Living on Earth

Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean in modern times, left a wake of destruction in Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti that will take years to recover from. A Jamaican climate physics professor describes the toll of this climate catastrophe, and a meteorologist joins us to explain how the storm grew so ferocious in the blink of a hurricane's eye.   Also, Gwich'in Alaska Natives, which consider the land of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge sacred and local Porcupine Caribou as relatives, are expressing alarm at how renewed prospects of drilling in this fragile environment could upend their world.  And the Pacific Northwest of the US harbored a serial killer hotspot of sorts in the 1970s, associated with the neurotoxin lead. Seattle-born author Caroline Fraser explores this link in her book Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers. She discusses how dangerously high lead exposure from smelters and gasoline may have led to the increase of violence and murders in the region. ---  Federal funding for public radio has ended. But support from listeners like you always helps us keep the lights on no matter what. Living on Earth needs listeners like you to keep our weekly environmental news coverage going strong. If you're already an LoE supporter, thank you! And if you've been considering supporting LoE, now is a great time to give during our fall fundraiser. Visit LoE dot org and click donate. And thank you for supporting Living on Earth! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A recent Human Rights Watch report found that illegal cattle ranching and clearing of the Amazon rainforest has led to the forced eviction of small farmers and indigenous people in the state of Pará, Brazil. We discuss the stakes for the planet and people, as well as possible solutions.  Also, meat is the biggest single source of carbon emissions from the food system, which is itself responsible for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. We talk about the gap between reality and coverage of how meat contributes to global warming, as well as effective strategies for encouraging people to choose to eat less meat without trying to force them to do so.  And David Brancaccio of Marketplace lost his home in the devastating Los Angeles fires this past January only two months after moving in. We check back in with David to hear about his hopes to rebuild with fire-resistant material. ---  Federal funding for public radio has ended. But support from listeners like you always helps us keep the lights on no matter what. Living on Earth needs listeners like you to keep our weekly environmental news coverage going strong. If you're already an LoE supporter, thank you! And if you've been considering supporting LoE, now is a great time to give during our fall fundraiser. Visit LoE dot org and click donate. And thank you for supporting Living on Earth! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facing lost jobs and higher energy prices after the Trump EPA canceled $7 billion in low-income solar grants, a coalition of labor, green and anti-poverty groups is teaming up to fight in court for clean energy jobs and save “Solar for All.”  Also, one of the most frightening aspects of Halloween is the monstrous amounts of waste it can generate. We share ideas for making Halloween a little more sustainable, from recycling candy wrappers, to composting pumpkins, to thrifting costumes. And on September 21st, hundreds of people leapt into the Chicago River for the first public swimming event since 1927. We discuss how major projects including green infrastructure have helped clean up the river for both people and wildlife to enjoy. ---  You can help support our free public radio show and podcast, for free, by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. It's one of the best ways to help other listeners find Living on Earth!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

China has for the first time committed to an absolute target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, by 7 to 10 percent by 2035. We discuss China's growing dominance in the global clean energy transition while the current US administration doubles down on fossil fuels. Also, compared to traditional rooftop solar, “balcony solar” offers renters, apartment dwellers and folks on a tighter budget a much less expensive solar energy starter kit. Balcony solar is already common in Europe and Asia, and now it's getting a boost from state legislation in the US. And members of the late conservationist Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots youth organization and the Living on Earth crew share memories of her and gratitude for her enduring gifts to the world. --- You can help support our free public radio show and podcast, for free, by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. It's one of the best ways to help other listeners find Living on Earth! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the federal youth climate case Lighthiser v. Trump, plaintiffs are seeking immediate relief from three executive orders and subsequent actions of the Trump administration that boost fossil fuels. But the federal government maintains that the Lighthiser plaintiffs, like those in the prior case Juliana v. United States, lack standing. Also, the champion of Fat Bear Week 2025 is officially number 32 - “Chunk”, a big male who overcame a broken jaw to take the prize. Mike Fitz, the resident naturalist at explore.org, launched Fat Bear Week as a ranger at Katmai National Park in Alaska. He explains how this year's strong salmon run in the Brooks River helped the local grizzlies bulk up. And in lives full of screens and distraction, it can be hard to truly notice the natural world and the subtle ways that other creatures cross our paths. But author Brooke Williams believes these signs from nature can bring us important insights that are worth paying attention to. He explores these ideas in his book, Encountering Dragonfly: Notes on the Practice of Re-Enchantment. --- You can help support our free public radio show and podcast, for free, by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. It's one of the best ways to help other listeners find Living on Earth! