Living on Earth
Living on Earth is a weekly news and information program from PRI about the world's changing environment, ecology, and human health. If there's something new about global warming, climate change, environmental politics or environmental quality and human health, you can count on Host Steve Curwood and the LOE public radio news team to keep you up to date with fair and accurate coverage.
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51 min
Rules to Save the Climate, Most Republicans Believe in Climate Change, Creating the Moon, and More
Rules To Save The Climate / Beyond The Headlines / Climate Action Off Track / Most Republicans Believe In Climate Change / Creating The Earth And Moon
UPDATE: Rules for reporting climate protection progress were adopted at the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) in Katowice, Poland, as almost all 190-plus countries in the climate treaty called for stronger international commitments on climate action. But the United States joined a faction promoting global warming coal.
Also, while nearly 80% of Americans believe that the planet's climate is changing, only a third believe immediate action is necessary.
And a novel theory for how the moon was formed sheds light on earth's origin.
From Paris to Katowice to the Moon and back, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.
51 min
The Environmental Voting Gap, Green Gifting, Cong. Deb Haaland and more
Meet Deb Haaland, Native American Congresswoman / Beyond The Headlines / The Environmental Voting Gap / The Right To Repair / Is Shopping In A Store Greener Than Buying Online? / Green Gifts For The Holiday Season / Smeagull The Seagull: A True Story
New Mexico's 1st Congressional District is sending Deb Haaland to Capitol Hill in January. A Democrat, she's one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress and campaigned on climate change and other environmental issues.
Also, some 20 million registered voters in the U.S. list the environment as one of their top two priorities. The largest fraction of these "super-environmentalists" are young people, African Americans and Hispanics, but they tend to vote at lower rates than the rest of the population.
And the tradition of exchanging gifts at the holidays often ends up creating a lot of needless consumption and environmental harm. But greener ways to show loved ones that you care abound, and the Living on Earth team is here to share their "green gift" ideas.
That and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.
51 min
Trump Climate Report, Saving Sumatran Rhinos, The Dangers of Palm Oil, and more
Trump Climate Change Report / Saving The Sumatran Rhino / Climate Dangers of Palm Oil / BirdNote®: Long-Lived Wisdom, The Albatross / Beyond The Headlines / New England's Stone Walls
The latest National Climate Assessment brings the most serious warning yet about present and future climate impacts in the U.S. But the Trump Administration is downplaying the findings of its own agencies as it continues to pursue rollbacks of climate protection regulations.
Also, with fewer than 80 Sumatran Rhinos left in the wild, a new captive breeding program is hoping to learn from the mistakes of past attempts to bolster the species' numbers.
They've plummeted in large part because of habitat loss, as a booming palm oil industry in Indonesia rapidly converts tropical forest into vast monocultures. And the destruction of these tropical peatlands is also causing a sharp uptick in carbon emissions.
The climate consequences of palm oil and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI.
51 min
Natural Climate Solutions, Keystone XL Blocked Again, Farming While Black, and more
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.
51 min
The Climate of Wildfires, A Tasty Vegan Thanksgiving, Beyond Gas for Cooking and more
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
51 min
Democratic Victories and the Environment, How to Be a Good Creature, and More
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.
51 min
Your Health and Fluoride, Exxon Sued Over Climate Risk, And More
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.
51 min
More Organic Less Cancer, Gaza Water Crisis, Climate Activists Acquitted and more
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.