This Green Earth

NOAA calculations released last week project that the year 2020 is currently on pace to be the second-hottest year on the planet since formal record keeping was established in 1880. In addition, NOAA states that there is a 35% chance that 2020 will surpass the hottest year on record, which was 2016. Sean Sublette , a meteorologist with Climate Central out of Princeton, New Jersey joins Chris and Nell this week on This Green Earth. He will discuss these findings, why it's happening, and where the

Utah is nearing the peak of wildfire season and with no rain in the forecast for the next 10 days, the risk of wildfire generation increases each day. Kait Webb joins Chris and Nell on this weeks This Green Earth. Webb is the Statewide Prevention and Fire Communications Coordinator with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands . She provides an update on where current wildfires are burning within the state, their size, containment and the fact that 80% of them are human-caused.

Founded in 2006, the Utah Valley Earth Forum is a citizen based environmental organization working for good stewardship and a healthy environment. Dr. James Westwater and Dr. John Bennion From the UVEF join Chris and Nell this week on This Green Earth . They talk about the mission of the UVEF and a livestream event on Wednesday, July 22nd titled: The Pandemic and the Climate Crisis: Innovating Solutions.

Quagga mussels are invasive shellfish that arrived in Utah in the boats of privately-owned watercraft trailered here from the Great Lakes. When left unchecked, they clog pipes and inlets to boats, pipelines and other lake infrastructure. They also cause great damage to native aquatic ecosystems. Sgt. Krystal Tucker with the Dept. of Wildlife Resources Aquatic Invasive Species Operations joins Nell and Chris on This Green Earth to talk about their program involving boat inspections for the

We've all become familiar with the reality of micro-plastics and micro-fibers showing up more and more in our air, land and water, and even within the stomachs of birds, fish and deer. Dr. Janice Brahney, an assistant professor of Watershed Sciences at Utah State University joins Chris and Nell on This Green Earth this week. She discusses her research into the increasing deposition of micro-plastics and micro-fibers in national parks, forests and conservation areas throughout the mountain west.

This morning on This Green Earth, Dr.Enric Sala, a National Geographic Explorer-In-Residence and author of the forthcoming book THE NATURE OF NATURE , talks about Pacific Kelp Forests. Often referred to as the “redwoods of the sea”, these underwater forests have shown to have a wide variety of positive impacts ranging from purifying water for marine life, serving as a protective nursery for young species, reducing coastal erosion and even lowering methane emissions when fed to cows. But, a

A major study published in the online medical journal: "JAMA Open Network" has confirmed that an increased risk of premature births and low birth weights is significantly associated with exposure to air pollution and excessive heat during pregnancy . Low income communities and Black women specifically were among the most vulnerable group. The peer-reviewed study was based on a review of more than 32 million U.S. births. Chris and Nell of This Green Earth speak with Juanita Constible, a health

Environmental racism. It's a term we rarely hear and a condition most of us are either unaware of, or quietly choose to ignore. But environmental racism has been around for as long as there has been white-based power structures to foster it and, low-income communities to take advantage of. Chris and Nell speak with Dr. Dorceta Taylor on This Green Earth. She is the author of the book: " Toxic Communities: Environmental Racism, Industrial Pollution, and Residential Mobility ". Dr. Taylor has

This morning on This Green Earth, Nell and Chris are joined by Mike Luers, General Manager of the Snyderville Basin Water Reclamation District . He talks about the findings of a recent state-wide study on the presence of coronavirus within raw, untreated wastewater . The study considered whether sudden changes in concentration of coronavirus within the influent coming into a treatment plant could be used by public health officials as an early indicator that COVID-19 infection rates within a

Phil Francis from the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks joins Nell and Chris on This Green Earth to talk about " The Great American Outdoors Act ", a bill designed to fund national parks and pay for their over-do maintenance and upkeep. The bill was just was approved by the U.S. Senate on a bi-partisan basis, and now moves on to the House.