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaking to the UN, President Trump railed against climate science and clean energy, drawing sharp rebukes from other nations, rival politicians and business leaders. Meanwhile, China for the first time ever announced a specific target for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. Also, the four-lane Great Highway used to run along the Pacific Ocean on the west side of San Francisco, where it was at risk of erosion from sea level rise. Now it's been transformed into a park where visitors can bike, walk, skate, and play next to the water. And the new Vera C. Rubin observatory telescope in Chile features the largest camera ever built, at about the size of a small car, and will soon begin photographing the entire southern sky repeatedly for a full decade. Astronomers hope this new telescope will help advance our understanding of dark matter and reveal hard-to find interstellar objects. --- You can help support our free public radio show and podcast, for free, by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. It's one of the best ways to help other listeners find Living on Earth! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New research finds that since 2010 killer heat waves have become 200 times more likely, thanks to greenhouse gas emissions, and the scientists say about half of the increase in heatwaves can be attributed to big coal, big oil, big gas and cement. Also, while the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season has been relatively quiet, last year damages from three major hurricanes ran to over 200 billion dollars and claims have stressed homeowners and insurance companies alike. We hear about Florida homeowners facing rising premiums and the cancellation of their insurance policies. And as the air turns crisp in the northern U.S., many of us are heading out for the autumn tradition of apple picking. The fascinating and complex science and history behind the iconic apple. --- You can help support our free public radio show and podcast, for free, by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. It's one of the best ways to help other listeners find Living on Earth! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump Administration is putting offshore wind energy on hold by canceling grants, cutting tax credits and revoking permits for projects that are nearly complete. We discuss the economic impacts to port communities and the view that the US is ceding the opportunity to be a global leader in renewable energy. Also, with the Arctic warming four times as fast as the rest of the globe, and fires now routinely burning large swaths of northern forests, carbon stored in permafrost is rapidly escaping into the atmosphere where it can warm the planet even faster. How Indigenous cultural practices can help protect this vital resource. And human-made noise is bad for our health, disrupts our natural world, and hinders our ability to connect with one another. The book Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World and How We Can Take It Back explores the hidden costs of unwanted sound and advocates for turning down the volume on human-made noise. --- You can help support our free public radio show and podcast, for free, by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. It's one of the best ways to help other listeners find Living on Earth! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Jersey officials are calling its $2 billion settlement with major manufacturers of PFAS “forever chemicals” the largest environmental settlement ever won by a state. We discuss the legacy of industrial contamination in the state and how the settlement is expected to pay for cleanup as well as restoration of degraded ecosystems. Also, scientists in the UK were able to use genetically modified bacteria to turn plastic bottles into the common pain reliever acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol and Tylenol. The lead researcher speaks with us about the potential applications of this biotech breakthrough. And with an unusually short period for public comments the Trump administration is moving to repeal the “Roadless Rule,” which currently protects over 45 million pristine acres of national forests from access roads for logging. A public lands advocate explains the potential consequences for critical habitat, watersheds, carbon storage and recreation if the Roadless Rule is repealed. --- You can help support our free public radio show and podcast, for free, by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. It's one of the best ways to help other listeners find Living on Earth! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oysters on the half shell are big business on Nantucket Island, and a local program recycles oyster shells from restaurant waste into habitat for young oysters. These recycled oyster shell reefs are helping to protect the coastline from worsening storms and rising seas. Also, seventy percent of our planet is covered by the oceans, and in this vast wilderness lawlessness is rampant, with crimes ranging from illegal fishing to slavery at sea. These high crimes on the high seas are the focus of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ian Urbina's book, The Outlaw Ocean. And the Mar Menor or “little sea” lagoon on the coast of Spain faces impacts from mining, agriculture, and a booming tourist industry. Teresa Vicente helped pass a 2022 law granting the lagoon legal personhood to give it greater protection. She received the 2024 Goldman Environmental Prize for Europe and shares how she led a grassroots movement to protect this beloved lagoon. --- You can help support our free public radio show and podcast, for free, by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. It's one of the best ways to help other listeners find Living on Earth! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Around a thousand of the firefighters who battled blazes around southern California in January 2025 were incarcerated. They do essentially the same work as other firefighters but are paid as little as around $5 a day. A formerly incarcerated firefighter shares what it was like and how the experience helped him forge a new life after prison as a professional firefighter. Also, as the water supply in Athens, Greece dwindles and demand surges from residents and tourists alike, the city is looking to antiquity for solutions. One that's attracting attention is an ancient aqueduct that runs beneath Athens. And the many millions of miles of roads that crisscross our planet block everything from bears to beetles from safely moving through habitats. But new wildlife crossings like overpasses and underpasses are helping reconnect animals with the landscape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sounds like the overlapping songs of birds can speak volumes about the biodiversity in an ecosystem, and now scientists are looking to use the tiny sounds made by earthworms, ants, and voles to study the health of soils.  Also, "depaving parties" of volunteers with sledgehammers are turning paved yards into pollinator havens and green space. That can help reduce climate impacts from extreme heat and flooding. 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. The book “The Light Eaters” tackles big questions of plant intelligence, consciousness, and communication. -- Know someone who might be interested in a Living on Earth internship this fall? Visit loe.org/about/jobs to learn more. Apply by August 22nd.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A study from Johns Hopkins researchers found that residents near or on the fence line of polluting enterprises are at higher risk for multiple health problems because of the toxic mix of air they breathe. The lead researcher explains the study. Also, astronomer Phil Plait wondered what it would be like to walk on Mars, fall into a black hole, or fly through a nebula, so he wrote a book, Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer's Guide to the Universe. He reveals the strange colors of a sunset on Mars, what it's like on a planet orbiting binary stars, the unique challenges of landing on an asteroid, and more. And a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports describes the case study of an orangutan who treated and healed his own wound. Zoologists have long seen behaviors of self-medicating in the animal kingdom, but until now it has rarely if ever been documented in scientific literature. — We rely on support from listeners like you to keep our journalism strong. You can donate at loe.org – any amount is appreciated! – and thank you for your support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.   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.   Also 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The US Environmental Protection Agency is shutting down its Office of Research and Development, which represents 50 years of independent scientific research. We explain the impact of this federal decision on both EPA employees and science. Also, National Parks are undergoing increased layoffs and funding cuts under the second Trump administration stretching staff short. A former NPS employee speaks out. And Wildfire season is scorching through Canada and a particularly dangerous kind of fire, known as “zombie fire”, can survive through the winter months by smoldering underground. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Weather forecasting, climate research and climate resilience are being hit with major budget and staffing cuts by the Trump administration, impacting emergency preparedness for floods such as the one that devastated the Texas hill country. Also,research has long shown that the top two coffee species, Arabica and Robusta, are vulnerable to climate impacts like increased drought and heat. And by 2050 as much as half of coffee producing land could no longer be suitable for these top species. But excitement is brewing over a climate resilient bean called excelsa. And residents of Reserve, Louisiana in “Cancer Alley” recently received stunning news that Denka Performance Elastomer, which has for years emitted high levels of cancer-causing air pollutants, would indefinitely suspend its operations. Tish Taylor of Concerned Citizens of St. John speaks about illnesses her family has endured, her community's cautious celebration of the decision and cleaner air, and how her fight against environmental racism continues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the climate crisis brings ever more devastating floods, storms, heat waves and fires, the Republican-led Congress and President Trump have slashed around half a trillion dollars in clean energy tax credits that would have reduced climate pollution and helped America to better adapt to climate change. Also, catastrophic floods like the one that claimed at least 100 lives in Texas this July are becoming more likely because of climate disruption. A meteorologist joins us to talk about the atmospheric and climate conditions that contribute to flood disasters, and the growing need to be weather aware. Plus, about a quarter of US homes use private septic systems, which can run you thousands of dollars. And more than a million people in America today are living without indoor plumbing, too often in appalling, unhealthy conditions. Catherine Coleman Flowers is working to change that, and she talks about her work to help rural families across America lead healthier and wealthier lives by improving sanitation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

19-year-old Eva Lighthiser has experienced climate anxiety for most of her life, as her home state of Montana faces worsening floods, wildfires, and extreme heat. Now she and 20 other young people are suing the Trump administration over its efforts to boost fossil fuels while suppressing climate science and renewable energy. Also, ten years since nations adopted the historic Paris Agreement, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, and hopes are dimming that we can meet the Paris goal of limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius. As global leaders prepare to meet in Brazil for COP30, with recent preliminary sessions in Bonn, Germany, some say the entire UN climate agreement system is broken. And in a rare act of public criticism, hundreds of EPA employees published a declaration of dissent from the agency's policies under the Trump administration, calling out its alleged ignoring of scientific consensus to benefit polluters, undermining of public trust and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This June the US Environmental Protection Agency proposed eliminating regulations that limit climate changing gases from power plants, about a quarter of US emissions. Harvard Law Professor Richard Lazarus speaks about the perils of the broader Trump administration effort to weaken federal environmental protections. Also, the ugly truth of plastic is that the world produces over 400 million metric tons each year and recycles less than ten percent of it. But artist Erik Jon Olson is transforming unsightly plastic waste into beautiful, quilted works of art which are popping up in galleries and exhibitions across the United States. He shares the meaning and method behind his whimsical and striking artwork. And in his recent book Just Earth: How a Fairer World Will Save the Planet, Tony Juniper explores how tackling economic inequality within and between countries will go far to solve the climate and biodiversity crises. Tony Juniper has long advised King Charles III on the environment and climate and now chairs Natural England. He discusses the transformation that's urgently needed to allow planet and people to thrive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just as the enslavement of people was driven by commercial interests, today the enslavement of nature for profit violates a morality that sees value in all living things, according to the Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, pastor of New Roots AME Church in Dorchester, Massachusetts and former Chief of Environment, Energy and Open Spaces for the City of Boston. She joins us to reflect on how overcoming slavery, which is celebrated on Juneteenth, can inspire us to find ways to depend on each other so we can thrive in a world of ecological justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the development initiatives affected by the Trump Administration's shutdown of USAID is the Soybean Innovation Lab, which works to improve soybean yields and production in Africa to help boost farmers' income. Our guest discusses her work with the Soybean Innovation Lab and why helping improve farmers' yields is so fulfilling. Also, a recent study finds the Colorado River Basin has lost a tremendous amount of water in the last two decades, in part from thirsty farms pumping groundwater much faster than it can be replenished. We discuss the “Wild West” of unregulated groundwater, potential solutions and why the rapid depletion of ancient groundwater threatens the water supply for future generations. And the winner of the 2025 Goldman Environmental Prize for Asia was raised as a Mongolian herder and later became an engineer who worked on mining projects in the mineral-rich country. But when he learned that the Mongolian government was planning to mine the sacred Hutag mountain, he sprang into action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2025 hurricane season is underway, and the U.S. is likely to see higher than average activity. The past couple of years, extremely warm water in the Gulf of Mexico helped storms rapidly intensify to major hurricanes. But cuts to federal weather monitoring and hurricane modeling could leave the U.S. underprepared for strengthening storms. Also, record-breaking heat in the oceans has led to the most widespread coral bleaching event ever documented, ongoing since January 2023. Bleaching weakens the corals and many end up dying, but others can recover and researchers are finding ways to help corals survive and thrive. And poor air quality from wildfire smoke and other pollutants can harm cardiovascular health and also make farmworkers more prone to work injuries, according to researchers. But in California, requirements for employers to hand out face masks are often too late to prevent farmworkers from experiencing impacts. We talk about proposals to better protect the people who grow our food from air pollution.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California's car culture, trucking industry, and weather contribute to chronically bad air that it's been gradually improving with its own laws and regulations and the blessing of the EPA. But now under President Trump, the EPA and Republican Congress are taking away California's ability to clean up its air.  Also, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" that passed through the House of Representatives on party lines guts multiple provisions from the Inflation Reduction Act, terminating or reducing tax credits for electric vehicles, clean hydrogen and advanced manufacturing.  Plus, at a former gravel mine in northwestern Pennsylvania, nonprofits are working to plant 70,000 trees as part of a larger project to reforest thousands of acres of degraded mine land in the region. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last-minute changes in the House budget reconciliation bill included scrapping one of the more controversial amendments that would have sold off public lands in the southwest to private developers. But the overall bill isn't a complete win for the environment, with even deeper cuts to clean energy tax credits added at the last minute. Also, a new White House memo instructs federal agencies to disregard the economic impacts of climate change in their regulations and permitting decisions. This metric is known as the “social cost of carbon” and it has been used for decades to guide policy so that it considers the economic realities of our changing climate. Plus, seagrass is a foundation of marine ecosystems and stores as much as 35 times more carbon than a tropical rainforest, but warming ocean temperatures and other threats are wiping seagrass out. There is hope, though, as a project to “garden” or cultivate more resilient varieties is making waves along the U.S. East Coast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new Pope, Leo XIV, has worked with interfaith environmental