Pri: Living On Earth

UN Climate Action Summit / Beyond the Headlines / Clean Water Rollbacks / Rebooting Puerto Rican Power / Naomi Klein's Case for a Green New Deal When Hurricane Maria swept through Puerto Rico in 2017, it crippled the island's fossil fuel-dependent electrical grid. To improve resiliency, the territory is aiming for a 100%-renewable grid by 2050. Also, stronger hurricanes are a sign that the world is on fire - but so is the movement that's calling for action. In her new book "On Fire", Naomi Klein lays out a case for a Green New Deal. And kicking off Climate Week NYC is the 2019 United Nations' Climate Action Summit, an opportunity for nations to ramp up their greenhouse gas reduction commitments under the Paris Agreement. All that and more, in this episode of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coal Ash Cleanup Allegedly Deadly for Tennessee Workers / Andrew Yang's Climate Plan / Beyond the Headlines / Pronghorn Antelope / How the Border Wall Could Harm Wildlife Dozens of workers who helped clean up a 2008 coal ash spill in Tennessee have died and hundreds more fallen ill from diseases linked to the disaster. Now a fight for justice for these workers has won a round in the courts. Also, how President Trump's border wall could sever habitats and migratory paths for wildlife in the borderlands, including birds. And Democratic Presidential candidate Andrew Yang says his proposed "Freedom Dividend" of a thousand dollars a month to every American over 18 could help kickstart the fight against climate change. All that and more, in this episode of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amazon Tipping Point / Democratic Candidates Talk Solutions at Climate Town Hall / Reviewing the Climate Crisis Town Hall / Beyond The Headlines / Underland: A Deep Time Journey The fires in the Amazon rainforest are illuminating the alarming speed of deforestation in one of the most biodiverse places on Earth - and bringing it closer to a "tipping point" transition into dry savannah. Also, Democratic presidential hopefuls spell out their plans to address the climate emergency at town halls hosted by CNN, and a Harvard economist reviews their schemes. And author Robert Macfarlane ventures into ice caves, braves underwater rivers, and crawls through catacombs to discover the "deep time" running beneath our feet. Those stories and more, in this episode of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Saltwater Beavers Bring Life Back to Estuaries / Everglades National Park, a "River of Grass" / Drilling in the Everglades / Fly-fishing Saved From Pollution / Gaza Water Crisis In the Gaza Strip, where every three out of four people are refugees, clean water is scarce and there's a worsening health crisis for Gaza's children. Also, it turns out that beavers, a keystone species in some freshwater ecosystems, could hold the key to help restore degraded coastal habitats, too. And Everglades National Park provides a place of sanctuary in nature for those looking for peace and quiet, as well as a front-row-seat view of wildlife like alligators. The "River of Grass" and more, this week on Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Toxicants in Diapers and Sanitary Pads / 'Romeo and Juliet' Frogs' First Steamy Date / Exploring The Parks: North Cascades National Park / Refugees Cultivate Healing Through Gardening / Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land A recent study finds that single-use diapers and sanitary pads contain phthalates and volatile organic compounds, chemicals that are known to cause a variety of health complications including birth defects and endocrine disruption. Also, meet the farmers who are working to cultivate justice and root out racism, by reconnecting people of color to the earth. And Sehuencas water frogs, like other amphibians, have been devastated by the chytrid fungus, and a frog that scientists named "Romeo" was the last known frog of his kind and had stopped singing for a mate. But recently scientists discovered "Juliet" hiding in the Bolivian cloud forest, and now Romeo's song is back. All that and more, in this episode of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more a

Climate Migrant Caravans / The Place Where You Live: Anchorage, Alaska / Exploring the Parks: Sequoia and Kings Canyon / Confronting Climate Change Through Sound / Rewilding The English Countryside The recent waves of migrant caravans coming from Central America have a link to climate change: many of the migrants are fleeing their homes in the wake of crop failures, the result of a massive drought that has lasted for five years. Also, the constant onslaught of grim statistics about climate change may cause some people to shut down. Eco-acoustics could hold the key to drawing people back into a conversation about our changing climate. And an experiment in "re-wilding" a farm in England brings ecological and financial benefits from sustainable hunting and ecotourism. All that and more, in this episode of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No-Show Green Voters / Exploring the Parks: Cactus and Snow in the Desert Sky Islands / BirdNote®: Ponderosa Pine Savanna / Fighting Climate Change, Naturally / Free the Beaches: Desegregating America's Shoreline In the United States, approximately 20 million registered voters list the environment as one of their top two priorities. But these "super-environmentalists" tend to stay home on Election Day. Also, Arizona's Sky Islands are home to heat and cactus, but also many species that you're more likely to find far north of the desert Southwest - and even considerable snow. And the US civil rights movement to end racial segregation in the 1960's was fought in the North as well as the South. In Connecticut, just about all of the Long Island Sound beaches were off-limits to people of color, until creative organizing finally secured access for all children. That and more, in this episode of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exploring the Parks: Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve / BirdNote: Exquisite Thrush Song / Vegan Generation Gap / An Afternoon with Pete Seeger Folk music legend Pete Seeger was renowned for his combination of music and social activism. A year before the first Earth Day, Mr. Seeger and friends built a sloop he christened the Clearwater, because that was his intention: to clear the waters of the Hudson River of pollution and garbage. Also, as part of Living on Earth's series exploring America's public lands, we travel to Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, deep in the remote Alaskan wilderness. And traditional family recipes that go back through the generations can present challenges when members of the newest generation go vegan. Those stories and more, this week on Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Miners Pollute the Sea of Cortez / Beyond the Headlines / How to Raise Monarchs / Taggers at Work / Monarch Migration / The Value of Summer Camp / Guinea Fowl and Tick Control / BirdNote®: Do Birds Use Ants as Tools? Mining company Grupo Mexico has spilled millions of gallons of toxic mining chemicals and waste into the Sea of Cortez and rivers that feed into it, endangering people and the natural ecosystem. Now locals are demanding justice in the wake of the latest disaster. Also, some people have fond childhood memories of raising monarch caterpillars in classrooms and at home. We've got some tips for ensuring monarch butterflies raised in captivity aren't led astray in their migration. And deer ticks can carry Lyme disease, which is moving North, thanks to climate change. Now some homeowners in the thick of tick country are turning to an unusual tick control method: keeping a flock of guinea fowl. Tick-eating machines and more, this week on Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. V

Fracking and Your Health / Beyond the Headlines / Exploring the Parks: Petrified Forest National Park / Offsetting Your Carbon Footprint / "Hadestown" Brings Climate Change To Broadway / Camels at the Henbury Craters / BirdNote®: House Sparrows' Dance In this episode, fracking is a highly efficient method for extracting oil and gas locked up in shale rock, but it comes with environmental and health risks including birth defects, cancer, and asthma. A meta study lays out the evidence from more than 1700 studies, articles and reports. Also, carbon-intensive activities like global air travel have been growing for decades. For those interested in reducing their carbon footprints, carbon offsets promise to mitigate the damage caused by flying and other emissions sources. And Tony Award-winning musical "Hadestown" infuses themes like isolationism, exploitation of workers, and even climate change with New Orleans jazz, folk, and pop music. All that and more, this week on Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more abo

"#MeToo" at the Nature Conservancy / Beyond the Headlines / How To Be A Good Creature / The Secret & Endangered Lives of Freshwater Mussels / Exploring the Parks: Sequoia and Kings Canyon In this episode of Living on Earth, with $6 billion in assets The Nature Conservancy is among the world's richest environmental nonprofits and since 1950 it has protected 120 million acres worldwide. But a recent sexual harassment, gender discrimination and workplace misconduct scandal has shaken trust in the organization. Also, with names like "spectaclecase", "snuffbox", and "orangefoot pimpleback pearly", freshwater mussels are among Earth's most fascinating and underappreciated species. They're also among the most endangered organisms in the United States. Recently, critical habitat was finally designated for four species of freshwater mussels, but much more must be done to save hundreds more from extinction. And in the latest from our occasional series on America's public lands, we travel to Sequoia and Kings Canyon

US Blocks UN and G20 Climate Action / Not Much Presidential Debate About Climate / USDA Kills Thousands of Beavers / Science at Risk at the Border / HBO's "Ice on Fire" Offers Climate Solutions In this episode, scientists working on the US-Mexico border face unique challenges when trying to study borderlands ecosystems, thanks to everything from outright harassment and profiling, to tight restrictions on what can cross the border. Living on Earth's Bobby Bascomb is producing a series of dispatches from the US-Mexico border and discusses the challenges of doing science on the border. Also, the climate crisis took center stage at two major world meetings in June 2019, but major polluters have yet to step forward with promises to increase their Paris Agreement pledges. The United States remains on the sidelines as President Trump prepares to pull the US out of the Paris climate agreement entirely. Meanwhile, the Earth is warming and changing faster than many climate scientists had predicted, and at times the

Trump Clean Power Plan / Beyond the Headlines / Resilient Corals Get a Helping Hand / Repairing Puerto Rico's Corals / BirdNote®: The Auklet's Whiskers -- Not Just for Show / Freshwater Under the Sea / 
Turning Backyards Into Pollinator Havens / The Mighty Condor Minnesota lawmakers have heeded dire warnings about pollinator declines. They've just approved a new program that pays homeowners to convert their lawns to pollinator-friendly habitat, like that favored by the rusty patched bumblebee, which just became Minnesota's state bee. And despite the double-whammy of ocean warming and acidification, some coral populations are actually thriving. So scientists are working to speed up natural selection by propagating these resilient corals in Costa Rica and elsewhere. Also in this episode, we take stock of the Trump EPA's new Affordable Clean Energy rule, which replaces the Clean Power Plan created during the Obama Administration. The ACE rule is expected to be challenged in the courts, as it does little to a

Increasing World Climate Ambition / Moving the Paris Climate Deal Ahead / Beyond the Headlines / Bringing Back Butternut Trees / Rating the Climate Promises of 2020 Prexy Candidates / Seeking Justice for the Ogoni Nine / BirdNote®: Brewer's Sparrow, Sageland Singer Polls show climate change is a rising concern for Democratic voters looking towards the 2020 presidential election. Greenpeace has a scorecard for each candidate based on commitments to a Green New Deal and phasing out fossil fuels. Also, many of the 2,000 delegates from 185 nations at UN Climate session in Germany are seeking to raise the ambition of nations in the Paris Climate Agreement, in hopes of limiting planetary warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. And Ogoni Nine widow Esther Kiobel is one step closer to justice in her battle against Royal Dutch Shell. She has pursued the oil giant for nearly 25 years, since the Nigerian government executed her husband in 1995 on trumped up charges, allegedly encouraged by Shell. Ms. Kiobel's h

Sobering Climate Risks / Note on Emerging Science: Hot Potato Blues / Beyond the Headlines / Exploring the Parks: Cactus and Snow in the Desert Sky Islands / BirdNote®: Ponderosa Pine Savanna / Horizon by Barry Lopez If carbon emissions keep going up until 2030 it will be too late to avoid a 'hot house' Earth with a billion climate refugees starting in 2050, according to the Australia-based Breakthrough National Centre for Climate Restoration. These researchers warn the climate is changing faster than politicians and the public are responding, and say interventions on a scale never before seen during peacetime are needed right now. Also, Coronado National Forest, north of Tucson, Arizona is the latest subject of Living on Earth's occasional series on America's public lands. There's plenty of heat and cacti, of course - but also many species that you're more likely to find far north of the desert Southwest, and even enough snow for skiing! We take a trip to the remarkably diverse biomes of Arizona's Sky Isl

New Hampshire Fights PFAS Pollution / Youth Climate Suit Plea / Beyond the Headlines / Recomposing the Departed / Global Warming Clues from Henry David Thoreau / Solid Seasons: The Friendship of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson / BirdNote®: Henry David Thoreau and the Wood Thrush New Hampshire may be one of the smallest states in the US, but it's taking on some of the largest chemical companies in the world. The state wants DowDuPont, 3M and six other companies to take financial responsibility for allegedly knowingly polluting the environment with the persistent toxic class of chemicals called PFAS and PFOA while failing to disclose the risks to public health. Also, for most of recent human history, we've laid our dearly departed to rest through burial and cremation. But these can bear an environmental burden linked to land use and greenhouse gas emissions. Now, Washington State residents have a new green option: human composting. And the Nineteenth Century writings of naturalist and transcende

Green Wave Sweeps European Parliament / Beyond the Headlines / The Law of Languages / Misfit Produce at Your Doorstep / Our Planet / BirdNote®: Ruddy Duck Can binge-watching help save our stricken world? The producers of a new Netflix original series are hoping to move viewers enough to demand real action on climate change. Our Planet, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, is streaming majestic scenes of life on Earth -- through the sobering lens of climate change -- to millions of viewers. In fact the public's growing concern about climate change just helped usher in a new wave of Green party members to the European Parliament. And thanks to the increasingly fragmented body, with its multiple competing parties, the Greens have some leverage despite still holding only about 10% of seats. Also, every human language that's been tested follows a curious pattern called Zipf's law. Now researchers are looking to see if non-human languages, like the clicks and whistles used by dolphins and whales, follow a simila

Global Warming Poor Tax / Beyond the Headlines / BirdNote®: Recycle Your Egg Shells to Help Nesting Birds / Saving West Africa's Last Rainforest / Grammy Goes A-Gatherin' When an oil palm development in the poor West African country of Liberia uprooted indigenous communities, destroying their religious shrines and burial grounds, and threatened the last major tropical rainforest in West Africa, lawyer Alfred Brownell jumped into action. He was able to get the company to back off, but was then forced to flee for his life. And, as if the crop failures, infrastructure damage, and biodiversity loss linked to climate change weren't already enough, new research finds that global warming appeared to reduce the GDP of the world's poorer countries by 25 percent since 1961. Also, dandelions can be the bane of some who care for lawns. But for 97-year-old Grammy, dandelions are a culinary delight. Grammy goes a-gatherin' and more, this week on Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho

Julián Castro Campaigns / Remembering the Legacy of Jim Fowler / Congestion Fee for NYC / Cutting Emissions From NYC Skyscrapers / BirdNote®: Unlikely Places to Go Birding / Beyond the Headlines / Leopard Seal Says Hello / Protecting the Cook Islands from Overfishing Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro is making climate change a key part of his campaign for president. At a recent meet and greet in New Hampshire, he laid his climate agenda and why a green economy can be a strong, job-creating economy. Also, New York City just became the first in the nation to adopt a congestion pricing plan. It's expected to raise about a billion and a half dollars in revenue every year for its crumbling subway system and cut down on some of Manhattan's infamous traffic. And NYC has taken another major step in the fight against climate change by putting big buildings on a low-carbon path, requiring them to reduce emissions 80% by 2050. Greening NYC and more, this week on Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad c

Bipartisan House Vote For 'Climate Action Now' / Climate-Resilient Cities / A Grave Biodiversity Warning / Beyond The Headlines / Goldman Prizewinner Vanquishes Oil Terminal Project / Exploring The Parks: North Cascades National Park As climate disruption advances with rising sea levels and more intense storms, floods and wildfires, some people are thinking about safer places to live. Duluth, Minnesota and Buffalo, New York are already branding themselves as climate resilient, thanks to their cool climate and proximity to fresh water. Also, the US House passes an historic climate action bill with bi-partisan votes. And meet the hero who fought a massive oil terminal project slated for Vancouver, Washington. How community organizing vanquished a fossil fuel project and more, in this episode of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices