Living on Earth
Living on Earth is a weekly environmental news program that covers climate change, ecology, and human health. Hosted by Steve Curwood and produced by PRX, it provides in-depth reporting on the planet's most pressing environmental issues. The podcast features interviews with scientists, policymakers, and activists, offering listeners a comprehensive understanding of the natural world and the challenges it faces.
Episodes
Alarming Global Temperature Rise, Batteries Kicking Out Natural Gas, In Trees, BirdNote®: Roosting Tree Swallows, and more.
2026 was recorded as one of the hottest summers globally, with deadly heatwaves in Europe and catastrophic floods in Nepal. We discuss how the United Nations put out a report warning that current climate policies will lead to at least 1.8°C of global temperature increase, well beyond the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement raising the alarm on global temperature rise.
Also, California is reducing
Glaciers Crumble as Earth Warms, Climate-Resilient “Super Reefs”, Fat Marmot Week and “OnlyMarms”, and more.
The devastating August 2026 flash floods in Nepal and Tibet were triggered in part by a glacial collapse, a phenomenon likely to become more frequent as the Earth continues to rapidly warm due to human caused climate change. We discuss why climate change is making mountains and glaciers more unstable, and how early warning systems and less development in floodplains could prevent future loss of li
Blocking New UK Oil and Gas, An Indigenous Bison Harvest, Terry Tempest Williams on ‘The Glorians’ and more.
Great Britain is Europe’s third largest oil and gas producer, even with a commitment to a net-zero economy by 2050. A small group of climate activists is helping the UK meet that target by winning a Supreme Court decision that’s blocking any new UK oil and gas projects that don’t assess climate impacts. Sarah Finch of Surrey, near London led the fight against proposed oil and gas drilling in the r
Highway Reborn as Public Park, Gardening for Special Needs, The Light Between Apple Trees, and more.
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.
Also, for people with developmental or physical disabilities, growing plants in a garden may offer personal growth opportunities that unlock ne
Baby Right Whales Bring Hope, Tylenol Upcycled from Plastic, Community-Led Wildfire Prevention in Africa and more.
North Atlantic Right whales were once so thoroughly hunted they nearly went extinct. When hunting these mammals was outlawed, they slowly started to bounce back, but today Right whales are dealing with newer deadly threats, such as fishing gear entanglement and warming in the Gulf of Maine. So, it’s a relief to advocates to have a successful calving season like this year with 23 new calves, the mo
PFAS and Our Genes, Artemis II Science and Awe, and Clearing the Air and Climate Solutions Hope
A 2025 study found that exposure to certain PFAS chemicals, which are pervasive and persistent in the environment and human bodies, can lead to changes in gene expression that are linked to cancers, autoimmune and other immune disorders, and neurological disorders.
Also, the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission in April 2026 made new scientific observations that are helping to
A Cemetery Buzzing with Bees, Bluetooth Butterfly Tracking, How Flowers Made Our World, and more.
While honeybees get most of the buzz, most bees don’t produce honey, and most don’t even live in colonies. Instead, they’re solitary bees who build individual nests. A study details an astonishing finding of several million solitary bees in a cemetery in Ithaca, New York.
And monarch butterflies can travel thousands of miles each year between Mexico and North America in an epic relay race of m
Saving the Klamath, Salmon, and Yurok Culture; Trump Attempts to Shrink Bears Ears -- Again; Hints of Life on Mars; and more.
The culture of the Yurok tribe in Northern California is deeply intertwined with the Klamath river’s salmon. So, when toxic conditions caused by the dams on the river resulted in a massive fish kill, the Yurok people sprang into action and secured the historic removal of four dams, a story captured in The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life.
Als
Climate Change Speeding Up, Smog and Sunshine – CA’s Cleaner Air, and more.
Current climate change has been well underway for decades, but the rate of that change is now going up so fast that people are noticing things like tornados and extreme heat waves are occurring in places where they have rarely been seen before. How greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, the loss of reflective ice and snow, and other changes are causing the Earth to retain extra heat energy fr
Extreme Heat and Tooth Decay, The Problem with Plastic, National Parks Magic and more.