networks and there's hope around the world that he may follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Pope Francis and bring issues of the environment and climate change to the forefront of his agenda. Also, autism spectrum disorder is now diagnosed in about 1 in 31 children in the United States, a rise of 70 percent in just four years according to the CDC. In addition to better awareness and changing diagnostic tools, growing scientific evidence also points to the role of exposure to toxic chemicals especially during early development in the rising prevalence of autism. And the American oystercatcher is a conservation success story thanks in part to efforts to educate the public and protect their ground nests from unaware beachgoers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the direction of President Trump the U.S. Department of Justice has sued four states -- Vermont, New York, Hawaii, and Michigan -- that are trying to recover some climate costs from major fossil fuel companies through climate superfund laws and litigation. The DOJ cases are seen by some as frivolous extensions of the other actions the Trump administration has taken to aid the fossil fuel industry. Also, a project called Climate Wayfinding aims to tend to the deepest needs of climate activists by providing a space for reflection, connection, and clarity amid the chaos. Climate Wayfinding has its roots in the All We Can Save project, co-founded by Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, who shares her own story of moving from feeling lost to gaining clarity about her role in the climate movement. And "depaving parties" of volunteers with sledgehammers are turning paved yards into pollinator havens and green space. That can help reduce climate impacts from extreme heat and flooding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest “State of the Air” report by the American Lung Association finds that nearly half of people living in the U.S. breathe unhealthy levels of air pollution. Soot and smog are on the rise in part because climate change is bringing more wildfires and ozone-forming conditions. Also, a key climate modeling program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA is slated for near-elimination, according to a draft White House memo. That could have consequences for weather forecasting, disaster preparedness, agriculture, military operations and more. Plus - parakeets have astounding vocal abilities and are able to mimic as many as 1700 human words. And their brains may provide insight into how we humans talk. In a recent study, researchers found human-like neural activity during vocalization. They hope this research may help shed light on communication disorders in humans such as autism. ***Join us on Zoom Thursday, May 8 at 8 p.m. Eastern for the next Living on Earth Book Club event! Catherine Coleman Flowers, author of Holy Ground, will talk with Host Steve Curwood about activism, environmental justice, and finding hope. Learn more and register at loe.org/events.*** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the world remembers the legacy of Pope Francis we return to his groundbreaking writings on climate and environment that called for a fundamental shift in our economic system, and a rethinking of our relationship with God's creation: the natural world. Also, a 2025 Goldman Environmental Prize recipient was repeatedly told there was nothing to worry about when it came to PFAS “forever chemicals” linked to illnesses in her community. But she did not back down, and her persistence paid off. And as Poetry Month ends, we turn to poet Dorianne Laux, whose latest collection is titled Life on Earth. Her poem “Evening” from a few years ago simultaneously expresses her grief at her recent loss of her mother and the waning of the whole biosphere in the face of climate disruption. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Living on Earth is celebrating 55 years of Earth Day with a solution-based broadcast. Grammy nominated singer and Earth Day ambassador Antonique Smith uses the art of storytelling and music to promote environmental justice and climate action in communities of faith and color. Nalleli Cobo is a young activist who was awarded the 2022 Goldman Prize for North America after fighting an oil company whose wells were making her community sick. Also, how shallow geothermal energy networks are presenting signs of hope for the climate crisis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump has issued an executive order that directs the U.S. attorney general to identify and block state laws that deal with climate change, environmental justice, and carbon emissions. A study from Johns Hopkins researchers found that residents near or on the fence line of polluting enterprises are at higher risk for multiple health problems because of the toxic mix of air they breathe. The lead researcher explains the study. In terms of physics, global warming comes down to an energy imbalance as Earth is taking in more energy than it is releasing. An atmospheric scientist explains how a shrinking cloud cover is contributing to climate change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Experts are still trying to piece together how tornado patterns have changed in the last century and are likely to keep changing as the world gets hotter. A meteorologist explains the eastward shift of tornadoes in the US and how newly vulnerable populations can stay safe. Also, the Trump administration is slashing personnel and research grants at two dozen federal agencies, including those conducting critical science. Science has long played a key role in the federal government, and government research catalyzed major innovations that led to the Internet and the space program, laying the groundwork for the private sector to move in. And, for Poetry Month -- the songbirds called vireos have increased in number by more than 50 percent in recent decades, while birds overall are struggling. That was the inspiration for Catherine Pierce's poem, “What I Want to Believe About the Vireos.