Living on Earth

Democratic National Convention / "Hadestown" Brings Climate Change To Broadway / Underland: A Deep Time Journey / Water Ranching in Mexico

The 2020 Democratic National Convention featured voices from all across the country, some of whom highlighted climate change as a key concern for this election. But climate change appeared to take a backseat to other issues facing the nation.

Also, for a couple of months each year, seasonal monsoons try to quench the thirst of the desert Southwest, but much of the water runs off. Now conservationists are changing grazing patterns and slowing down water run off to help more plants and animals flourish.

And author Robert Macfarlane ventures into ice caves, braves underwater rivers, and crawls through catacombs to discover the "deep time" running beneath our feet. "Underland" and more, in this episode of Living on Earth from PRX.

LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . .

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Kamala Harris and Environmental Justice / Healthy People Equal Healthy Forests / Forests of Rain / Note on Emerging Science: Plastic-Eating Mushrooms / Cloning Giant Sequoias / 'Forest Bathing' for Health

Former Vice President Joe Biden's choice of Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate made history and highlighted the campaign's focus on environmental justice.

Also, for many of those living in and near tropical forests, one of the only ways to get cash to pay for healthcare is by logging. Now a nonprofit is providing healthcare that patients can pay for with seedlings or manure.

And Coast Redwood trees and Giant Sequoia are among the biggest and oldest individual living things on our planet, but were heavily logged decades ago. Scientists are helping restore these majestic, carbon-sequestering trees by cloning their DNA.

Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00033. . . .

LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . .

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Kamala Harris and Environmental Justice / Healthy People Equal Healthy Forests / Forests of Rain / Note on Emerging Science: Plastic-Eating Mushrooms / Cloning Giant Sequoias / 'Forest Bathing' for Health

Former Vice President Joe Biden's choice of Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate made history and highlighted the campaign's focus on environmental justice.

Also, for many of those living in and near tropical forests, one of the only ways to get cash to pay for healthcare is by logging. Now a nonprofit is providing healthcare that patients can pay for with seedlings or manure.

And Coast Redwood trees and Giant Sequoia are among the biggest and oldest individual living things on our planet, but were heavily logged decades ago. Scientists are helping restore these majestic, carbon-sequestering trees by cloning their DNA.

LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . .

PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . .

FOLLOW US and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. . . .

Bi-Partisan Victory for Great American Outdoors Act / Funding the National Parks, Finally / Beyond the Headlines / Fishing Fleet Threatens the Galapagos / BirdNote®: What Do Desert Birds Drink? / Healthy Buildings Boost Productivity / Trying to Train Crows

For years national parks and public lands in the United States have been severely underfunded. The Great American Outdoors Act is set to help turn that around, with billions of dollars to address maintenance backlogs and support new conservation.

Also, Ecuador is on alert after discovering a fleet of more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels near the Galapagos Islands. Ecuadorian officials worry that it could pose a danger to the delicate ecosystems of the world's second-largest marine reserve.

And most of us spend 90% of our time indoors, where carbon dioxide levels and ambient chemicals can significantly impact our productivity and cognitive function. Organizations should take note and can see major dividends from improving office air quality, says Joe Allen, Director of the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard University and author of the book, "Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity".

Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00032. . . .

LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . .

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Bi-Partisan Victory for Great American Outdoors Act / Funding the National Parks, Finally / Beyond the Headlines / Fishing Fleet Threatens the Galapagos / BirdNote®: What Do Desert Birds Drink? / Healthy Buildings Boost Productivity / Trying to Train Crows

For years national parks and public lands in the United States have been severely underfunded. The Great American Outdoors Act is set to help turn that around, with billions of dollars to address maintenance backlogs and support new conservation.

Also, Ecuador is on alert after discovering a fleet of more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels near the Galapagos Islands. Ecuadorian officials worry that it could pose a danger to the delicate ecosystems of the world's second-largest marine reserve.

And most of us spend 90% of our time indoors, where carbon dioxide levels and ambient chemicals can significantly impact our productivity and cognitive function. Organizations should take note and can see major dividends from improving office air quality, says Joe Allen, Director of the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard University and author of the book, "Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity".

LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . .

PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . .

FOLLOW US and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. . . .

Saving Forests Could Save Us from Diseases / Beyond the Headlines / Race and the Nature Gap / Parktracks: Sounds of the Kiowa Nation Buffalo Songs / Systemic Racism and Green Groups

The environmental movement in America has deep ties to the nation's history of systemic racism and white supremacy. Now, as Americans confront racial injustice, powerful green groups like the Sierra Club are beginning to reckon with their own histories of hate and exclusion.

Also, Americans of color experience nature deprivation at three times the rate of white Americans, according to a new report. Why systemic racism has limited access to nature for Black Americans in particular, and how conservation and sensitive planning can help narrow the nature gap.

And with the COVID-19 pandemic estimated to cost several trillions of U.S. dollars, a new study suggests that spending just a tiny fraction of that to curb deforestation and the wildlife trade could prevent future costly diseases that jump from wildlife to humans.

Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00031. . . .

LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . .

PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . .

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Saving Forests Could Save Us from Diseases / Beyond the Headlines / Race and the Nature Gap / Parktracks: Sounds of the Kiowa Nation Buffalo Songs / Systemic Racism and Green Groups

The environmental movement in America has deep ties to the nation's history of systemic racism and white supremacy. Now, as Americans confront racial injustice, powerful green groups like the Sierra Club are beginning to reckon with their own histories of hate and exclusion.

Also, Americans of color experience nature deprivation at three times the rate of white Americans, according to a new report. Why systemic racism has limited access to nature for Black Americans in particular, and how conservation and sensitive planning can help narrow the nature gap.

And with the COVID-19 pandemic estimated to cost several trillions of U.S. dollars, a new study suggests that spending just a tiny fraction of that to curb deforestation and the wildlife trade could prevent future costly diseases that jump from wildlife to humans.

LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . .

PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . .

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The search for life elsewhere in the Universe is focused now on Mars, our closest planetary neighbor, with the Perseverance mission planned to launch sometime between the end of July and the middle of August. Astrobiologist Sarah Stewart Johnson is a Georgetown associate professor and NASA scientist who has spent her career searching for answers to these questions. Her book Sirens of Mars: Searching for Life on Another World captures the intersection between planetary science and her life's journey, and she joins Host Steve Curwood to explore the big questions that define space exploration and the human species' fascination with Mars.

LEARN MORE about this story and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . .

PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . .

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Trump Rolls Back National Enviro Policy Act / Beyond the Headlines / "Goatscaping" for Chemical-Free Weed Control / Farmland Losing to Development / Crab-Eater Seals Take a Break / Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Blue Jay

The Trump Administration has rolled back rules for a 50-year-old bedrock environmental law that requires careful study of possible impacts from major infrastructure projects.

Also, a herd of hungry goats will happily mow down invasive blackberries, kudzu, and even poison ivy, for chemical-free weed control. "Goatscapers" on the job.

And raising an injured baby blue jay named Jemima turned out to be one of the most challenging, and rewarding, experiences of wildlife rehabilitator Julie Zickefoose's life. In her book Saving Jemima, which she also illustrated, Zickefoose gives a peek inside the mind of her young charge learning how to be a blue jay and shares the balance of emotions involved in raising a wild bird for release.

Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00030. . . .

LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . .

PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . .

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

Trump Rolls Back National Enviro Policy Act / Beyond the Headlines / "Goatscaping" for Chemical-Free Weed Control / Farmland Losing to Development / Crab-Eater Seals Take a Break / Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Blue Jay

The Trump Administration has rolled back rules for a 50-year-old bedrock environmental law that requires careful study of possible impacts from major infrastructure projects.

Also, a herd of hungry goats will happily mow down invasive blackberries, kudzu, and even poison ivy, for chemical-free weed control. "Goatscapers" on the job.

And raising an injured baby blue jay named Jemima turned out to be one of the most challenging, and rewarding, experiences of wildlife rehabilitator Julie Zickefoose's life. In her book Saving Jemima, which she also illustrated, Zickefoose gives a peek inside the mind of her young charge learning how to be a blue jay and shares the balance of emotions involved in raising a wild bird for release.

LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . .

PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . .

FOLLOW US and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. . . .