follow up to his 2019 Book of Delights, loaded with moments of good that sprout amid our troubles. He joins Host Steve Curwood to share readings from his new Book of (More) Delights celebrating simple joys such as clothes on a clothesline, garlic sprouting, and dandelion abundance.
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Vice President Kamala Harris has garnered more than enough delegates for the Democratic nomination for President. We review her record on the environment, which has included prosecuting cases against polluting oil companies, supporting a Green New Deal, and representing the US at UN climate meetings.
Also, the four years of the Trump Administration brought over a hundred regulatory rollbacks, the exit of the US from the Paris Climate Agreement, and a conservative dominated Supreme Court that is skeptical of environmental regulation. We hear insights from a former Trump EPA official, environmental policy experts and advocates about the environmental impacts of the Trump presidency and what a second one could bring.
Plus: a scientist who rappels down cliffs to hand-pollinate endangered plants; a vine that mimics the leaves of nearby species; rice that crowds out strangers but leaves room for the roots of relatives. All of these are featured in the new book The Light Eaters, which tackles big questions of plant intelligence, consciousness, and communication.
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Donald Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator J. D. Vance, once held moderate Republican stances on climate and clean energy. But he now echoes Trump on the “Green New Scam” and unleashing domestic fossil fuels.
Also, climate may not always top the list of voter concerns, but research suggests it can tip the scales in US presidential elections, including the 2020 election which came down to 44,000 votes. So the Environmental Voter Project is trying to mobilize nearly 5 million registered voters who rate environment or climate as a top concern but might not otherwise turn out this November.
And Republican Cliff Bentz represents Oregon’s second district in Congress, where he chairs the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife and is part of the Conservative Climate Caucus. He joins us to share his views on conservative approaches to climate adaptation, carbon capture and storage, wildfire prevention, public lands stewardship and more.
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Thirteen young plaintiffs who took the Hawaii Department of Transportation to court over its role in the climate crisis have won a settlement that requires the agency to fast-track public transit, new bike lanes, and electric vehicles.
Also, new technology reveals startling levels of cancer-causing ethylene oxide gas wafting from industrial sources in Cancer Alley, Louisiana.
And Black residents of Cancer Alley who live next door to polluting industrial plants say they are the victims of environmental discrimination. But their attempts to seek justice through a key provision of the Civil Rights Act are being met with racist pushback.
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In a 6-3 decision the US Supreme Court struck down the longstanding Chevron deference doctrine, which allowed federal agencies to make rules relying on unclear statutes, provided their interpretation was reasonable. We parse the potentially disastrous consequences of this decision for environmental and other public protection regulations and what agencies and environmental lawyers will need to do to have a fighting chance in court.
Also, a powerful new NASA satellite called PACE can look at the ocean and clouds to distinguish between different kinds of microscopic phytoplankton and aerosols from an orbit 400 miles up. How the technology works, its value to scientific research on climate change, and the real-time data it provides about water and air quality worldwide.
And stargazing has profoundly shaped who we are as human beings, and gave rise to science, religion, and origin stories from diverse traditions. Roberto Trotta, the author of the new book Starborn: How the Stars Made Us (And Who We Would Be Without Them) joins us to discuss how studying the night sky shaped science and why satellites now threaten our connection to the stars.
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I worked for TNC for almost 9 years, and I felt this personally. The standard was that the men do the work, and the women do the administrative tasks. I didn't want to, but I left TNC, and I would have loved to stay, but it wasn't sustainable for my own career goals and future plans. I would love to go back to the industry, but I don't know if I would go back to TNC.
Great podcast but I think it would be helpful to distinguish by plant based agriculture and animal agriculture in terms of water use. Animal agriculture is much worse! Nearly half of all the water used in the United States goes to raising animals for food (“The Food Revolution” by John Robbins). It takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of meat and only 25 gallons to produce one pound of wheat (“Water Inputs in California Food Production” by Marcia Kreith)
I'm sorry, but these students just chap my hide. There have been thousands of people fighting for action and trying to educate people about the affects of climate change. Just because our current administration and actions are lacking doesn't mean people haven't sacrificed to try and change these outcomes. There are still hundreds of thousands of ADULTS working towards a healthier future for our planet and our children. These students do a disservice to all those great people who have lead on climate action by instilling a belief that no one has done anything before them. Show your respect for the people who have lead the way and marched in the streets and changed laws to encourage this environmental movement. These students are not pioneers, they are walking in the footsteps of some amazing environmentalists that inspired my generation and now my children's generation.