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 A North Dakota jury found in favor of pipeline company Energy Transfer and ordered Greenpeace to pay more than $600 million in damages over its role in helping protest the Dakota Access Pipeline. Some legal experts call the case a classic SLAPP or Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation suit and a threat to free speech.   Also, a program funded by the 2021 bipartisan Infrastructure Law sought to install many more electric vehicle chargers. But now the Trump administration has stalled this funding.   And the world can be an awfully noisy place. Ed Jahn of Oregon Public Broadcasting took a journey in search of silence and found what could be the quietest place in Oregon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As President Trump and the Republican-led Congress aim to shrink the federal government and renew major tax cuts, hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy tax credits could be on the chopping board. Twenty-one House Republicans whose districts are benefiting from the tax credits are petitioning GOP leadership to keep them intact. Also, under President Biden the Department of Justice and EPA sued petrochemical manufacturer Denka, alleging that its Reserve, Louisiana plant posed unacceptable cancer risks. But the Trump administration abruptly dropped the case just weeks before the scheduled start of a trial. And the expansion of fracking or hydraulic fracturing for natural gas is generating large amounts of waste contaminated with heavy metals and radiation. Some of it gets sent to landfills like one in the small town of Yukon, Pennsylvania – where EPA has documented unacceptable levels of pollution draining from the landfill into a local creek. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration announced plans to roll back multiple environmental regulations, cut EPA spending and push back environmental justice programs. We cover how recent federal actions impact environmental policy as well as the role our guest Christine Todd Whitman played as the former Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency during the Bush administration. Also, plastics can contain thousands of chemicals like phthalates and PFAS which are harmful to human and animal health. A new study published in the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, found that higher exposure to disposable takeout containers, was linked to a higher risk of congestive heart failure in both humans and animals. We discuss this study, and others related to plastics and health. And 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To help cover the rising costs of climate impacts like extreme floods and sea level rise, New York State has enacted a climate superfund law that asks major fossil fuel companies to pay up, based on their historic sales of coal, gas and oil. We discuss how the revenues would fund climate adaptation and resilience.  Also, the Trump Administration barred government scientists from attending a key UN climate science meeting in February 2025. What's more, it seems the customary US task force including officials from the State, Energy, Commerce and Transportation departments has not attended any meetings for the underlying UN climate treaty since the beginning of the Trump Administration. And a new study shows that crevasses or cracks on the Greenland Ice Sheet are widening more rapidly than expected due to climate change, which may accelerate ice loss and global sea level rise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The thousands of homes that burned in Los Angeles this January included the home of Marketplace Morning Report Host David Brancaccio. He shares what he's learning about the challenges of rebuilding with a limited supply and huge demand for contractors. David says there's an opportunity to rebuild a more wildfire-resistant Altadena, and to heal the community itself.  Also, sea otters were hunted out from Oregon and Northern California more than a century ago amid the fur trade, but the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians and conservation partners are now working to bring them back. How reintroducing sea otters can help revive the kelp ecosystem and restore a vital cultural connection for Native people. And major fossil fuel projects like LNG terminals could become harder to oppose on environmental grounds because of a Trump executive order that tries to weaken agency compliance with NEPA, the National Environmental Policy Act. Environmental concerns may take a backseat under the new project review process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump EPA is trying to cancel $20 billion dollars of funding in what's known as the “Green Bank”, which provides loans for local clean energy, energy efficiency upgrades and more. Without providing evidence, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin accused the program of being rife with fraud and waste. Also, as costly climate disasters multiply around the planet, some financial experts are raising alarms that proceeding with business as usual without sharply reducing emissions could cut global GDP in half as soon as 2070. How human civilization can steer towards a more stable future. And for Black History Month, civil rights leader Rev. Benjamin Chavis connects the dots between the civil rights and environmental justice movements. He reflects on the first EJ battle, how he coined the term “environmental racism,” and the path forward for the EJ movement during a Trump administration that refuses to acknowledge environmental injustice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration's attempt to freeze all foreign assistance and bid to lay off nearly all USAID staffers are bringing disastrous consequences for millions of acutely hungry people, including those in war-torn Sudan. A Sudanese climate activist describes the desperate situation and sends a warning to the US about the perils of isolationism. Also, global warming is increasing the frequency and severity of “climate whiplash” events, which are rapid transitions between very wet and very dry conditions. One such event set the stage for the devastating L.A. wildfires in January 2025. How climate whiplash works and what societies need to do to prepare. And a new bipartisan law aims to help people of all abilities explore the outdoors. The founder of the nonprofit Disabled Hikers shares insights about the challenges people with disabilities face visiting America's public lands and how the new law could help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Black, Brown and low-income communities pushing back against industrial pollution have always had an uphill battle. But now those environmental justice fights may get even harder, as the Trump administration shutters federal EJ programs. Also, one of the many Biden Administration rules the Trump EPA has nixed is one that would have limited the amount of toxic PFAS that petrochemical and other plants can release into waterways. We explain this setback for regulating “forever chemicals” that cause cancer, immune deficiencies and other harms.  