Living on Earth

Latest Episodes:

[Broadcast] Climate and the Elections, Melting Ice and Rising Seas, Overcoming Climate Anxiety, Hiking in Six-Inch Heels and more Oct 23, 2020

Show notes

Environmental Justice Debated / Climate and Senate Races in North Carolina and Georgia / Rapid Ice Melt and Rising Seas / Overcoming Climate Anxiety / Beyond the Headlines / Hiking in 6-Inch Heels
The final presidential debate and US Senate races in North Carolina and Georgia underscore the growing climate concerns of voters.
The Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets are melting at alarming rates thanks to climate change, and will continue to do so for decades even if the Paris Climate Agreement goals are met. Why their melting necessitates both climate mitigation and adaptation to protect vulnerable coasts.
Also, climate disruption is causing deep anxiety, especially for the young people organizing to address it. A new book called A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety lays out strategies for addressing climate-fueled anxieties and moving beyond them to help Gen Z activists envision a resilient future.
And a queer environmental activist finds his calling and breaks down barriers with an alter-ego drag queen named "Pattie Gonia". Hiking in 6-inch heels and more, next time on Living on Earth from PRX.
Those stories and more in this episode of Living on Earth from PRX.

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[Broadcast] EPA Devalues Science, China Leads on Climate, Prairie Senate Races Show Climate Divide, and more Oct 16, 2020

Show notes

Prairie Senate Races Show Climate Divide / Beyond the Headlines / Note on Emerging Science: Puffins Use Tools / China Leads on Climate / California's Electric Vehicle Future / EPA Devalues Science To Downplay Chemical Risk / BirdNote®: October Migrants / Urban Farming During COVID
Studies show that children exposed in utero to the pesticide chlorpyrifos suffer brain damage. But in a new risk assessment the EPA is claiming that data is "inconclusive" because it protects the identities of study participants.
Also, China takes the lead on climate as President Xi pledges that his nation will peak its carbon emissions before 2030 and hit net zero emissions by 2060, without revealing how it plans to reach those goals.
Also, as the prairie states experience increasingly destructive weather linked to climate change, the Senate races in Iowa and Kansas reflect a sharp divide between the Democratic and Republican candidates' talk on climate change.
Those stories and more in this episode of Living on Earth from PRX.

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[Broadcast] Amy Coney Barrett and Environmental Law, VP Debate on Climate, Endurance Against Tough Odds, and more Oct 09, 2020

Show notes

Judge Barrett and Environmental Law / Vice Presidential Debate on Climate / The Environment in Western Senate Races / Climate Change Disrupts Major Transportation Corridor / Beyond the Headlines / Enduring Against Seemingly Impossible Odds
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is a textualist who tends to interpret the law narrowly, meaning that if she is confirmed, she would generally rule against innovative environmental advocacy legislation.
Also, Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris clashed on the debate stage over fracking, the Green New Deal, and whether climate change poses an existential threat to humanity.
And in 1914, British explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 27 men set sail for Antarctica. Disaster struck when their ship the "Endurance" became trapped in pack ice and later broke up, yet optimism and sheer perseverance carried all 28 men through what seemed impossible odds. How Shackleton used emotional intelligence to keep his crew going through and how we can all harness an optimistic mindset to carry us through difficult times.
Those stories and more in this episode of Living on Earth from PRX.

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[Broadcast] Maine Senate Race and the Environment, John Kerry Cochairs Biden Climate Plan, Beavers Return to England, and more Oct 02, 2020

Show notes

Maine Senate Race and the Environment / BirdNote®: Swallows on Wires / Climate on Chaotic Debate Stage / John Kerry Cochairs Biden Climate Plan / Black Lung and COVID-19 / Scylla and Charybdis on the Zambezi River / Beavers Return to England
One of the key races in the 2020 elections is for the US Senate in Maine, where the environment is consistently rated as a priority issue for voters. Incumbent Senator Susan Collins is known for having a strong environmental record compared to her Republican colleagues, but many environmental groups focused on the campaign for a more environmentally-friendly Democratic majority in the Senate have switched their support to Democratic challenger Sara Gideon.
Also, Democratic nominee for President Joe Biden is offering a $2 trillion climate plan as part of his "Build Back Better" economic recovery agenda. Former Secretary of State John Kerry, one of the plan's architects, discusses how it connects climate action to public health protection and economic recovery.
And UK officials have confirmed that a five-year beaver reintroduction pilot in England was a success, so the first beavers to live in England for centuries will be allowed to stay and keep building biodiversity back in their local riverscape.
Those stories and more in this episode of Living on Earth from PRX.

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[Broadcast] Southern Senate Candidates on Climate, A Win for Tribal Sovereignty, RBG and Environmental Law, and more Sep 25, 2020

Show notes

Key Southern US Senate Races and the Climate / Beyond the Headlines / A Win for Native American Sovereignty / BirdNote®: Eastern Whip-Poor-Will - Bird of the Night Side of the Woods / Megafire Hard Times / Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Environment
Climate and the environment are controversial subjects in several closely-watched US Senate races in the South this fall. The South faces significant climate impacts, and residents are concerned, but candidates are taking low key approaches to the issue.
Also, a recent Supreme Court ruling recognized Native Americans sovereignty over millions of acres of tribal lands in Oklahoma. What the ruling means after decades of ignored rights of Native American tribal members living in Oklahoma and the implications for Indian country as a whole.
And in addition to championing women's rights, the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg leaves a strong and sophisticated record of votes and written opinions regarding environmental law.

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[Broadcast] Black and Latinx Voters Lean Green, World's Largest Wetlands on Fire, Spirit Run: A 6,000-Mile Marathon Through North America's Stolen Land, and more Sep 18, 2020

Show notes

Black & Latinx Voters Lean Green / Beyond the Headlines / World's Largest Wetlands on Fire / BirdNote®: Thick-Billed Euphonia: Deceitful Mimic / Spirit Run: A 6,000-Mile Marathon Through North America's Stolen Land
As wildfires blaze across the West Coast of the U.S., Brazil grapples with its own fires in its massive Pantanal wetlands, the largest in the world, and in the Amazon rainforest.
Also, every four years a 6,000-mile marathon run called Peace and Dignity Journeys unites Indigenous runners from all over North and South America, seeking to heal the wounds left from colonization and displacement.
And surveys suggest Black and Latinx voters are more likely than white voters to view the environment and climate as their top concerns. What environmental advocates are doing to support strong Black and Latinx voter turnout this November.

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[Broadcast] Taming Wildfire, Firefighting Women Hotshots, Cutting Carbon for Healthier Kids, and more Sep 11, 2020

Show notes

Mastering Fire with Fire / Women Hotshot Firefighters / Wetlands Mitigate Hurricane Damage / Millions of Americans Lack Clean, Affordable Water / Beyond the Headlines / BirdNote®: New Zealand's Kakapo / Cutting Carbon for Healthier Kids
Fires are inevitable in much of the West due to the region's ecology, but devasting megafires aren't. How fire itself can be used as a tool to manage wildfires and keep communities safe.
Also, stories of the first women "hotshot" firefighters who led the way, and what it's like to do that demanding, dangerous work.
And research now shows that a landmark program aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic has helped lead to healthier kids, thanks to cleaner air.
Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00037. . . .
LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . .
PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . .
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[Broadcast] Eating More Organic Foods May Mean Less Cancer, Health Problems Associated with Black Hair Care Products, Treating Sewage to Remove Hormones, and more Sep 04, 2020

Show notes

More Organics, Less Cancer / FaceTime: Bumblebees / Toxic Black Hair Products / Getting Hormones Out of Wastewater / HBO's "Ice On Fire" Offers Climate Solutions
A major study finds a significant reduction in the risk of breast cancer and lymphoma among high consumers of organic food.
Also, Black women in America commonly use hair relaxers and leave-in conditioners to straighten and smooth their textured hair. But many of these products contain hormone-disrupting chemicals, linked with preterm birth, diabetes, and cancer.
Plus, how wastewater treatment plants break down hormones in sewage so that they don't wreak havoc on the environment.
Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00036. . . .
LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . .
PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . .
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[Broadcast] RNC On The Environment, Saving West Africa’s Last Rainforest, and Container Farming in the City Aug 28, 2020

Show notes

Republican National Convention / Container Farming in the City / Saving West Africa's Last Rainforest
Climate change was barely mentioned at the 2020 Republican National Convention but President Trump did brag of rolling back environmental regulations.
Also, when an oil palm development in the poor West African country of Liberia uprooted indigenous communities, destroying their religious shrines and burial grounds, lawyer Alfred Brownell jumped into action. He was able to get the company to back off, but was forced to flee for his life.
And some urban farmers are thinking sustainably and outside the box by bringing their farms inside the box in the form of shipping containers.
Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00035. . . .
LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . .
PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . .
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[Broadcast] Democrats Talk Climate at a Virtual Convention, Water Ranching in Mexico, Underland: A Deep Time Journey, and more Aug 21, 2020

Show notes

Democratic National Convention / "Hadestown" Brings Climate Change To Broadway / Underland: A Deep Time Journey / Water Ranching in Mexico
The 2020 Democratic National Convention featured voices from all across the country, some of whom highlighted climate change as a key concern for this election. But climate change appeared to take a backseat to other issues facing the nation.
Also, for a couple of months each year, seasonal monsoons try to quench the thirst of the desert Southwest, but much of the water runs off. Now conservationists are changing grazing patterns and slowing down water run off to help more plants and animals flourish.
And author Robert Macfarlane ventures into ice caves, braves underwater rivers, and crawls through catacombs to discover the "deep time" running beneath our feet. "Underland" and more, in this episode of Living on Earth from PRX.
Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00034. . . .
LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . .
PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . .
FOLLOW US and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. . . .

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