The extreme heat that’s becoming far more common in a warming world is now being linked to dental problems. As the body prioritizes sweat for cooling over saliva production, the resulting dry mouth can have devastating impacts on your teeth, and a dentist in Pakistan is documenting a tooth decay trend among his patients who work outdoors in the heat for prolonged periods.
Also, cheap and conve
Antarctic Ice Missing, Arctic Peatlands Expanding, Nuts to Feed the World and more
Midsummer in the Northern hemisphere marks the dead of winter in Antarctica, usually a time when temperatures plunge and the surrounding ocean ices over, nearly doubling the continent’s size. But this June, scientists found Antarctica’s west coast was missing a chunk of sea ice the size of France. How unusually warm ocean water is affecting sea ice as well as massive Antarctic glaciers.
Also, r
America’s Enduring Ecology: Forests, Public Lands, and more
As we mark America’s 250th birthday, we celebrate parts of America’s enduring ecology, including our forests, national parks and other public lands. At the heart of one of Washington State’s most expansive wild ecosystems is North Cascades National Park, just a three-hour drive from Seattle yet one of the lesser-known parks.
Also, around 30% of the United States is federal public lands, and t
When the Forest Breathes with Suzanne Simard, Ocean Monitoring Restored, Fighting Fracking in Colombia and more.
Forest ecologist Suzanne Simard has shown through her research that the biggest and oldest ‘Mother Trees’ in the forest anchor networks of social connection among the trees, and indeed the whole forest ecosystem. Her latest book is When the Forest Breathes: Renewal and Resilience in the Natural World, and she shares how more sustainable logging practices incorporating Indigenous knowledge can help
How Flowers Made Our World, A Cemetery Buzzing with Bees, El Niño Is Here, and more.
Lush peonies, delicate hydrangeas, and vibrant roses burst into bloom in early summer, filling gardens and parks with color and fragrance. But flowers are more than their beauty. They’re some of the oldest beings on Earth, and they played a large role in shaping the natural world as we know it. Author and biologist David George Haskell joins us to discuss his 2026 book, How Flowers Made Our World:
Juneteenth! Celebrating Black and Brown Stewards of the Green Earth
To celebrate Juneteenth we tell the story of plant biologist Beronda Montgomery. When she sat down to write what became a personal memoir mixed with a botanical history of African Americans, she found her research as a PhD lab scientist had brought her squarely into the world of social science as well. From her studies of how plants respond to light during photosynthesis, she started shining a lig
Trump Cuts Ocean Monitoring, Ancient Greek Sites Rich in Biodiversity, Seeking Environmental Justice in Papua New Guinea, and more.
The National Science Foundation has announced it will begin removing most of the Ocean Observatories Initiative, a collection of roughly 900 instruments in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans that gathers fixed-point data on temperature, carbon dioxide levels, and more. The move is part of a broader trend within the current administration to shelve climate science research and reporting.
Also, tod
U.N. Affirms Climate Duty, World Cup in a Warming World, Terry Tempest Williams on ‘The Glorians’ and more.
More than two-thirds of U.N. members recently voted in favor of a resolution affirming a landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice that countries have a legal obligation to limit global warming. While this advisory opinion is not enforceable, it will likely be cited in lawsuits and appeals as a fact in the fight against climate disruption.
Also, the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup will
Cancer and CAFOs, Baby Right Whales Bring Hope, and Indigenous Wisdom in Science.
Living near more large Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations or CAFOs may raise cancer risk, according to a study from Yale researchers. With thousands of cows, pigs, or chickens packed in small spaces, CAFOs produce a lot of waste that pollutes air and water, which may explain the cancer association, though the study does not prove causation.
Also, North Atlantic Right whales were once so t
Blocking New UK Oil and Gas, China Making Green Aluminum, Elephant Elder Wisdom and more.
Great Britain is Europe’s third largest oil and gas producer, even with a commitment to a net-zero economy by 2050. A small group of climate activists is helping the UK meet that target by winning a Supreme Court decision that’s blocking any new UK oil and gas projects that don’t assess climate impacts. Sarah Finch of Surrey, near London led the fight against proposed oil and gas drilling in the r
Willing to End Fossil Fuels, AJR Rock Star Recruits for Climate Action, Major National Climate Victory in S. Korea, and more.
A new “coalition of the willing” to transition away from fossil fuels recently gathered in Colombia, born in part out of frustration over fossil fuel friendly nations like the US, Russia, China, and Saudi Arabia stalling the longtime UN climate process.
Also, the indie-pop band AJR is known for its high-energy anthems and along with growing their fan base of mostly young adults, they’re growin
Glyphosate at the Supreme Court, How Oil Fuels Conflict, The Indigenous Fight to Save Bristol Bay, and more.
The US Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments for Monsanto v. Durnell, a case about whether states can require warning labels on pesticides if the EPA does not. This stems from thousands of lawsuits against Roundup maker Monsanto, alleging that farmers and landscapers who developed cancer weren’t warned of the risks. Though the World Health organization has classified glyphosate, the key ingr
Boundary Waters Mining Threat, Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, and Community-Led Wildfire Prevention in Africa.
The US Senate recently voted to reverse a moratorium on mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, a million acres on the US-Canada border that’s teeming with wildlife and crystal-clear waters. The region is also rich in valuable copper, nickel, and cobalt, but Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) says mining in the same watershed as the Boundary Waters poses unacceptable risks.
Al
Earth Day – 1970 vs Now, Artemis II Science and Awe, and Clearing the Air and Climate Solutions Hope
The first Earth Day in 1970, when some 20 million people peacefully demonstrated, arrived amid Vietnam War protests and other social unrest. And it came not long after the Apollo 8 astronauts snapped the iconic “Earthrise” photo that showed all of us were on a single, fragile planet amid the blackness of space. In this moment when humans have finally returned to the Moon after decades, we reflect
Floating Border Wall, Climate Coverage Dropoff, “Night Owl” – Poems, and more.
About two thirds of the US-Mexico border is along the Rio Grande, and the Trump Administration is working to install hundreds of miles of buoy barriers in the river. Now residents of border towns are raising the alarm over how these buoys could impact wildlife, restrict access to the river and sever cultural ties.
Also, news media outlets are retreating from covering climate change, according
Colonizing the Moon, Trump Waives Endangered Species Protections, and A Citizen Science Bioblitz.
The astronauts of the Artemis II mission are prospecting for a planned base on the moon, the first lunar expedition since 1972. The crew includes the first woman, the first person of color, and first Canadian to travel to the Moon. Danny Olivas, an engineer and retired NASA astronaut, talks about the mission objectives and challenges, why it faced delays and what sets the Artemis program apart fro
Climate Resilience Grants Resume, The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything, and A Woolly Rhino DNA Discovery
A federal judge recently issued an enforcement order mandating the release of funds from FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities or BRIC program, which the Trump administration had stalled. Why money spent to protect critical infrastructure from disasters like storms, floods and wildfires pays for itself many times over.
Also, over billions of years of its history, the planet
Vanguard Retreats from ESG, Running Free from Pricey Gas—EVs, A Vision of a Wind-Powered Venezuela and more.
The investment giant Vanguard is retreating from its climate initiatives as part of a $30 million settlement deal for an anti-trust lawsuit brought by Republican state attorneys general. The lawsuit alleged that Vanguard and fellow asset managers BlackRock and State Street, which are still fighting the suit, conspired to kill the coal industry. Vanguard did not admit to wrongdoing but is now barre
Fires and Logging Justice, Back to the Moon, Pioneering Women in Science and more.
A decades-old US Forest Service rule that’s been used to supposedly reduce wildfire risk through large-scale logging while bypassing environmental review has been deemed unlawful by a federal court in Oregon. Clearcutting can instead increase wildfire risk, and our guest says USFS needs to rethink its entire approach to managing forests and wildfire risk.
Also, the Artemis II mission is gettin
Justice Advances in Cancer Alley; Trump, Glyphosate and Cancer; Stinky Seaweed Menace and more.
Descendants of enslaved people fighting pollution in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ have been greenlit for a trial. Their lawsuit alleges the St. James Parish government discriminated against Black residents by repeatedly permitting industrial plants in predominantly Black districts while shielding mostly white districts from industry.
Also, President Trump has deemed glyphosate as essential for
Bonaire Residents Fight for Climate Justice, The Possibility of Tenderness, Wastewater to Wealth and more.
The Dutch special municipality of Bonaire in the Caribbean is already experiencing dangerous heat and could see a fifth of its land disappear under rising seas by 2100. But the Netherlands is discriminating against these overseas citizens by failing to adequately reduce global warming emissions and develop adaptation plans to help them cope, according to a January 2026 Dutch court decision.
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Trump Canceling Climate Regs, Stormy Weather for Climate Science, Bluetooth Butterfly Tracking and more.
After a landmark Supreme Court case that directed EPA to determine whether carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health, the agency found in 2009 that indeed they do. Now, the Trump EPA is attempting to revoke that endangerment finding to unravel all subsequent regulations on tailpipes, smokestacks and more, setting up what looks to be a long legal fight.
The Trump administ
US Losing Economic and Energy Edge to China, Wind Power Headwinds, Daisy Rewilds and more.
The ongoing efforts of the Trump Administration to walk back climate
policy and clean energy development may be handing over the health of the US economy to our chief economic rival. China is outpacing US economic growth by supplying the world with the clean technologies vital today and in the future, including electric vehicles and critical minerals, while the Trump Administration tries to revive
The Law and Environmental Justice, The Power of Black history, The Quest for Env. Justice in Shiloh and more.
In honor of Black History Month Special we highlight some of the voices that stood up against environmental injustice including Civil rights activist the Rev. Dr. Ben Chavis, Dr. Robert Bullard who’s been deemed the “Father of Environmental Justice”, and Louisiana attorney and human rights advocate Monique Harden.
Also, Lenora Gobert, a genealogist for the Louisiana Bucket Brigade shares how look
Hot Prospects for Geothermal Energy, Do Aliens Speak Physics? Global Health Under Trump and more.
As geothermal heating and cooling slowly spreads in the U.S., some communities and utilities are looking to grow small pilot projects into much larger networks of pipes and heat pumps that extract and store heat in the earth to warm and cool homes and businesses as needed. We hear about a large geothermal HVAC system that demonstrates the possibilities and benefits of scaling up.
Also, classic sc
US Leaves Top Climate Science Body, Health and Economic Costs of Fossil Fuels, Gardening for Special Needs and more.
The Trump Administration is withdrawing the US from the scientific Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or IPCC, which reports agreement about the basic scientific facts of global warming and the impact of core technologies to address it. A lead author of the IPCC fourth assessment report in 2007 explains how the fossil fuel industry has long pushed for such an action.
Also, the burning of
Trump Ices Climate Diplomacy, Western Water Crisis Boiling Over, Fungi and Climate Resilience, and more.
The Trump Administration recently announced plans to withdraw the United States from dozens of United Nations treaties and organizations including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, a treaty that was ratified by the US Senate in 1992 and is the key international forum for addressing the climate crisis. Marianne Lavelle, the Washington Bureau Chief for Inside Climate News, speaks about
Environment and Rule of Law Under Trump, Sea of Grass and the Disappearing Prairie, An Indigenous Bison Harvest and more.
In its first year, the second Trump Administration slashed environmental regulations and programs, overstepping its executive authority in the eyes of some environmental advocates. But the judicial and legislative branches appear unable or unwilling to provide a check on what legal expert Pat Parenteau sees is abusive executive power threatening the health of people and planet.
Also, the American
A City on Mars and the Perils of Settling Space; and Out-of-this-World Discoveries from 2025
As a new space race heats up, private companies and sovereign nations alike have their sights on setting up permanent human settlements in space – but huge technological, medical and legal challenges remain. Kelly and Zach Weinersmith join us to talk about their book A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?
And 2025 brought some exciti
The Earth Is Our Home For the Holidays and Always
At this coldest, darkest time of year, draw near the fire and the radio, join with family and friends, and savor the warmth and joy of good company, good food, and good stories.
Master storyteller Jay O’Callahan shares some tales, including one about his community’s tradition of Christmas caroling and how it brought hope to his mother in a time of darkness and for Christmases to come.
Also, Tem
Winter Solstice Stories and Songs
In many cultures, stories passed down through the generations explain how the world got to be the way it is. The Haudenosaunee people of Northeastern North America have a story about how the star cluster known as the Pleiades came to be, told by Perry Ground, Turtle Clan member of the Onondaga Nation of the Haudenosaunee.
Also, a Cherokee myth, told here by storyteller Diane Edgecomb, explains wh
Bill McKibben on Abundant Solar and the Waning Power of Fossil Fuels, and more.
Climate activist Bill McKibben, who authored The End of Nature nearly 40 years ago, is back with Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization. He joins us for a wide-ranging discussion on the stunning growth of renewable energy from the sun and wind, led in part by China, even as the fossil fuel industry digs in.
Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence, Ma
AI Power Demand and the Climate, MAHA and MAGA Divide Over Pesticides, and Robin Wall Kimmerer on The Serviceberry.
Artificial intelligence or AI’s huge appetite for power is reviving demand for older and dirtier fossil fuel energy. We talk about the massive data centers that power AI, community pushback, and how AI seems to be putting vital climate targets out of reach.
Also, the Make America Healthy Again or MAHA movement has pinpointed some health concerns backed up by credible research, including concerns
Bonus: Sy Montgomery on "The Chicken Universe", Earth Heat for Cozy Homes, and Hiking on Wheels
This Giving Tuesday, we've put together some favorite stories into a special bonus episode! Please enjoy, and don't forget to head to loe.org and click on Donate at the top of the page. Thank you so much for helping Living on Earth keep going strong.
In this bonus episode you'll hear:
Author and naturalist Sy Montgomery has trekked across the world to write about pink dolphins in the Amazon a
Wildfire Threats and Resilience
Wildfire smoke is fouling air quality across the US with increasing regularity, and it carries a heavy toll. A September 2025 study published in the journal Nature found that every year around 40,000 Americans are dying from wildfire smoke, with more on the way as the planet warms. Air filters, face masks and low-intensity prescribed burning can help protect the public from this growing threat.
A
Tropical Forests, Forever? Air Pollution Pioneers, and Thanksgiving Feast Favorites.
As the host of this year’s UN climate treaty negotiations and home to most of the Amazon tropical rainforest, Brazil led a major advance for forests and their indigenous inhabitants. The new $125 billion fund, with guarantees for investors, will send its profits to countries with documented forest preservation, including some cash going directly to indigenous and local populations.
Also, we now
Energy Powers Democratic Wins, Earth’s Cryosphere On Thin Ice, Rights of Nature for Stingless Bees and more.
November’s elections brought victories across the country for state and local Democratic candidates who pledged to address rising energy costs. The challenges of meeting those promises the incoming Governors of Virginia and New Jersey, and Mayor of New York, will likely face.
Also, a recent report warns that the European Alps, Rockies of the Western U.S. and Canada, Iceland, and Scandinavia would
UN Climate Talks Kick Off in Brazil, Pope and King Share a Prayer for Creation, Hurricane Melissa Recovery Effort and more.
The biggest climate negotiations of the year, COP30, are kicking off in Belem in the Brazilian Amazon. Longtime COP observer Jennifer Morgan joins us to preview COP30 and discuss the focus on closing the gap between current greenhouse gas reduction policies and what’s needed to limit warming to a safer level.
Also, King Charles III, who leads the Anglican Church, and Pope Leo XIV, who leads the R
Climate Monster in the Caribbean, Gwich’in People Resist Arctic Drilling, Serial Killers and Lead Exposure, and more.
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
The Forest Cost of Beef, Media and the Meat Habit, Rebuilding Back Better After Wildfire and more.
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
Coalition Defends Solar for All, Taming the Monsters of Halloween Waste, Chicago River Restored to Health and more.
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
China’s Climate Pledge, Balcony Solar, Remembering Jane Goodall and more.
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
Youth Climate Case, Salmon Run Fattens Bears, The Practice of Re-Enchantment and more.
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 numbe
Trump Denies, China Leads on Climate; Highway Reborn as Public Park; An Extraordinary New Telescope; and more.
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 a
Heat Waves Linked to Company Emissions, Insurance and Homeowners Underwater, The Light Between Apple Trees and more.
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
Trump Stalls Offshore Wind, Huge Danger from Permafrost Loss, The Health Risks of Noise and more.
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 no
PFAS Polluters Pay Up, Tylenol Upcycled from Plastic, Roadless Rule Under Fire, and more.
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
Oyster Trash to Treasure, The Outlaw Ocean, A “Little Sea” with a Big Champion and more.
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 r
Life as an Incarcerated Firefighter, An Ancient Climate Solution, Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, and more.
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
Sounds of Soil, “Depaving” the Way to Greener Neighborhoods, The Light Eaters and more.
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
Complex Air Pollution and Public Health, Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer’s Guide to the Universe, Animal Self-Medicating
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 Ali
Slippery Beast: A True Crime Natural History, with Eels, Uprooted By Climate, Starborn: How the Stars Made Us and more.
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
EPA Cuts Scientific Research, Censorship in US National Parks, Zombie Fires in Canada and more.
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 spe
Weakening Disaster Prep, Climate-Resilient Coffee, Clearing Air in Cancer Alley, and more.
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 20
Congress Busts Carbon Budget, Climate Disruption Worsens Flood Risks, and America’s Rural Sanitation Crisis.
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
Trump Faces Youth Climate Lawsuit, Tempered Hope for COP30, EPA Employees Speak Out and more
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, gre
EPA Ignores Climate Dangers, From Plastic Trash to Art, and Just Earth: How a Fairer World Will Save the Planet.
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 metri
Juneteenth and Striving for Ecological Justice
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 sl
US Disrupts African Food Tech; Pumping the Earth Dry; Saving a Sacred Mountain in Mongolia and more.
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
Hurricane Forecasting in 2025, Saving Corals Amid Record Bleaching, Protecting Farmworkers from Wildfire Smoke and more.
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
CA Clean Air Tool Revoked, Cuts to Clean Energy Tax Credits, Turbulence and Climate Change and More.
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
Public Lands Reprieve, Trump Ignores Social Cost of Carbon, Seagrass “Gardening” and more.
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 di
Pope Leo and Creation Care, Autism and Chemicals, Oystercatchers Bounce Back and more.
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
Trump Sues State Climate Action, Climate Wayfinding with Katharine Wilkinson, “Depaving” the Way to Greener Neighborhoods and more.
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 indust
Air Gets Worse, NOAA Climate Science Cuts, Parrot Brains and Our Own and more.
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 f
Pope Francis and the Climate, Fighting PFAS, and “Evening” Poem by Dorianne Laux.
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
Earth Day Celebration, The Health Toll of L.A. Oil Wells, Fighting Climate Change with Geothermal and more
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 who
Trump Attacks State Climate Laws, Eco Rollbacks Under Trump, Air Pollution Mixes and Public Health, Shrinking Clouds and more
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. T
Tornadoes in a Hotter World, Science and the US Government, Poetry Month and more.
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 conduc
Greenpeace SLAPPed for $600 Million?, EV Charging Money Stalled, A Quest for Quiet and more
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
GOP and Clean Energy Tax Credits, EPA Drops Major Polluter Case, Fracking Waste Crisis, and more
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
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