Living on Earth

The world’s ocean surfaces are rapidly warming and recently hit an all-time temperature high. At the same time, the La Niña weather pattern is now shifting to an El Niño cycle, warming the oceans more still. 

Also, because of its unique geography, the United States is particularly vulnerable to nearly every kind of natural disaster: tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, and more. These natural disasters are getting an unnatural boost with climate change. 

And waste incineration facilities don’t have to report the dioxins and other toxic chemicals they’re emitting from burning plastic to a key database. We examine the gap in publicly accessible pollution data.

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And thanks to our sponsors:

Oregon State University. Find out more about how Oregon State is making a difference at leadership.oregonstate.edu/cic.

Hold On Bags, with plant-based, non-toxic, 100% home-compostable trash and kitchen bags. Go to holdonbags.com/Earth or enter EARTH at checkout to save 20% on your order.

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The EPA is trying again with power plant rules to fight climate change, but this time, the agency is backed up by statutes in the Inflation Reduction Act. It’s using these to carefully craft new rules designed to survive legal challenges. 

Also, the Africa recipient of this year’s Goldman Environmental Prize joins us to share how he organized a community and brought a UK based mining company to justice for polluting a river in Zambia with waste from an open pit copper mine that sickened locals and killed fish. 

And in nature, some animals live far longer than humans, and some don’t appear to age at all. One species of jellyfish can continually revert back to a juvenile stage, making it essentially immortal. Unlocking nature’s secrets to longevity and how humans can live longer. 

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And thanks to our sponsors:

Oregon State University. Find out more about how Oregon State is making a difference at leadership.oregonstate.edu/cic.

“Nuclear Now”, a new documentary from award-winning director Oliver Stone. Visit NuclearNowFilm.com to learn more.

Hold On Bags, with plant-based, non-toxic, 100% home-compostable trash and kitchen bags. Go to holdonbags.com/Earth or enter EARTH at checkout to save 20% on your order.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Earth Day, we’re celebrating our planet with poetry, storytelling, and music, featuring an orchestral and choral work called “Lament of the Earth” that evokes the beauty and wonder of our planet as it speaks directly to the question, ‘where are all the people who care?’ Major Jackson, Catherine Pierce, Sy Montgomery, Jay O’Callahan, Lynne Cherry and more share their poetry and stories in this Earth Day special.

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Join us for our next free Living on Earth Book Club event! “Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden” with Camille T. Dungy, online on April 26th at 7 p.m. ET. Learn more and sign up at loe.org/events. 

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And thanks to our sponsors:

“Nuclear Now”, a new documentary from award-winning director Oliver Stone. Visit NuclearNowFilm.com to learn more.

Oregon State University. Find out more about how Oregon State is making a difference at oregonstate.edu/believe-it.

Aligned Play, with safe, beautiful, imaginative play sets and toys. Plant a tree with your purchase this Earth Month at Alignedplay.com and use promo code EARTH10 for 10% off. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The EPA is proposing to cut the amount of toxic air pollutants industrial sources are allowed to emit. The targeted chemicals include known carcinogens that have long contaminated communities in Appalachia and Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley.” 

Also, there are many sources of hidden plastic in the waste that wealthy countries send to the developing world, in clothing, tires, and electronics. How all that extra plastic waste is affecting the environment and health of people in the Global South.

And the government offers a $7,500 tax credit to new car buyers to help meet a goal that 50% of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. should be electric by 2030. But to qualify, cars must now meet a new set of requirements. 

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Join us for our next free Living on Earth Book Club event! “Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden” with Camille T. Dungy, online on April 26th at 7 p.m. ET. Learn more and sign up at loe.org/events. 

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And thanks to our sponsors:

“Nuclear Now”, a new documentary from award-winning director Oliver Stone. Visit NuclearNowFilm.com to learn more.

Oregon State University. Find out more about how Oregon State is making a difference at oregonstate.edu/believe-it.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America can’t meet its goals of reducing carbon pollution from power plants unless power grids get major upgrades and rules to bring clean energy online are detangled. We’ll explore the challenges and opportunities facing implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act. 

Also, the Black residents of “Cancer Alley” in Louisiana have filed a civil rights and religious liberty lawsuit against the parish council that has given a green light to these polluting facilities for decades. Learn the history of environmental racism and resistance in “Cancer Alley.”

And koalas begin life naked and tiny as a jellybean with none of the fur that makes them look so darn cuddly. As the little joeys grow inside their mothers’ pouch, she feeds them a special, messy microbial “soup” to help them digest toxic eucalyptus leaves – and they lap it up! 

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Thanks to our sponsors:

“Nuclear Now”, a new documentary from award-winning director Oliver Stone. Visit NuclearNowFilm.com to learn more.

Oregon State University. Find out more about how Oregon State is making a difference at oregonstate.edu/believe-it.

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Also, announcing our next Living on Earth Book Club event! “Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden” with Camille T. Dungy, on April 26th at 7 p.m. ET. Learn more and sign up at loe.org/events.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Microplastics are everywhere scientists have looked for them, from the deepest ocean trenches to mountain peaks; in our air, water, and food, even our own bodies. We’ll take a deep dive into the world of these tiny pollutants laden with thousands of different chemicals and discuss potential solutions.

Also, the world has no time to waste in cutting carbon emissions if we want to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, according to the latest major climate report from the IPCC science agency of the United Nations. What’s at stake for the planet and what’s necessary to keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

And the namesake of the National Audubon Society was an enslaver, racist and white supremacist, so several local chapters are changing their names in an effort to build a more inclusive birding community. But the leadership of the national group is refusing to change. 

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Announcing our next Living on Earth Book Club event! “Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden” with Camille T. Dungy, on April 26th at 7 p.m. ET. Learn more and sign up at loe.org/events.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed strict new limits for PFAS “forever” chemicals in drinking water. PFAS are associated with health concerns including cancers and reproductive issues, so the move is being called a huge win for public health.

Also, so-called “chemical recycling” is a greenwashing term used for incinerating plastic according to critics, who say it’s contributing to climate change and poor air quality for many marginalized communities.

And the topography of the coastal seafloor has a lot to do with how much flooding coastal areas will experience during hurricanes. A team of scientists is working on a new technology to create more accurate seafloor maps in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Jane Goodall is on a mission to protect habitat worldwide by empowering local communities to develop sustainably. And it all started when she was just ten years old and dreamed of studying wild animals in Africa.

Also, a massive new oil drilling project in the Arctic just got the green light from President Biden despite his promises for no new drilling on federal lands.

And the Congo Basin in Central Africa is a critical biodiversity hotspot and linchpin in the fight against climate disruption. But will the world make good on its promise to protect biodiversity in the Congo and around the world?

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You’re invited to the next Living on Earth Book Club event! We’ll talk with “The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration” author Jake Bittle on March 23rd at 3 p.m. Eastern. Learn more and sign up at loe.org/events!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A study finds the decline of pollinators is contributing to an estimated half a million deaths a year worldwide. That’s because yields of nutritious foods that keep us healthy, like most fruits, vegetables, and nuts, are falling as the pollinators they depend on disappear.

Also, what’s the worth of a whale, or a tree, or a wetland? The White House wants to know and has announced moves to start officially accounting for natural capital, the economic value of services provided by nature, when making economic decisions.

And Indonesia has one of the world’s largest tropical forests and touts itself as a global leader in conservation. But outside researchers say the government is blocking data to assess conservation progress and local scientists fear reprisals if they publish data that doesn’t fit the government’s optimistic narrative.

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You’re invited to the next Living on Earth Book Club event! We’ll talk with “The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration” author Jake Bittle on March 23rd at 3 p.m. Eastern. Learn more and sign up at loe.org/events!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. 

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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.

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