Episodes

  • Climate Goal in Trouble, EV Chargers Good for Business, Sy Montgomery on the Brains Behind the Cluck and more.

    Climate Goal in Trouble, EV Chargers Good for Business, Sy Montgomery on the Brains Behind the Cluck and more.
    Nov 1 2024
    The current plans of nations to reduce emissions would result in a destructive three degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels, far higher than the 1.5 C goal set by the Paris Climate Agreement. We discuss the widening gap between these plans and the ambition that’s needed to prevent catastrophic climate impacts. Also, research shows that public EV charging stations bring additional customers and income to nearby businesses. How businesses can take advantage of these benefits when installing EV charging. And author and naturalist Sy Montgomery has trekked across the world to write about pink dolphins in the Amazon and tigers in Asia. But for her latest book, What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation for the World’s Most Familiar Bird, she stayed right in her own New Hampshire backyard. Sy joins us to talk about the social intelligence of chickens, how to handle a feisty rooster and much more. -- Interested in gaining hands-on experience with producing a radio show and podcast? Apply to be a Living on Earth intern this spring! The deadline is November 20th. To learn more go to loe.org and click on the About Us tab at the top of the page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
  • Huge Untapped Earth Energy, ‘Ecocide’ of Ukrainian River, The Greening of Antarctica and more.

    Huge Untapped Earth Energy, ‘Ecocide’ of Ukrainian River, The Greening of Antarctica and more.
    Oct 25 2024
    The heat within Earth’s crust could become a major source of always-on, carbon-free, renewable geothermal electricity thanks to a technology developed for fracking that allows for much deeper drilling into hot zones. How a partnership between the oil and gas and geothermal industries could bring transformational change to the electric power sector worldwide. Also, an explosion that spilled chemical waste into a river near the Russia-Ukraine border this August led to an ecological disaster with mass fish die-offs. Kyiv blames the Kremlin for a deliberate act of ‘ecocide’ amid the war that started with Russia’s 2022 invasion. And in addition to the retreat and collapse of huge ice shelves, climate change is associated with rapid greening in Antarctica as plants thrive in warmer temperatures. A recent study found that plants have increased more than tenfold on the Antarctic Peninsula in the last few decades, with potential ecological consequences. -- Interested in gaining hands-on experience with producing a radio show and podcast? Apply to be a Living on Earth intern this spring! The deadline is November 20th. To learn more go to loe.org and click on the About Us tab at the top of the page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    53 mins
  • Climate and the PA Senate race, Environmental Racism Case Appealed, Journey to a Melting Glacier in Antarctica and more.

    Climate and the PA Senate race, Environmental Racism Case Appealed, Journey to a Melting Glacier in Antarctica and more.
    Oct 18 2024
    As control of the US Senate hangs in the balance, the Pennsylvania race between Democratic incumbent Senator Bob Casey and his Republican challenger Dave McCormick is heating up. We explain the climate and environment dimensions of Pennsylvania’s Senate race. Also, in the lower Mississippi River region commonly known as Cancer Alley, communities of color live among industrial pollution while white neighborhoods have been mostly spared from heavy industry. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is now considering whether to allow a landmark environmental racism lawsuit brought against the local government to go to trial. And Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica holds enough ice that its melting could raise sea levels worldwide by 2 feet, but it’s so remote that until recently no one had ever approached where it meets the sea. Elizabeth Rush was a writer-in-residence on board the first research icebreaker to visit Thwaites and she chronicles the journey and witnessing the glacier’s unraveling in her book The Quickening: Creation and Community at the Ends of the Earth. -- What issues are you most interested in having Living on Earth cover in the 2024 election season? Let us know by sending us a written or audio message at comments@loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
  • Hurricanes’ Huge Hidden Toll, Hiking on Wheels, and Conversations with Dogs.

    Hurricanes’ Huge Hidden Toll, Hiking on Wheels, and Conversations with Dogs.
    Oct 11 2024
    New research suggests that initial death tolls only account for a tiny fraction of the mortality that can be linked to hurricanes. On average, each tropical storm or hurricane contributes to 7,000 to 11,000 excess deaths as long as 15 years afterwards. Also, physical disabilities can make getting outside more challenging, but adaptive devices and accessible trails can transform lives. Producers Jenni Doering and El Wilson, who has cerebral palsy, test out an offroad wheelchair and meet a woman who has been able to reclaim the joy and freedom of hiking since becoming disabled. And recent research into word comprehension in dogs suggests that with training and special equipment, man’s best friend can in fact understand specific words and reply. And motivation appears to be one of the most important factors driving this ability for dogs to correctly converse in human speech. -- What issues are you most interested in having Living on Earth cover in the 2024 election season? Let us know by sending us a written or audio message at comments@loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
  • Disastrous Climate Wake Up, Jill Stein for the Greens, Sudan's Climate and War Misery and more.

    Disastrous Climate Wake Up, Jill Stein for the Greens, Sudan's Climate and War Misery and more.
    Oct 4 2024
    Hurricane Helene brought devastating storm surge and winds to the Gulf Coast and deadly floods to the inland mountains of North Carolina. We discuss the societal toll of repeated climate-fueled disasters and whether this latest super cyclone might prove a tipping point for greater climate awareness and action. Also, physician Jill Stein, the 2024 Green Party nominee for US President, urges a much quicker phaseout of fossil fuels than either of her Republican or Democratic opponents appear willing to consider. She lays out her vision for what she calls a “real” Green New Deal and pushes back against claims by Democrats that voting for her in a swing state could hand victory to Donald Trump. And millions of Sudanese people have fled armed conflict in recent months, only to face famine as well as floods and extreme heat worsened by climate change. A young climate activist from Sudan describes the harrowing conditions for Sudanese refugees and what gives her hope. -- What issues are you most interested in having Living on Earth cover in the 2024 election season? Let us know by sending us a written or audio message at comments@loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
  • Exxon's Alleged Plastics ‘Deception,’ Three Mile Island to Power AI, Risks for Transgender Field Scientists and more.

    Exxon's Alleged Plastics ‘Deception,’ Three Mile Island to Power AI, Risks for Transgender Field Scientists and more.
    Sep 27 2024
    California is suing ExxonMobil over the oil giant’s alleged “campaign of deception” to convince the public that recycling is a viable solution for plastic waste, when less than 10% of plastics are recycled. Also, to meet the tremendous energy needs of artificial intelligence Microsoft has inked a major power purchase deal with the owners of Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, where a nuclear power reactor underwent a partial meltdown in 1979. Its unaffected twin reactor operated until 2019 and could provide a carbon-free source of power for AI, if it can get past the hurdles of getting the plant back online. And for students and scientists who are transgender or gender nonconforming, field research can bring unique challenges and risks. How institutions can help ensure field research settings are safer and more inclusive of trans people. -- What issues are you most interested in having Living on Earth cover in the 2024 election season? Let us know by sending us a written or audio message at comments@loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
  • Chaos in the Climate System, Oyster Trash to Treasure, The Wit and Wisdom of Peter Dykstra and more.

    Chaos in the Climate System, Oyster Trash to Treasure, The Wit and Wisdom of Peter Dykstra and more.
    Sep 20 2024
    West and Central Africa have been hit hard by extreme flooding that has claimed thousands of lives and left millions stranded in Nigeria and neighboring countries. The perilous situation is prompting urgent pleas for wealthy nations to provide more climate adaptation assistance. Also, oysters on the half shell are big business on Nantucket Island, and a local program that recycles oyster shells from restaurant waste into habitat for young oysters turns ten this year. These recycled oyster shell reefs are helping to protect the coastline from worsening storms and rising seas. And Living on Earth lost our beloved colleague Peter Dykstra this summer. We look back on Peter’s remarkable career in environmental advocacy and then journalism with the help of his former colleagues, the Living on Earth crew and you, our listeners. -- What issues are you most interested in having Living on Earth cover in the 2024 election season? Let us know by sending us a written or audio message at comments@loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    53 mins
  • Brazil On Fire, Debate Sidesteps Climate Crisis, Uprooted By Climate and more

    Brazil On Fire, Debate Sidesteps Climate Crisis, Uprooted By Climate and more
    Sep 13 2024
    Heat, drought, and arson are fueling an explosion of fires in Brazil’s Amazon and Pantanal region, highlighting the need for the world to act boldly on climate when Brazil hosts the UN climate talks next year. Also, climate change got just one token question at the first and perhaps only debate between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. We offer other climate questions that should be asked about the Inflation Reduction Act, holding oil companies accountable and more. And the relentless heating of the Earth is prompting people to move after climate-related catastrophes and amid more gradual changes. Journalist Abrahm Lustgarten is the author of On the Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America, about the northward migration he anticipates as Americans seek to escape punishing heat, fire, and drought. -- What issues are you most interested in having Living on Earth cover in the 2024 election season? Let us know by sending us a written or audio message at comments@loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins