Living on Earth

Latest Episodes:

Natural Climate Solutions, Keystone XL Blocked Again, Farming While Black, and more Nov 23, 2018

Show notes

Keystone XL Blocked Again / Beyond The Headlines / Emerging Science Note: Coral Reefs Wrecked By Rising Seas / Fighting Climate Change, Naturally / Let The Leaves Be And Feed The Birds / BirdNote®: How Much Do Birds Eat? / Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land In a major setback for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, a federal judge has halted the project, citing poor environmental reviews. Also, it turns out that a lazy fall yard-work ethic can help feed hungry native birds, which feed on the insects that thrive in leaf litter. And meet the farmers who are working to cultivate justice and root out racism, by reconnecting people of color to the earth. Liberation on the land and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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The Climate of Wildfires, A Tasty Vegan Thanksgiving, Beyond Gas for Cooking and more Nov 16, 2018

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The Climate For Wildfires / Beyond The Headlines / Beyond Gas For Cooking / A Tasty Vegan Thanksgiving / Rewilding The English Countryside Fueled in part by climate change, California's 2018 wildfire season is the most deadly on record. And mega-fires are becoming increasingly common in California and elsewhere. Also, a vegan Thanksgiving feast may not have turkey or gravy, but meat and dairy substitutes and some creativity in the kitchen can make for a delicious meal all the same. And a gas pipeline disaster becomes an opportunity to highlight induction cooking technology as a more efficient alternative to cooking with gas. All that and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI

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Democratic Victories and the Environment, How to Be a Good Creature, and More Nov 09, 2018

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Democratic Wins And The Environment / A Blue-Green Wave / Trump Boosts Offshore Wind Power / The Place Where You Live: Glacier National Park / How To Be A Good Creature / BirdNote®: How Free Is A Free-Range Chicken? The Democratic Party has regained control of the House of Representatives, and environmental advocates see the chamber as a crucible for oversight of President Trump's environmental rollbacks, as well as forging bipartisan environmental legislation. Also, new offshore wind projects could soon generate energy off the coasts of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and California. And Sy Montgomery joins us to discuss her latest book, a memoir celebrating the valuable life lessons she's gained from friendships with creatures of all kinds. How to Be a Good Creature and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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Your Health and Fluoride, Exxon Sued Over Climate Risk, And More Nov 02, 2018

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Your Health And Fluoride / Getting Hormones Out Of Wastewater / Beyond The Headlines / Brazil To Increase Amazon Deforestation / The Red-Tailed Hunter / Exxon Mobil Sued For Fraud / Investigative Reporting In Coal Country / Birdnote®: Two Phoebes Share The American West Most cities in the United States add fluoride to the water supply in an attempt to prevent tooth decay. But recent studies show a correlation between drinking water containing fluoride and health issues such as weight gain, fatigue and ADHD. Also, after a three-year investigation, the New York Attorney General has sued ExxonMobil for allegedly misleading its shareholders on the risks climate change regulations could pose to its business. And investigative reporter Ken Ward, who has spent decades doggedly unveiling corruption within the coal industry, is a 2018 MacArthur Fellow. Fluoride, Exxon, investigative reporting in coal country and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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More Organic Less Cancer, Gaza Water Crisis, Climate Activists Acquitted and more Oct 26, 2018

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More Organics, Less Cancer / Beyond The Headlines / Gaza Water Crisis / Acquitted For Climate Convictions / BirdNote®: Saw-whet Owls Hoot And Hoot A major study finds a significant reduction in the risk of cancer among high consumers of organic food. Also, in the Gaza Strip, where every three out of four people are refugees, clean water is scarce, and there's a worsening health crisis for Gaza's children. And two recently acquitted protestors who temporarily shut down oil pipelines call for more civil disobedience, saying time is running out to save a livable climate. Fighting cancer, climate apathy and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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Red Tide Boosts Blue Wave, Barbara Kingsolver, Hurricanes and the Climate, and More Oct 19, 2018

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Red Tide Boosts Blue Wave / Beyond The Headlines / A Warmer World Supercharged Hurricane Michael / Fly-fishing Saved From Pollution / Barbara Kingsolver, Unsheltered / Vegan Generation Gap A surge of toxic red and green algae blooms is fueling anger at Florida Republican Governor and Senate Candidate Rick Scott and could affect the November election outcomes. Also, how unusually warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico fed Hurricane Michael's rapid intensification and essentially doubled its destructiveness. And writer Barbara Kingsolver's new novel, "Unsheltered," explores two families dealing with economic crises and the denial of science - living a century apart. Slime, climate change, hurricanes and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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Kavanaugh and Environmental Law, The 1.5°C Warming Threshold, and more Oct 12, 2018

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Kavanaugh On Environmental Law / Beyond The Headlines / Global Warming Is Heating Up / Bringing Back Butternut Trees / Night Moves / BirdNote®: Starlings Say It With Flowers / John Kerry: 'Respect Democracy - By Going Out And Voting' After being confirmed by a narrow margin, Brett Kavanaugh is now a Supreme Court Justice. We take a look at why he's likely to shift SCOTUS towards narrower interpretations of environmental law, which would limit the government's authority to regulate pollutants like climate-warming gases. Speaking of - a new UN climate report points to dire consequences if the world fails to quickly curb greenhouse gases. Earth's average surface temperature is already on track to rise by much more than the key threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures. And we wrap up our conversation with John Kerry about his memoir, Every Day Is Extra - and why respecting democracy means going to the polls on Election Day. Those stories, our weekly segment catching up with Peter Dykstra and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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John Kerry On "Every Day Is Extra", Hemlock Hospice, and more Oct 05, 2018

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EPA Raises Risks To Children's Health? / Beyond The Headlines / Cool Fix For A Hot Planet: A Tiny, Carbon-Sucking Fern / Failed Tsunami Warnings / Walrus Changes His Mind / Hemlock Trees On Hospice / John Kerry Looks Back - And Ahead / BirdNote®: Chipping Sparrows: Song Learning Starts Early John Kerry is on a mission to get out the vote. As America and the world face pressing issues like climate change, he says there's a dire need for elected officials who are willing to face the future head-on. His call to action comes as the Environmental Protection Agency is rolling back regulations on mercury and is reportedly preparing to shutter its Office of Children's Health Protection. Also, an artist and ecologist team up to communicate the story of the dying eastern Hemlock tree. "Hemlock Hospice" and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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Reviving Local Food in Puerto Rico, The Tangled Tree of Life, and more Sep 28, 2018

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Billion Dollar Losses Related to Roundup / Beyond the Headlines / Birdnote®: The Cuban Tody, A Caribbean Jewel / Rebuilding Puerto Rico's Battered Farms / The Tangled Tree Even before Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico imported nearly all of its food. Now, as locals rebuild their lives, an agricultural revival is bringing fresh fruits and veggies back to the island. Also, Bayer faces billions of dollars in potential court damages, after a jury finds Bayer-owned Monsanto knowingly sold a cancer-causing herbicides without warning consumers. And a discussion with science writer David Quammen on how new discoveries go beyond Darwin's "tree of life". New secrets of life and more, in this episode of Living on Earth from PRI.

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Puerto Rican Resilience After Maria, Floods of Waste in the Carolinas and more Sep 21, 2018

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Wastes Flood The Carolinas / Science Note: Hurricanes, Lizards and Leafblowers / "Pa'lante": Puerto Rican Resilience After Maria / Beyond The Headlines / Women Climate Scientists Threatened and Harassed / An App For Urban Foraging Hurricane Maria brought great hardship to the residents of Puerto Rico and killed thousands. Now survivors are forging ahead with a spirit of resilience as they prepare for future hurricanes. Also, floods brought by Hurricane Florence inundate hog and poultry farms, spreading infectious animal waste across the Carolinas. And as the fall harvest begins, we share a story about an app that guides urban foragers to fruit for the taking. Those stories and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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