And finding the last remaining old growth in the vast forests of Maine is like finding a needle in a haystack, but LiDAR technology is helping pinpoint these biodiversity hotspots so they can be protected. How it works and why it's bringing the timber industry and conservationists together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So far avian flu hasn't been seen spreading from human to human, but recent mutations indicate some variants are becoming better adapted to infecting humans. Also, around a thousand of the firefighters who battled blazes around southern California in January 2025 were incarcerated. A formerly incarcerated firefighter shares what it was like and how the experience helped him forge a new life after prison as a professional firefighter. And as the water supply in Athens, Greece dwindles and demand surges from residents and tourists alike, the city is looking to antiquity for solutions. One that's attracting attention is an ancient aqueduct that runs beneath Athens. Plus: in his last days in office President Biden designated a new national monument in the southern California desert called Chuckwalla. A Native tale of how Coyote gave the “painted canyon” in Chuckwalla its name, this week on Living on Earth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in power, President Trump immediately took aim at climate and environmental protection with a flurry of executive orders such as blocking the Paris Climate Accord and boosting fossil fuel sales. The President may have over-reached but could still do lasting damage to the climate and environment. Also, one of President Trump's Day One executive orders commands a reversal of the Biden Administration's goal for half of vehicles sold in America by 2030 to be electric. Getting rid of the $7,500 EV tax credit and federal funding for charging stations may take acts of Congress, but already this effort to shift EVs into reverse is making for uncertainty in the US auto industry. And not all conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are loaded with high levels of harmful pesticides. Consulting the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean Fifteen” lists can help consumers make efficient choices in the produce aisle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facing huge costs for climate adaptation and disaster recovery, some states and localities are suing fossil fuel companies for damages. The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined an attempt to block these lawsuits, and we explain the significance of some of them proceeding to trial. Also, nearly all the tall coast redwoods in California's Big Basin Redwoods State Park burned in a 2020 wildfire. But within a few months the charred trunks had grown a fuzz of healthy green shoots. A paper documents how the trees were able to regenerate using energy reserves stored for many decades.  And the many millions of miles of roads that crisscross our planet block everything from bears to beetles from safely moving through habitats. How new wildlife crossings like overpasses and underpasses are helping reconnect animals with the landscape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wildfires like those hitting southern California take an enormous social and psychological toll on victims and observers alike. We hear how people and communities can heal from the “climate trauma” brought by wildfires and other disasters linked to the climate crisis. Also, President-elect Trump's stated plans to again remove the U.S. from the Paris Accord would be just the latest whiplash in a decades-long trend of U.S. inconsistency on the climate. What's ahead for global and domestic climate policy over the next four years. And the Carter Presidency left a legacy of environmental action, ranging from major habitat protection to trying to address the then largely unrecognized threat of fossil fuels to climate stability. Gus Speth chaired the White House Council on Environmental Quality under Jimmy Carter and joins us to recall pivotal moments and ponder what might have been if the solar-panel-loving President had won a second term. This episode of Living on Earth is sponsored in part by AirDoctor – the air purifier that is designed to filter out 99.99 percent of dangerous contaminants so your lungs don't have to – including allergens, pollen, pet dander, dust mites, mold spores – even bacteria and viruses – To get your AirDoctor, go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code EARTH  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Freshman U.S. Representative Yassamin Ansari, a Democrat representing Arizona's 3rd district, puts climate at the top of her priority list. She joins us to reflect on her work with the UN on the Paris Climate Accord, discuss how extreme heat is affecting her constituents, and preview her climate aims in Congress.  Also, in a landmark 6 to 1 decision, the Montana State Supreme Court upheld a ruling that found young people, and by extension all people in Montana, have a constitutional right to a livable climate that state officials can't ignore.  And the African American residents of Shiloh, Alabama whose homes were flooded by a state highway expansion say they are still waiting for the full measure of environmental justice promised by the outgoing Biden Administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Underwater life has been a mystery to humans since the beginning of time. The Extreme Life of the Sea by Stephen and Anthony Palumbi is a book that sheds an entertaining and informative light on life for the ocean's oddest creatures, making you think of fish as characters, not seafood. Also, animals like the American Bison, bald eagle, and giant panda are just a few of the charismatic species that have come dangerously close to extinction. But thanks to some visionaries, species like these have been saved from that fate. In her 2021 book Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction, science writer Michelle Nijhuis shares the stories of some conservation heroes. And from tarantulas in French Guinea to reclusive, aquarium-dwelling octopuses to the dogs and chickens in her own backyard, Sy Montgomery has connected with creatures all over the globe. They are her friends, her family, and especially her teachers. Sy shares valuable life lessons she has learned from them and captured in her book, “How To Be A Good Creature.” -- The Living on Earth newsletter now features new in-depth analysis and commentary! Sign up at loe.org/newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Irish harpist Aine Minogue shares stories of mid-winter traditions like visiting friends, decorating with evergreens, and summoning longer days. She also plays traditional tunes of the season and sings about a creature from the Land Beneath the Sea. Slaves in the American South sang and shared stories to keep their sense of hope alive. Husband and wife duo Sparky and Rhonda Rucker share stories of what slaves could expect at the holiday season, and a hog tale of the trickster High John the Conqueror, along with old-time spirituals. Noa Baum offers stories of hope from Eastern European, Pakistan. -- The Living on Earth newsletter now features new in-depth analysis and commentary! Sign up at loe.org/newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The carbon footprint of U.S. liquefied natural gas, or LNG exports is 33% higher than for coal, Cornell researchers report, showing the climate risks of a planned expansion of U.S. LNG exports. Also, the newest Popemobile for the Holy Father is an all-electric Mercedes-Benz, and most of the new U.S. Postal Service trucks are EVs, too. We talk about the shift to EVs among the Vatican, Post Offices, and everyday consumers. And India's Yamuna River is considered sacred by some devout Hindus, who bathe in the river to cleanse their sins. But around New Delhi it has become polluted with raw sewage and a thick white foam linked to detergents flowing untreated from laundries and households. -- The Living on Earth newsletter now features new in-depth analysis and commentary! Sign up at loe.org/newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Major fossil fuel corporations including ExxonMobil are clearly stating they would prefer the U.S. remain in the Paris Climate Agreement, despite President-elect Donald Trump's plans to take the country back out. We discuss oil majors' long-term plans for an energy transition. Also, hormone-disrupting chemicals in plastics take a yearly economic toll in the hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S. alone, according to a 2024 study. And PFAS, phthalates, BPA and flame retardants in plastics are barely regulated despite the risks. Plus: facing habitat loss, poaching and climate disruption, giraffes have declined more than 40 percent in the last thirty years, so US wildlife officials have proposed adding them to the Endangered Species List.  -- The Living on Earth newsletter now features new in-depth analysis and commentary! Sign up at loe.org/newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The UN climate treaty summit known as COP29 teetered on the edge of collapse as less developed nations implored the rich countries of the global north to provide financial relief to help them cope with rising climate costs. Alden Meyer of E3G was at the COP and explains the frustrations with the process and the compromise delegates eventually reached.  Also, astronomer Phil Plait wondered what it would be like to walk on Mars, fall into a black hole, or fly through a nebula, so he wrote a book, Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer's Guide to the Universe. He reveals the strange colors of a sunset on Mars, what it's like on a planet orbiting binary stars, the unique challenges of landing on an asteroid, and more. --  Join us on December 5 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern online or at the New England Aquarium for a conversation between Host Steve Curwood and Susan Casey about exploring the deep sea, home to otherworldly marine life, soaring mountains, and smoldering volcanoes. Find out more and register for this free event at loe.org/events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President-elect Trump's choices to run three of the federal departments critical for climate and environmental protection are drawing concern and criticism from climate and eco-activists. We discuss the mandates for regulatory rollbacks for the nominees, former US Rep. Lee Zeldin for EPA, Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright for Energy and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for Interior. Also, given President-elect Trump's vow to dismantle the Inflation Reduction Act, communities are concerned about their applications for climate and environmental justice funding. What's on the line and why bipartisan support for the IRA may help preserve some federal support. And Braiding Sweetgrass author Robin Wall Kimmerer is back with a new book, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World. How gift economies can offer an alternative to overconsumption.  -- Join us on December 5 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern online or at the New England Aquarium for a conversation between Host Steve Curwood and Susan Casey about exploring the deep sea, home to otherworldly marine life, soaring mountains, and smoldering volcanoes. Find out more and register at loe.org/events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. -- 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices