Pri: Living On Earth

The train derailment in Ohio last month led to a controlled release and burn of vinyl chloride, which can produce dioxin. Locals are concerned that the soot that fell on their homes in the wake of the disaster may contain this potent neurotoxin. Also, carbon capture and storage involves a network of pipelines that transport carbon dioxide from source to sink so that it can’t warm the planet. But these pipelines carry high-pressure CO2 that can be dangerous, even lethal.  And showy traits like dark pigmentation on a dragonfly’s wings or a lion’s big, dark mane play a key role in how some animals choose a mate. New research suggests that climate change is making some classically attractive traits more difficult to pull off.  -- Thanks to our sponsor, Four Sigmatic: Don’t miss our special offer to get 30% off your monthly order of premium organic coffee blended with superfood mushrooms. Visit go.foursigmatic.com/earth and use code EARTH at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi

Eleven of the 38 train cars that came off the tracks in East Palestine, Ohio contained hazardous materials including the carcinogen vinyl chloride. Crews intentionally released and burned vinyl chloride to avoid a potential explosion, and residents have lingering concerns about the long-term effects of the chemicals in their community. Also, Safety Data Sheets are supposed to provide key information about the risks of workplace chemicals but they often downplay the risks of known carcinogens. And the burial of a nine-year-old enslaved girl on a plantation in Louisiana may halt construction of a new petrochemical plant on that land in the state’s “Cancer Alley.” Many descendants of enslaved people in the region already live with health problems from exposure to industry and are looking to their ancestors to stop further expansion. -- You’re invited! Join us for our next free, online Living on Earth Book Club event: KOALA: A Natural History and an Uncertain Future on March 2nd. Sign up at loe.org/events.   Than

A plan by oil giant ConocoPhillips to drill in Alaska on federal land is poised to move ahead if it can secure President Biden’s final consent. The Willow project would dump millions of tons of climate disrupting carbon into the atmosphere over its lifetime and pose risks to the health of nearby Alaska Native communities and biological diversity. Also, PFAS “forever” chemicals have widespread health impacts from cancers to reproductive disorders. A recent study revealed high levels of PFAS in wild-caught, American freshwater fish commonly eaten by people. And Black women often use hair relaxers and leave-in conditioners to straighten and smooth their textured hair. But many of these products contain hormone-disrupting chemicals, which are associated with such health problems as early menarche, preterm birth, diabetes, and cancer. -- Join us for our next Living on Earth Book Club event! KOALA: A Natural History and an Uncertain Future on March 2nd. Sign up for this free, virtual event at loe.org/events. Thank

Some scientists predict that without emergency conservation measures, Great Salt Lake will dry up completely in the next five years, devastating migratory bird populations and creating a public health crisis linked to toxic dust in the lakebed. Also, the bipartisan infrastructure law signed by President Biden in 2021 allots $5 billion over five years for low-income communities to replace diesel school buses with clean electric ones. But an unintended consequence of the measure’s terms prevents some of the neediest communities from benefiting from the program. And George Washington Carver was born into slavery but went on to become a famous agronomist and helped poor people in the South improve their lives and soils by planting peanuts and other legumes. This week, he comes back from the past in the form of actor and playwright Paxton Williams to talk about intersections between racial dynamics and agricultural development. -- Announcing our next Living on Earth Book Club event! KOALA: A Natural History and an

The births of at least 11 North Atlantic Right Whales this season is a bright spot for a species on the brink of extinction. And safer lobstering gear is being designed to prevent human-caused whale deaths. Also, despite inflation automakers including Tesla, Ford and General Motors are now in a price war for electric vehicles. The lowered stickers also bring some models under the $55,000 price cap required to qualify for federal tax credits. And examining the dark history of the nutmeg trade reveals the origins of our current climate crisis in the violent extractive economies pioneered by colonial powers centuries ago. -- Get a sneak peek at every episode by signing up for our newsletter at loe.org/newsletter. Thanks to our sponsor, Four Sigmatic: Don’t miss our special offer to get 30% off your order of premium organic coffee blended with superfood mushrooms. Visit go.foursigmatic.com/earth and use code EARTH at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Municipalities in Puerto Rico sue the biggest fossil fuel companies for damages from category 5 Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The cities and towns allege the fossil fuel companies knew their products would change the climate and intensify storms and colluded to lie about it to the public. And following the devastation of Hurricane Maria many communities in Puerto Rico were isolated for months so they looked to each other for solace and sustenance. Also, Coquí frogs were heavily affected by Hurricane Maria, but within months of the storm, they could once again be heard making their iconic calls across the island. -- Thanks to our sponsor, Four Sigmatic: Don’t miss our special offer to get 30% off your order of premium organic coffee blended with superfood mushrooms. Visit go.foursigmatic.com/earth and use code EARTH at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Activists are outraged by the United Arab Emirates’ decision to appoint a high-ranking oil executive to lead the 2023 UN climate treaty negotiations in Dubai. It’s the latest example of how fossil fuel interests are deflecting progress in the treaty process.  Also, some Florida sugarcane growers near the Everglades still burn their fields to make harvesting easier, and people of color downwind claim adverse health effects from the smoke and ash.  And in addition to the devastating human toll of Russia’s war on Ukraine, marine scientists have documented recent mass strandings of dolphins and porpoises in the Black Sea. A key suspect is military sonar, which can disorient cetaceans that use sound to navigate. -- Thanks to our sponsor, Four Sigmatic: Don’t miss our special offer to get 30% off your order of premium organic coffee blended with superfood mushrooms. Visit go.foursigmatic.com/earth and use code EARTH at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pink snow, also known as “watermelon snow” or “glacier blood,” is the result of a late summer bloom of pink colored algae that flourish in melting snow. And although snow algae are still very understudied, scientists are worried that darker snow will absorb more of the sun’s heat than white snow and cause the snowpack to melt more quickly, amplifying climate change. Also, weather records are routinely being shattered across the United States, with recent severe rainstorms in California, freezing temperatures in Texas, and a warm January thaw for the northeast. A climate scientist explains why a climate change-disrupted jet stream is behind much of this extreme weather. And in Texas, the wild weather delivered an unusual cold snap that some wildlife just couldn’t deal with. So local wildlife rehabilitators sprang into action to save around 1600 tiny Mexican free-tailed bats from hypothermic shock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cases like West Virginia v. EPA and legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act made 2022 a landmark year for environmental law, and now as 2023 gets underway there are even more legal actions and decisions on the horizon including on clean water, environmental justice, and climate racketeering.  Also, to learn what alligators in Florida’s Everglades eat, a team of scientists ventures out in the dead of night to catch them and pump their stomachs.  And many non-human animals call cities home or take advantage of their abundant resources, creating an “accidental ecosystem.” Being more intentional about how we design and use our cities in the future may bring benefits for both humans and the wildlife we share these spaces with. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From one woman’s dream of swimming with marine iguanas, to uncommon encounters with common rabbits, to a Native American tale of how the dog came to be our loyal companion, and much more, this Living on Earth holiday storytelling special features stories of how other species on this Earth touch human lives. “Wildly Magical: Stories of Animal Encounters”, a storytelling special from PRX. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Power Of Stories / Native American Tales / Stories of the Night Sky and an English Wassail Native American myths and tales help us endure or even enjoy the short days and long nights of winter. Living on Earth's annual celebration of stories helps connect people with the natural world, and includes an Iroquois explanation of why the constellation Pleiades twinkles overhead and an Abenaki custom that asks forgiveness for any wrongs of the previous year. Seasonal stories and more, in this holiday special from Living on Earth from PRX. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To try to address the biodiversity crisis that threatens as many as 1 million species with extinction, thousands of delegates from around the world are meeting in Montreal with a goal of updating the United Nations treaty on biological diversity. The stakes are high for places like Palawan in the Philippines, which is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth and has been protected by the Indigenous Batak people for thousands of years. Also, cloud forest ecosystems are biodiversity hotspots but they’re quickly becoming warmer and drier with the climate crisis. So each fall researchers in the cloud forest of Monteverde, Costa Rica conduct a bird census to see what migrant and resident birds are using the forest and how that’s changing with time. And Living on Earth’s gardening guru, Michael Weishan, joins us to share some tips on how to craft festive holiday wreaths, garlands, and Christmas trees with natural materials from your own backyard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United Nations is working towards creating a treaty to tackle the plastic crisis all the way from production to disposal – its full “life cycle”.  Also, as the Biden Administration moves forward with plans for offshore wind, in Congress there is a bipartisan effort called the Breeze Act that would update offshore revenue sharing rules dating back to the early days of oil and gas production.  And the seas are rising because of climate change, but this isn’t the first global sea level rise humans have lived through. In fact, some Indigenous peoples have stories of sea level rise that they’ve passed down over thousands of years. How oral traditions reflect the environmental changes our ancestors lived through. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Entanglement in lobster fishing gear is one of the biggest threats to endangered whales, so the Marine Stewardship Council has suspended its sustainability certificate for the lobster fishery in the Gulf of Maine prompting Whole Foods to halt sales of Maine lobsters.  Also, shallow water linked to years of drought has severely limited navigation on the Mississippi River, making it harder for farmers to get their corn, soybeans and wheat to market. We discuss the climate connections with the midwestern drought and how it’s affecting food commodities. And the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea is interwoven with the physical and spiritual lives of indigenous forest communities. But a plan to build a copper and gold mine threatens the river and its people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United Nations climate talks in Egypt produced an unprecedented agreement for rich nations to pay for loss and damage from climate disasters in poor countries. But no money has been provided yet to stricken nations and many details still need to be worked out. And COP27 added no new brakes to keep the Earth from hurtling past the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming target of the Paris Agreement.  Also, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin typically involve massive amounts of computation needing lots of energy that’s mostly sourced from burning fossil fuels. But now there’s a far more efficient way to earn new coins if cryptocurrency managers decide to adopt it. -- Join the next Living on Earth Book Club event on November 28th at 4:00 p.m. ET! We'll be speaking with acclaimed author Amitav Ghosh about his book 'The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Peril,' which uses the haunting history of how nutmeg became a staple of the spice rack to reveal how colonialism and the commodification of the Earth’s resources has l

As Americans prepare to gather to give thanks over a feast, a look at how embracing the plant world in our diets connects to climate, health, and democracy. Also, in some Native cultures four more crops join the “Three Sisters” of corn, beans, and squash. The “Seven Sisters” and the importance of saving Native seeds. And “The Reign of Wolf 21” is the true love story of an alpha pair who lead their Yellowstone pack with grace, courage, and an unbreakable bond. What these wolves can teach us about love, loyalty, and leadership. -- Join the next Living on Earth Book Club event on November 28th at 4:00 p.m. ET! We'll be speaking with acclaimed author Amitav Ghosh about his book 'The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Peril,' which uses the haunting history of how nutmeg became a staple of the spice rack to reveal how colonialism and the commodification of the Earth’s resources has led us to the climatic tipping points and global crises we face today. Register at loe.org/events Support for Living on Earth c

California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom handily won re-election and now has 4 more years to work towards his goal of achieving carbon neutrality in the state by 2045. Mr. Newsom and other Governors have billions of dollars in climate funding at their disposal that was allocated by the U.S. Congress this summer. These state governments will play a crucial role in helping cities, universities, and the private sector make the most of it.  Also, emissions of chemicals that tear holes in the protective atmospheric ozone layer have fallen dramatically, thanks to the Vienna Convention launched in 1985 and its related Montreal and Kigali protocols. NOAA recently reported that midlatitude atmospheric concentrations of ozone depleting chemicals have declined about 50% compared to peak historic levels. And wildlife populations have declined by nearly 70% since 1970 due to habitat loss, over harvest, and pollution. The climate crisis will put even more pressure on wildlife, but there are also signs of improvement and

Before they’ve even taken their first breath, most babies are exposed to air pollution that passes from their mother’s blood stream through the placenta and has now been found in fetal tissues. Also, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a.k.a. “Lula,” is headed back to the Brazilian Presidency. In sharp contrast to defeated incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, Lula has pledged to protect the Brazilian Amazon and indigenous communities from illegal mining, agriculture and land grabbing. And every animal species experiences the world in a totally unique way. Mantis shrimp can filter polarized light, and star-nosed moles can smell under water. Sensory marvels and more, this week on Living on Earth. -- Support for Living on Earth comes from maude. Get 15% off your first order using the code LIVINGEARTH. And from the I Am Bio podcast, with powerful stories of biotech breakthroughs, the people they help, and the global problems they solve. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By some estimates there could be more plastic, by weight, than fish in the oceans in less than 30 years. A UN “Young Champion of the Earth” is helping Greek fishermen be part of the solution by collecting plastic along with their fishing haul. Also, the rich nations of the global north are primarily responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. But some of the poorest nations are being crippled by debt related to loss and damage from storms, fires, droughts, and more. And for gardeners based in the northern hemisphere, fall is the time to clean up garden beds and prepare for the winter snow. But the joys of gardening don’t have to hibernate until spring. Tips for extending the growing season, including forcing bulbs indoors.  -- Support for Living on Earth comes from maude. Get 15% off your first order using the code LIVINGEARTH.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The federal government is leasing sites for innovative floating offshore wind farms in the deep waters along the California coast, and the oil and gas industry has expertise that can be put to good use for this untapped resource.  Also, Fat Bear Week celebrates the bears of Katmai National Park in Alaska who stock up on plenty of fat reserves to get them through the long frigid Alaskan winter, and salmon are the unsung heroes.  And protecting “megaforests,” the remaining intact big forests on Earth, offers a low-cost and highly beneficial way to mitigate the climate crisis.  -- Support for Living on Earth comes from maude. Get 15% off your first order using the code LIVINGEARTH.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices