Water for Life tells the story of three Indigenous activists in Central and South America, who have fought to protect their communities’ water rights and ancestral lands from mining, hydroelectric projects, and large scale agriculture. The three individuals profiled in the film are Berta Cáceres, a leader of the Lenca people in Honduras; Francisco Pineda, a subsistence farmer in El Salvador; and Alberto Curamil, an Indigenous Mapuche leader in Chile — all of whom were previous recipients of the Goldman Environmental Prize. 

The 2025 Goldman Environmental Prize ceremony took place this week on Monday, April 21 in San Francisco, California.

On this episode of Terra Verde, filmmakers Will Parrinello and María José Calderón join host Fiona McLeod to discuss the stories shared in the film, which is airing on PBS this month after 12 years of production.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Courtesy of Goldman Environmental Prize

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California is being hit with increasingly frequent, climate change-turbocharged wildfires and much of the disaster-recovery costs are being passed on to taxpayers and ratepayers in the form of higher, and increasingly unaffordable, insurance rates, housing costs, property taxes, utility bills, and health expenses. Some lawmakers, backed by environmental and citizen rights groups, aim to change that. Earth Island Journal editor-in-chief and Terra Verde cohost Maureen Nandini Mitra talks about ongoing legislative efforts to make the main drivers of climate disruption — fossil fuel companies and other corporate polluters — pay up with Maya Golden-Krasner, deputy director of the environmental group Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, and Sierra Lindsey Kos, co-founder and co-executive director of Extreme Weather Survivors, a climate disaster survivor support group.

You can lend your support for the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act here.

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In March, a North Dakota jury found against Greenpeace in a highly watched trial, ordering the environmental group to pay pipeline company Energy Transfer more than $660 million in damages. The case stems from the Standing Rock protests in 2016 and 2017, an Indigenous led movement to stop construction of the Dakota Access pipeline.  Energy Transfer alleges that Greenpeace defamed the company and orchestrated criminal behavior at the protests. Greenpeace denies these claims, describing the suit as an attack on First Amendment rights. Many experts agree that the case could have a chilling effect on public protest.

Longtime environmental attorney and human rights advocate Steven Donziger, who has himself been the target of fossil fuel industry-led litigation, was part of an independent monitoring committee for the trial. He joins Earth Island Journal managing editor and Terra Verde host Zoe Loftus-Farren to discuss what he saw at the trial, his own experience with Big Oil, and what the industry’s weaponization of the court system means for the future of free speech and environmental advocacy.

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Grizzly bears once roamed California in large numbers, with populations reaching up to 10,000 before they were driven to extinction by human activity in the early 20th century. Now, over a century later, efforts are underway to reintroduce grizzlies to the state. Building on decades of research and advocacy, the California Grizzly Alliance is set to release a groundbreaking feasibility study this spring that explores the potential for grizzly recovery in California. In this episode of Terra Verde, Hannah Wilton is joined by Peter Alagona, a professor at UC Santa Barbara and lead scientist for the California Grizzly Alliance, to dive into the details of the study. They discuss the history of grizzlies in California, opportunities and strategies for their reintroduction, and what this effort could mean for our collective social and ecological healing.

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Not only is the fashion industry is the world’s second biggest polluter after the fossil fuel industry, but many of the textiles we surround ourselves with (in our clothing, bedding, and home upholstery) are also made of petroleum-based products and/or contain PFAS—or “forever-chemicals”—which pose an enormous threat to our health and the environment. 

On this episode of Terra Verde, host Fiona McLeod speaks with Patty Grossman, co-founder and CEO of Two Sisters Ecotextiles, and Smita Paul, founder of Indigo Handloom—both of whom are leaders in the movement for safer, more ethical and environmentally-friendly fabrics. They discuss the broader consequences of fast fashion, the hidden costs of what we wear, and what solutions exist for a healthier, more sustainable textile and clothing industry.

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The average adult in the United States uses somewhere around 12 personal care products a day, with women typically using more than men. Those products can expose us to more than a hundred chemicals on a daily basis, some of which come with serious health risks. These risks are not borne equally. Black women in particular bear a disproportionate burden when it comes to chemical exposure through cosmetics and other personal care products, a burden that has been linked to a higher risk of breast cancer, among other things. Yet the industry remains woefully unregulated. Of the estimated 10,000 chemicals used in beauty products, the federal government here in the US has banned or otherwise restricted only 11.

Dedicated advocates are trying to change this. And in the meantime, they are offering guidance for those looking to reduce their exposure on their own. Terra Verde host and Earth Island Journal Managing Editor Zoe Loftus-Farren talks with Arnedra Jordan, a project manager with Black Women For Wellness who leads their Beauty Justice Campaign, and Alexa Friedman, a senior scientist with the Environmental Working Group who recently co-authored a report digging into the disparate impact of hazardous cosmetics chemicals, about their work for beauty justice.

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Environmentalists and civil rights activists are strategizing and pushing back against the Trump administration’s moves to dismantle our democracy, but a lot of this work is not yet visible to all and we are left with the sense that, so far, resistance to Trump 2.0 has been rather lack-luster. But has it, really? To delve further into this question Earth Island Journal editor-in-chief and Terra Verde cohost Maureen Nandini Mitra talks with Dana R. Fisher, the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity and Professor in the School of International Service, who has been analyzing data collecting data from activists engaging in protests around climate change, systemic racism, and the American resistance.

Among other things, Fisher’s research has uncovered that a growing number of left-leaning Americans now believe political violence may be necessary to save our democracy.

Note: Dana is the author of several books, most recently Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action. KPFA listeners can get a 20% discount on the book at the linked website by using the code CUP20. 

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A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally.

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A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally.

The post Terra Verde – February 28, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally.

The post Terra Verde – February 21, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.