EcoNews Report

Pope Francis centered the climate crisis during his papacy, highlighting the moral obligations that we all share to our fellow humans (especially the poorest among us, as they will be disproportionately impacted by climate change) as well as our responsibilities to the Earth itself. In 2015, Pope Francis released his first encyclical, Laudato si’: On Care for Our Common Home, a 40,000 word treatise on both the Biblical mandate to care for creation but also a holistic discussion of the effects of modernity on the ecological function of the planet. While the encyclical became part of the Catholic Church’s official teaching, the encyclical was written for both believers and nonbelievers.

Catholics are continuing to work together to address climate change through the Laudato Si’ Movement, a nonprofit that joins over 900 Catholic organizations and over 10,000 trained grassroots leaders known as Laudato Si’ Animators to “inspire and mobilize the Catholic community to care for our common home and achieve climate and ecological justice”

Anna Johnson, North American Director of the Laudato Si’ Movement, joins the program to discuss Pope Francis’ lasting legacy of climate action.

Interested in joining fellow Catholics for Climate Action? Laudato Si’ Movement has a California chapter!

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A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) warns that when we experience the next Cascadia subduction zone earthquake, land near the coast may rise or fall significantly over a short period of time—think +/-5 feet in five minutes. If it falls, it could significantly expose new parts of our coast to sea level rise and coastal flooding. Check out the coverage from the Lost Coast Outpost or read the study yourself.

Dr. Jay Patton of the California Geological Survey joins the show to discuss why land may suddenly jump or fall, the archeological evidence of past earthquake-driven subsidence, and the consequences of such a sudden shift. 

Want to be prepared for the big one? Check out "Living on Shaky Ground" for advice on how to get ready to rumble.

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Melodie Meyer of the Environmental Protection Information Center joins the show this week to talk about a new plan to log 500 acres of the Jackson State Forest by the method known as "group selection." 

This forest in Mendocino County is managed by the State of California and has been the subject of much controversy over herbicide spraying, clearcutting, and failure to consult with local tribes (among other things). Tune in to learn about the latest plan, the relatively new Tribal Advisory Council, and how to learn more and/or comment on the plan. 

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President's often set a "first 100 days" agenda, when fresh from their inauguration, they have the most political power and influence in their term. The first 100 days is not only a benchmark to measure success but a preview for how they hope to govern for the rest of their four years.

We are at day 95, close enough to measure Trump's impact on the environment. Instead of a long list of all the rollbacks and deregulation, guests Scott Grecean of Friends of the Eel River and Matt Simmons of EPIC discuss what the first 100 days reveal about the President's agenda and what it foretells moving forward.

Want more?

Jared Huffman on Project 2025

Supreme Court overturns Chevron

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Thousands of Humboldt residents rely on the Humboldt Transit Authority to get around. And for a rural transit agency, they do a really good job. But there are gaps: both in locations (good luck getting to Ferndale) and times (sorry if you want to take the bus on a Sunday). And there are other improvements (like more frequent buses) that are needed to make the bus more convenient and attract more riders. To get better bus service, Humboldt Transit Authority needs more money. 

Humboldt County voters approved Measure O last election. Among the promises of Measure O was funding for transit. The Board of Supervisors will meet in the near future to decide exactly how much will go to transit, and transit advocates are working to make sure they keep their promises. Colin Fiske of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities joins the show to advocate for at least 20% of Measure O funds to go to support public transit. 

Email your Supervisors to let them know that you support Measure O funds going to transit:

• [email protected]
• [email protected] 
• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• [email protected] 

And if you're a transit rider, email CRTP at [email protected] to request to be added to their transit email list and Facebook transit riders group.

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Do you like to go to the beach? Do you appreciate having a beach to go to? Are you happier when that beach has clean ocean water, thriving ocean life and isn’t covered by rocks, seawalls or houses intruding on the public sand?

If the answer to any/all of those questions is, “Yes!,” that means you’re a fan of the California Coastal Act, a law passed in 1976 following a 1972 public uprising to defend the coast from development threats. The Coastal Act, as it’s commonly known, protects two key rights: public beach access and coastal preservation – but now those rights are under attack as the Trump administration and California's own Governor Gavin Newsom seek to weaken or eliminate the agency charged with upholding them, the California Coastal Commission. 

Guest Jennifer Savage of Surfrider Foundation joins the show to discuss the movement to protect the Coastal Commission from attacks from the left and right.

Want to help? Surfrider Foundation has the resources for you here. 

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The Klamath dams are out; let's celebrate! Goudi’ni Native American Arts Gallery presents Undammed, an exhibition that celebrates the historic removal of dams on the Klamath River. Art has been at the forefront of the struggle by Native communities to bring down the dams, from protest art lampooning corporate executives to bumper stickers expressing solidarity with the cause. Gallery Director Brittany Britton and artists Lyn Risling and Annalia Norris, join the show to discuss the upcoming show, the role of art in dam removal activism, and the local Native art scene. 

The gallery is open Wednesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday  11 a.m.-3 p.m., and Saturday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. It is closed Sunday-Tuesday. The gallery will be open 11 a.m.-2 p.m. during the California Big Time & Social Gathering on Saturday, April 5. Visits can be arranged via appointment. Please contact the Gallery Director Brittany Britton at [email protected], or call (707) 826-3629. 

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Maybe you've heard about biodiesel. Meet its cousin, "renewable diesel." Made from oils and fats, supporters claim that it can simply replace diesel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Humboldt County is banking on renewable diesel to meet its climate obligations in its draft Regional Climate Action Plan. But is this too good to be true? Host Tom Wheeler and Gary Hughes of Biofuelwatch explore these questions and to learn more about the concerns arising from the California pivot to high deforestation risk liquid biofuels.

More info:

• Biofuel Blunders - Oxfam
• Halt Deforestation Driving Biofuels Before It Is Too Late - Transport and Environment
• The Global Fat Grab - Biofuelwatch

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Fossil fuels are bad for us, both to our climate and to our health. These impacts are felt most acutely in fenceline communities immediately adjacent to fossil fuel power plants, which also tend to be lower-income, communities of color. Folks from these communities are banding together to present a new energy future that leans into renewables and battery storage in order to shut down the gas power plants that pollute their neighborhoods and harm their families. Julia Dowell of the Sierra Club and Heena Singh of California Environmental Justice Alliance join us on the show to talk about their work leading Regenerate California where they apply pressure on local and state agencies to retire gas plants in environmental justice communities. They share their advocacy on how responsible utility scale energy infrastructure (like offshore wind and transmission) can enable gas plant retirements. Show your support for state action to build offshore wind by signing a petition here.

Learn More:

• EcoNews: Tribal Energy Sovereignty
• Heat Wave Report
• NOx Report

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The Trump Administration has taken a large whack at the National Environmental Policy Act (often better known by its acronym, NEPA). NEPA is the federal environmental law that requires that the federal government understand and acknowledge the environmental impacts of its actions and provide an opportunity for public engagement on projects. 

While a bedrock federal environmental law, the law itself is vaguely worded. Thus, implementing regulations (issued by the Council on Environmental Quality in 1978) have been important to its application. Through these regulations, we have NEPA as we know it—"major federal projects" and "cumulative impact analysis" and so on. All that changed on January 20th. Through Executive Order, Trump revoked the authority of the Council on Environmental Quality to issue regulations and the agency has withdrawn the long-standing rules. Now we are in a legal limbo: NEPA still exists (Trump can't veto a law that has already been approved) but the rules implementing NEPA are gone. What are we to do?

Jan Hasselman of Earthjustice and Melodie Meyer of EPIC join the program to discuss this major turning point in federal environmental law. 

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