Pri: Living On Earth

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

A Refugee Camp Becomes a City / Tulsi Gabbard's Presidential Bid / No-Show Green Voters / Beyond the Headlines / Pioneer Warren Washington Wins Tyler Prize In Uganda's Bidibidi refugee camp, progressive policies enable South Sudanese refugees to live, farm, and work freely with locals, to foster the growth of small businesses and infrastructure. The goal: to attract outside investments and build an enduring future city. Also, Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) is a Democratic candidate for the 2020 Presidential elections. Campaigning in New Hampshire Congresswoman Gabbard spoke about the importance of addressing climate change and reducing military spending. And approximately 20 million registered voters in the US list the environment as one of their top two priorities. But many of these "super-environmentalists" stay home on Election Day. Getting out the green vote and more, in this episode of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Klobuchar Goes Green / A Citizen Science BioBlitz / Beyond the Headlines / Microbeads in the Great Lakes / Microplastics Leading to Macro-Problems / A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration A handy smartphone app is all that's needed to participate in a citizen science "bioblitz", a brief, intensive survey of biological diversity over a set area and time. This year, thousands are expected to participate in the City Nature Challenge. Also, microplastics are everywhere, and sewage treatment doesn't remove them from the water. So they end up in lakes and streams, posing a growing threat to freshwater and saltwater ecosystems. And a veteran field guide author discusses the incredible phenomenon that happens every spring and fall, as a journey of thousands of miles begins with a single flap. The wonders of migration and more, in this episode of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exxon Sued Over Climate Risks of Storage / Beyond The Headlines / Earth Day Checkup / BirdNote®: What's Your State Bird? / Prepping for the City Nature Challenge / Exploring the Parks: Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve Since the first Earth Day in 1970, much has been done to clean up our air and water, here in the U.S. and elsewhere. But the world now faces the imminent threats of climate change and biodiversity loss, with a long way to go on curbing carbon emissions. Also, our newest installment in Living on Earth's series exploring America's public lands takes us to the grizzlies and volcanism of Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, deep in the remote Alaskan wilderness. And as sea level rise and intensifying storms put coastal ecosystems, communities, and industrial facilities at risk, ExxonMobil faces a lawsuit over the alleged vulnerability of the company's Boston Harbor storage facility to climate disruption. All that and more, in this episode of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more abo

'Mayor Pete' and the Climate / Beyond the Headlines / Fearsome Bull Elephant Musth / Science Note: Can Plants Hear? / Pesticide Risks Ignored at Trump Interior Dept. / BirdNote®: Sage Grouse Lek and Grasslands / The Sage Hen and the Sage Brush / Greater Peril for the Greater Sage Grouse Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is making climate change a focal point of his forward-looking campaign. That message resonates with those voters young and old who see "Mayor Pete" as uniquely qualified to talk about the future. Also, over 84,000 pages of documents have surfaced alleging new Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt's interference with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife report on the risks the pesticides chlorpyrifos, malathion and diazinon may pose to endangered species. And don't miss the marvelous sounds of the Greater Sage Grouse as it performs its traditional mating dance. Unfortunately, the Western sage brush ecosystem indicator species is now more vulnerable to grazing and oil and

Idai Disaster Update / Beyond the Headlines / The Power of the Purse and 'Climate Action Now' / Youth Testify for Climate Action / 'Romeo and Juliet' Frogs' First Steamy Date / Everglades National Park, a "River of Grass" / Drilling in the Everglades / BirdNote®: Rivers of Birds In this episode, Cyclone Idai brought destruction for residents of Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. With the UN calling Idai one of the worst natural disasters to ever hit the Southern hemisphere, East Africans have a long road to recovery ahead. Also, the newly introduced Climate Action Now bill, HR 9, aims to use Congress' "power of the purse" to keep the U.S. in the Paris Climate Agreement. The bill also calls for President Trump to make a plan to meet the U.S. commitments under the agreement. And the sehuencas water frogs known as "Romeo" and "Juliet" have had their first steamy date in hopes of saving their dwindling species. Matchmaking to save a species and more, in this episode on Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more abou

Brazil To Grab Indigenous Lands / Beyond the Headlines / Losing Ground: Midwest Floods Rip Away Topsoil / BirdNote®: The Rainwater Basin of Nebraska / The Place Where You Live: Chadron, Nebraska / Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country In this episode: Record flooding in the Midwest has swept away the precious topsoil of the "bread basket of the United States." Farmers already dealing with the Trump Administration's trade war with China now face spoiled grain, dead livestock and an interrupted planting season. The more moderate spring rains are welcome as they bring out the green and help water crops, and in south-central Nebraska, they provide watering grounds for migrating birds, including the famous Sandhill Cranes. Also, a constitutional crisis looms in Brazil as its controversial new president, Jair Bolsonaro, seeks to open the Amazon's indigenous territories to mining, against tribes' wishes. And we hear from writer Pam Houston about her new memoir, "Deep Creek," and how life on a ranch high