Living on Earth

Latest Episodes:

Puerto Rico's Recovering Forests, California's Climate Leadership, and more Sep 14, 2018

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California Moves Toward Carbon-Free Economy / Resilience In Puerto Rico's Tropical Forests After Hurricane Maria / Beyond The Headlines / Rising: Dispatches From The New American Shore California commits to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045, and as the Global Climate Action Summit kicked off, citizens took to the streets to call for swifter action. Also, Hurricane Maria stripped Puerto Rico's trees of their leaves, but forests that evolved in the hurricane belt have ways to cope with the damage and they are re-growing. And we speak with a writer who set out to document the stories of people caught in the rising tides along the American seaboard. Those stories and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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A Pipeline Blocked, Water for Puerto Rico, and more Sep 07, 2018

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Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Blocked / Beyond the Headlines / Volunteers Test Drinking Water in Puerto Rico / Crop Pests in a Warmer World / Eager: The Surprising Secret Life of Beavers Canada's Federal Appeals court has ruled that the Trudeau government improperly reviewed the controversial Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion, likely delaying the project past Canada's elections in 2019. Also, meet the citizen scientists who got to work testing Puerto Rico's water sources for safety in the wake of Hurricane Maria. And we bring you a tale of how the largest rodent in America, once trapped almost to extinction, is being brought back thanks to a "beaver love motel" and a growing cadre of fans. The "beaver believers" and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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Sexual Misconduct in the Forest Service, Saving the Queen Conch, and more Aug 31, 2018

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Gulf Orphans / Sexual Misconduct in the US Forest Service: One Woman's Story / BirdNote®: Blakiston's Fish Owl / Conch at the Edge / The Place Where You Live: Rose-Hill, Mauritius Western wildfires are growing more intense with global warming, and more women are joining the US Forest Service to help fight these fires. But a deep-seated macho culture in the agency means they often face hostility and harassment, and retribution if they complain. Also, a team of rescuers wades through chilly northern waters to save "Gulf Stream orphans," tropical fish babies stranded up north by the Gulf Stream. And down in the Bahamas, "conchservationists" work to save the Queen Conch, a marine mollusk that's in danger of being loved to death. Those stories and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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Toxics In Our Homes: Lead, House Dust, and more Aug 24, 2018

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Thousands of Lead-Poisoned Communities / Science Note: The Power of Dust / Obesity and House Dust / Bitcoin, The Energy Hog / Tamed and Untamed: Close Encounters of the Animal Kind Lead is a deadly neurotoxin that's especially harmful to children's brains, and though it's banned in paint and gasoline, it's still found at dangerous levels in many communities. And another danger might be lurking under your bed - in dust bunnies. House dust can include chemicals that trigger the growth of mouse fat cells in the lab, and might be a factor in the obesity epidemic. Also - what are animals thinking? Two best-selling writers muse on the thoughts and emotions of animals, and why some people believe chickens have names for their keepers. Those stories and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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Vanishing Insects, The Hidden Life of Trees, and more Aug 17, 2018

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Flying Insects Crash / Emerging Science Note: Brazilian Peppertree / Trees On the Move / The Early Bird Breeds Fast / Baby Tern Goes Exploring / The Hidden Life of Trees / The Place Where You Live: Bear Creek, WI and St. Paul, MN Flying insects may plague us in the summer, but they're vital food sources for birds and bats, and they pollinate most of our crops. Yet 75% of them have vanished in the last quarter-century, with potentially disastrous consequences. Also, the big old oak in your backyard may be rooted firmly in place- but its acorns can travel. Now as the planet warms and climates change, trees are on the move, and transforming the species mix in our forests. We also take a look at how trees communicate via a "wood wide web" -- and a forester's conviction that they are far more sentient than we think. The hidden life of trees and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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Greening the Military, India's Solar Revolution, and more Aug 10, 2018

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Greening the Military / Solar Eclipsing Coal in Jobs / India's Renewable Energy Revolution / Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right Renewable energy to the rescue: In the U.S. military, hybrid vehicles and innovations like 'solar blankets' can improve operations, and even save the lives of soldiers. Also, in the U.S., coal still produces far more energy than solar. But solar already employs twice as many people as the coal industry does, and some former coal miners are becoming solar technicians. And India is leading the world in slashing carbon emissions as it undertakes a renewable energy revolution. Those stories and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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'Ghost' Particles, Green Campuses and more Aug 03, 2018

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Global Warming to Worsen Southern Poverty / BirdNote: When the Amazon Floods / Linking Fracking and Radon / 100% Sun Power for Hampshire College / Fossil Fuel Freedom Fighters / Science Note: Nanowire Battery Breakthrough / The Telescope in the Ice: The Hunt for the Ghost Particle A new generation of nature writers is coming of age in America, and grappling with the loss of the pristine landscapes their parents and grandparents enjoyed. Also, rising radon levels in Pennsylvania homes have been linked to fracking, but there's more to the story. And one of the world's most sensitive telescopes is buried deep in Antarctic ice, searching for evidence of elusive neutrinos. Those stories and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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Endangered Species: Humboldt Martens, Rhinos and more Jul 27, 2018

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GOP Tax On Global Warming Gases / What The Osprey Overheard: Mark Seth Lender / LED Impacts On Wildlife / Meet the Rare, Shy, and Hungry Humboldt Marten / Science Note: A Moonshot To Save Rhinos / DNA Technology For Rhino Protection / US Tries To Boost Infant Formula A new GOP carbon tax bill promises to fight climate change with a "tax swap" that would fund infrastructure and climate adaptation strategies. Also, LED lights are energy-efficient, but they could be harming wildlife by leading sea turtles astray, and even perplexing the humble housefly. And deep in the coastal forests of California and Oregon, the tiny and voracious Humboldt marten is threatened by habitat loss, trapping, and illegal cannabis farming. Those stories and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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FEMA's Failures, Saving Corals and more Jul 20, 2018

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FEMA Unprepared To Help Puerto Rico / Repairing Puerto Rico's Corals / Combat Divers Restore Ocean Health / Beyond the Headlines / CRISPR Gene Tool Could Pinpoint Resilient Corals FEMA admits it failed to adequately prepare for Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, a disaster that cost thousands of human lives. Maria devastated coral communities, too, so locals and combat diving veterans are coming to the rescue by putting healthy fragments back in place. And as rising temperatures threaten corals across the globe, scientists are using CRISPR to identify which genes make some coral species more heat-tolerant. Those stories and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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Living on Earth: July 13, 2018 Jul 13, 2018

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Pruitt Out, Wheeler In / Fracking On The Rachel Carson Trail / Judge Kavanaugh & Environmental Protection / Beyond The Headlines / BirdNote: Sparrow Sing In Arizona Monsoon / Hospital Farming For Better Health / The Place Where You Live: Anchorage, Alaska Scott Pruitt is gone and his deputy and former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler, now acting administrator at the EPA, is expected to carry on Mr. Pruitt's legacy of regulatory rollbacks. Change is also coming to the US Supreme Court , as Justice Kennedy steps down. Nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh has been tough on environmental regulations in past cases, and could shift the high Court further to the right. And at a major trauma center and teaching hospital in Boston, a rooftop garden is helping patients heal by providing them with fresh, nutritious produce. Those stories and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.

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