Pri: Living On Earth

The U.S. solar installation business has been frozen suddenly in its tracks by a U.S. Department of Commerce investigation into whether China is evading tariffs on solar cells and panels. So at a time when there is more demand than ever for solar power, the solar industry is now experiencing project delays, layoffs, and uncertainty.   Also, as climate related disasters worsen, the people who help rebuild cities afterwards are more vital than ever. But advocates say these “resilience workers” are underpaid, overworked and lack the resources they need to be safe in hazardous working conditions. A new bill aims to change that.   And for poetry month, a look at a collection of poems that peer deep into the past at species long gone to grapple with the extinctions unfolding today. The author of “Dear Specimen” on the role of poetry in revealing and consoling our anxieties about the climate and extinction crises.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Higher levels of BPA plastic exposure while in the womb is associated with increased risk of asthma and wheezing in school aged girls, a new study has found. It’s the latest danger sign regarding the estrogen-mimicking chemical, which has also been linked to numerous health problems including heart disease and Type II diabetes.   Also, fossil fuel markets are often volatile, especially around wars, while renewable energy resources tend to be more isolated from conflict. As oil prices surge the world stands on the precipice of a choice between even more climate-killing drilling and a transformational shift towards clean energy that could change the geopolitical landscape.   And communities of color along the Gulf Coast are disproportionately impacted by climate change and industrial pollution. How President Biden's Justice 40 initiative aims to tackle environmental racism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

European nations are taking a fresh look at nuclear power as a more secure and carbon-free source of energy than fossil fuels, compared to Russian oil and gas.  Also, during the March equinox in Antarctica, the eastern portion of the continent recorded temperatures around 70 degrees Fahrenheit higher than typical. At the same time, the Arctic also boasted higher-than-average temperatures.  And while President Biden campaigned on a pledge to not build another foot of the wall along the US-Mexico border, construction has recently resumed to the dismay of some ecologists.  Support comes from the I am BIO podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Europe has vowed to quickly wean itself off Russian gas. Electric heat pumps could help and activists say invoking the Defense Production Act, to rapidly manufacture heat pumps for Europe, can weaken Putin’s fossil fueled war machine.  Also in light of Ukrainian refugees fleeing their homes, experts note that climate change is expected to displace as many as 200 million people, many of them people of color who often face xenophobia.  And the population of Western Monarch butterflies has increased by more than 100-fold this year after reaching an all-time low last year of just 2,000 individuals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At a recent UN meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, delegates from over 170 countries committed to come up with an ambitious cradle-to-grave, legally binding agreement to tackle the global plastic pollution crisis. Also, northern California native tribes are now the permanent guardians of more than 500 acres of coast redwood forest in one of the latest examples of “landback.” And the book Miseducation: How Climate Change Is Taught in America reveals the access fossil fuel companies have to American children and how that differs across red and blue states. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A more conservative Supreme Court has taken up a case that could significantly limit the tools EPA can use to curb greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, even though those rules don’t even exist. Why West Virginia v. EPA poses big risks to environmental regulation writ large.  Also, the latest UN climate report is an “atlas of human suffering” that warns of great peril for ecosystems and human civilization.  And winter can be cold and dark, but the bright light reflected from frozen lakes, ponds, and streams can be cheery and warm. And that’s the secret of ice fishing. We’ll hear about the joys of ice fishing on a frozen river as the tides come in and out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Congo Basin is home to one of the largest peatlands in the world and a massive repository of carbon dioxide. Locals have been sustainably hunting and fishing in the area for generations, but the threat of new development has scientists concerned.   Also, in honor of Black History Month, we bring agronomist and humanitarian George Washington Carver back from the past to talk about his famous peanut recipes as well as the intersections between race and agricultural development in the United States. And the United Nations Environment Assembly meets in Nairobi, Kenya to begin drafting a treaty addressing the global crisis of plastic pollution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Black History month: Black Americans rose up from sugarcane slavery and built thriving communities along the lower Mississippi River, only to have the petrochemical industry move in and pollute the air, land, and water in what’s been dubbed Cancer Alley. An environmental justice champion shares her memories of what her home of St. James Parish was like before industry turned it toxic and talks about the ongoing struggle to protect its residents. Also, nearly 1 million environmentalists voted in the 2020 presidential election but didn’t show for the 2018 midterms. Why these so-called environmental drop-off voters could be decisive in the 2022 midterms if they show up at the polls. And amid the restrictions and stresses of COVID, throngs of visitors seeking the solace of nature at many of our national parks threaten to overwhelm the chronically underfunded and understaffed park system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The blocked Build Back Better budget bill contains half a trillion dollars of renewable energy and climate resiliency investments. So House Democrats now aim to include them in a revised budget reconciliation bill that can get all Senate Democrats on board. Also, when someone takes a bite of a hamburger or tofu or has a cup of coffee or hot cocoa, it’s hard to know if those foods added to the destruction of tropical forests that are so key for biodiversity and climate stability. So as part of the European Union’s Green New Deal the EU is moving to ban the importation of six key agricultural products from any newly deforested areas. And beavers are moving north in search of new habitat as the Arctic rapidly warms. These big rodents known as “ecosystem engineers” are bringing big changes to the Arctic landscape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A federal Judge revokes the largest offshore oil and gas lease sale in U.S. history by the Biden Administration, citing environmental concerns. What the legal battle says about how seriously the White House is taking its promises to phase out fossil fuels. Also, China and the International Olympic Committee say there are many sustainable aspects of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. But critics point to the environmental degradation caused by the creation of an alpine ski resort in an arid region, on the site of a nature reserve. And as Earth warms due to climate change, suitable places to host winter sports are disappearing around the globe. Thanks to our sponsor this week: INKL: curated, ad-free news from the world’s best sources. Visit Inkl.com/earth for 25% off your first year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wildfires have been raging in South America’s Patagonia, where until recently fires were rare. But invasive species and heat, drought, and dry thunderstorms connected to climate change are altering the natural fire regime. Also, children and adolescents are facing increasing health risks from extreme heat, and a new study looked at heat and pediatric emergency department visits and found that black and brown children are especially impacted. And the hit Netflix movie “Don’t Look Up” uses humor and the metaphor of an impending, Earth-obliterating comet to satirize climate denial, the political obstacles to climate action and the false promises of future technological fixes. Thanks to our sponsor this week: INKL: curated, ad-free news from the world’s best sources. Visit Inkl.com/earth for 25% off your first year.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When President Biden took office a year ago, he laid out bold goals to halt federal oil and gas drilling, reach carbon neutrality by 2050, and rectify environmental injustices. We’ll look at where progress has been made on these initiatives and where it’s lacking. Also, the world’s largest financial institutions have formed an alliance to tackle climate change as pressure mounts to steer capital away from fossil fuels and towards ventures that can put the world on a path to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.  And climate change in the form of things like wildfires, floods, and droughts can have devastating effects on mental health, and therapists are taking note. They are finding creative ways to tackle climate anxiety, often through community action and healing. Thanks to our sponsor this week: INKL: curated, ad-free news from the world’s best sources. Visit Inkl.com/earth for 25% off your first year.       Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A conversation about how the Zen Buddhist practice of mindfulness can help us break out of a destructive cycle of consumption and live in harmony with the planet. Also, lead contamination in drinking water can have serious impacts on growing brains and even contribute to mental illnesses years down the road. And millions of Americans are breathing carcinogenic air pollution emitted from refineries and chemical plants, but EPA has failed to account for the cumulative cancer risk for people who live near several industrial facilities. Thanks to our sponsors this week: INKL: curated, ad-free news from the world’s best sources. Visit https://inkl.com/earth for 25% off your first year. And Climate Talks, a new podcast from Meta. Learn more: https://sustainability.fb.com/blog/2021/10/29/introducing-climate-talks/     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two leading naturalists who pioneered the field of conservation biology passed away at the end of December 2021. A look back on E.O. Wilson’s big idea to save half of the Earth for nature, and Tom Lovejoy’s gift for bringing people together to protect the planet. Also, the wildfire that torched around a thousand homes in the suburbs of Boulder, Colorado in late December highlights the growing risk of wildfires to many neighborhoods year-round. As many as 60 million homes in America are within a mile of a wildfire zone, and we’ll discuss what residents can do to reduce their risk. And scientists find that polar bears use tools to hunt formidable walruses as access to other food sources for the bears declines in a warming Arctic. Thanks this week to our sponsor Climate Talks, a new podcast from Meta. Learn more: https://sustainability.fb.com/blog/2021/10/29/introducing-climate-talks/ 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. Thanks this week to our sponsor Climate Talks, a new podcast from Meta. Learn more: https://sustainability.fb.com/blog/2021/10/29/introducing-climate-talks/ Thanks also to sponsor TenTree. Learn more at https://www.tentree.com/ and use the code EARTH to get 15% off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

Underwater explorer Craig Foster dives nearly every day in the near-shore waters of South Africa and it’s here that he befriended an octopus, a relationship captured in the documentary “My Octopus Teacher.” He’s coauthor of the 2021 book “Underwater Wild” and joined us for a recent Living on Earth Book Club event to talk about his encounters with cuttlefish, sharks, and Cape clawless otters, and the power of connecting with wild nature. Also, as the autism rate continues to rise among children, scientists and clinicians are connecting the dots between autism, genetics, folic acid deficiency, and chemicals like the endocrine disrupting plastic additives called phthalates. And in their last trip beyond the headlines of the year, Peter Dykstra and Steve Curwood remember environmentally influential people who passed away during 2021. They also talk about an opportunity for Maysfield, Kentucky when the town rebuilds following horrific tornado damage. And the two wonder why the Biden Administration does not make

As Americans prepare to travel and gather in the end-of-year holiday season, many may be questioning how to do so safely in this era of the pandemic. We’ll talk about the best practices for keeping safe during this time of year. Also, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide, and endocrine disrupting chemicals are partly to blame. One such chemical is DEHP, a phthalate chemical commonly used in plastic hospital intravenous bags and medical tubing, and a recent study finds that it’s interfering with breast cancer treatment and augmenting the odds of relapse. And the video game industry is taking its turn to help fight against climate change by cutting emissions and embedding environmental messages in games. A look at an eco-conscious video game.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Air pollution causes serious damage to our bodies, sometimes resulting in premature death, and it’s also messing with our minds. Depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder are among the mental health problems that researchers have linked to air pollution. Also, a groundbreaking meta-study correlates exposures to plastics containing phthalates with a wide variety of diseases including mental health problems as well as obesity and diabetes. And plastic is wreaking havoc on the health of the planet, too, especially in the oceans. Now a group of YouTube influencers calling themselves “Team Seas” are working together to raise $30 million to try to collect 30 million pounds of trash from the world’s oceans. Join the next Living on Earth Book Club event on December 9th at 6:30 p.m.! We'll be speaking with diver-filmmaker Craig Foster about his book Underwater Wild, which captures the underwater world of wonder seen in the Academy Award-winning documentary “My Octopus Teacher.” Register at loe.org/events Learn more

“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. Also, our global food system feeds environmental crises like global warming and water pollution even as it fails to adequately feed billions of people worldwide. So in the 50th anniversary edition of “Diet for a Small Planet,” author Frances Moore Lappé renews her calls for a plant- and planet-centered food revolution for the sake of climate, health, and democracy. And 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.  Join the next Living on Earth Book Club event on December 9th at 6:30 p.m.! We'll be speaking with diver-filmmaker Craig Foster about his book Underwater Wild, which captures the underwater world of wonder seen in the Academy Award-winning documentary “My Octopus Teacher.” Register at