Living on Earth

The 6-3 conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to constrain climate action by the Environmental Protection Agency in a decision before the end of the SCOTUS term in June. Why a loss for EPA in this one case, West Virginia v. EPA, could limit climate policies across multiple agencies.

Also, on Earth Day April 22, Wynn Bruce, a Buddhist and environmental activist, set himself on fire on the steps of the Supreme Court to protest inaction on climate change. A conversation about the urgent message behind this extreme action and moving beyond climate despair.

And the suspect of the recent mass murder of Blacks in Buffalo is a self-proclaimed white supremacist and eco-fascist. What the environmental movement must do to delegitimize the eco-fascist movement’s use of violence and racist ideology.

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With record low water levels that threaten hydropower generation, the federal government has decided to retain water in Lake Powell and release less to Lake Mead and beyond. But the Colorado River basin still faces a long-term water shortage that imperils the future of cities and farms in the Southwest. 

Also, the sea ice that Inuit people rely on for travel and hunting is growing dangerously thin. Now, sensors and GPS technology along with Inuit traditional knowledge are helping to measure sea ice in real time.

And as civilization hurtles toward climate disaster, the world continues to rely heavily on fossil fuels and drag its heels on transitioning to clean energy. Harvard University Professor of the History of Science Naomi Oreskes joins us to note climate change science is unequivocal and why the paths to solving the climate crisis are political and social.

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Whistleblowers say EPA endangers public health by being too cozy with industry and approving cancer-causing and other unsafe chemicals. 

Also, "No Mow May." The movement to leave our lawnmowers in the garage for the month of May and give pollinators a chance to access spring flowers. 

And, in her new book, "The Hawks Way" author Sy Montgomery takes a deep dive into the world of hawks and falconry. 

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Electric vehicles are key to decarbonizing the transportation sector but most cars sold in the U.S. are still gas-powered. Even in Massachusetts, where a climate law requires net zero emissions by 2050, EV numbers are nowhere near where they need to be. 

Also, the extraction of minerals on U.S. public lands is based on a 150-year-old law that doesn’t require royalty payments or adequate protection for the environment and local people. The antiquated law is impacting the future of renewable energy and electric vehicles as companies mine for lithium, an essential component for large battery storage. 

And for years Twin Metals Minnesota has sought to mine for copper and nickel just outside the pristine Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, but the Biden administration recently canceled two federal mining leases the company needs to begin operations.

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Our Earth Day special examines this decisive moment for the human species and our challenging relationship with our planet.

We meet people who envision a future reshaped by an emerging energy system and new power structures, as we wean off of fossil fuels.

Next we take a big-picture view of Earth as a complex and sustaining organism known as Gaia. Over billions of years life has interacted with the elements of this planet in cycles of constant change and adaptation. With the help of deep ecologists, children, an astronaut and more, we survey our place on this ever-evolving living planet.

And while science and policy are vital in building a more sustainable world, they can't convey the values we need as we strive for ecological harmony. Indigenous stories, holy scriptures, East Asian cosmologies, papal encyclicals and divine revelation all shed light on our duties and relationship to each other and to our common home.

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The new James Webb Space Telescope is by far the most powerful space telescope ever built, able to see up to a hundred galaxies at once and detect the light emitted from some of the universe's very first stars while also checking planets near and far for conditions compatible for life. 

Also, Wildlife Services, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, killed 1.75 million animals in 2021, including bears, wolves and beavers among 400,000 native animals. USDA claims these exterminations protect agriculture and public health, but opponents say there are better ways to deal with animals that present problems for humans.

And trillions of dollars of financial assets are at risk of losses related to the climate, so the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is now moving to require public companies to disclose their climate risk.

The Living on Earth Book Club is back! Join us April 25th at 5:30 p.m. Eastern in Concord, New Hampshire or online from the comfort of your own home for a conversation with bestselling author Sy Montgomery about her new book, The Hawk’s Way: Encounters with Fierce Beauty. Register at loe.org/events.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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