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PODCAST

Living on Earth

World Media Foundation

As the planet we call home faces a climate emergency, Living on Earth is your go-to source for the latest coverage of climate change, ecology, and human health. Hosted by Steve Curwood and brought to you by PRX.

news earth sciences

All Episodes

51:40

UN Climate Talks Kick Off in Brazil, Pope and King...

Living on Earth ·

2025/11/07

The biggest climate negotiations of the year, COP30, are kicking off in Belem in the Brazilian Amazon. Longtime COP observer Jennifer Morgan joins us to preview COP30 and discuss the focus on closing the gap between current greenhouse gas reduction policies and what’s needed to limit warming to a safer level.Also, King Charles III, who leads the Anglican Church, and Pope Leo XIV, who leads the Roman Catholic Church, recently joined in a historic prayer in the Sistine Chapel. This act of unity by

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51:30

Climate Monster in the Caribbean, Gwich’in People...

Living on Earth ·

2025/10/31

Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean in modern times, left a wake of destruction in Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti that will take years to recover from. A Jamaican climate physics professor describes the toll of this climate catastrophe, and a meteorologist joins us to explain how the storm grew so ferocious in the blink of a hurricane’s eye. Also, Gwich’in Alaska Natives, which consider the land of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge sacred and local Porcupine Caribou as

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51:57

The Forest Cost of Beef, Media and the Meat Habit,...

Living on Earth ·

2025/10/24

A recent Human Rights Watch report found that illegal cattle ranching and clearing of the Amazon rainforest has led to the forced eviction of small farmers and indigenous people in the state of Pará, Brazil. We discuss the stakes for the planet and people, as well as possible solutions. Also, meat is the biggest single source of carbon emissions from the food system, which is itself responsible for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. We talk about the gap between reality and coverage of

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51:53

Coalition Defends Solar for All, Taming the Monsters...

Living on Earth ·

2025/10/17

Facing lost jobs and higher energy prices after the Trump EPA canceled $7 billion in low-income solar grants, a coalition of labor, green and anti-poverty groups is teaming up to fight in court for clean energy jobs and save “Solar for All.” Also, one of the most frightening aspects of Halloween is the monstrous amounts of waste it can generate. We share ideas for making Halloween a little more sustainable, from recycling candy wrappers, to composting pumpkins, to thrifting costumes. And on

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51:51

China’s Climate Pledge, Balcony Solar, Remembering...

Living on Earth ·

2025/10/10

China has for the first time committed to an absolute target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, by 7 to 10 percent by 2035. We discuss China’s growing dominance in the global clean energy transition while the current US administration doubles down on fossil fuels.Also, compared to traditional rooftop solar, “balcony solar” offers renters, apartment dwellers and folks on a tighter budget a much less expensive solar energy starter kit. Balcony solar is already common in Europe and Asia, and now

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51:55

Youth Climate Case, Salmon Run Fattens Bears, The...

Living on Earth ·

2025/10/03

In the federal youth climate case Lighthiser v. Trump, plaintiffs are seeking immediate relief from three executive orders and subsequent actions of the Trump administration that boost fossil fuels. But the federal government maintains that the Lighthiser plaintiffs, like those in the prior case Juliana v. United States, lack standing. Also, the champion of Fat Bear Week 2025 is officially number 32 - “Chunk”, a big male who overcame a broken jaw to take the prize. Mike Fitz, the resident

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51:48

Trump Denies, China Leads on Climate; Highway Reborn...

Living on Earth ·

2025/09/26

Speaking to the UN, President Trump railed against climate science and clean energy, drawing sharp rebukes from other nations, rival politicians and business leaders. Meanwhile, China for the first time ever announced a specific target for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. Also, the four-lane Great Highway used to run along the Pacific Ocean on the west side of San Francisco, where it was at risk of erosion from sea level rise. Now it’s been transformed into a park where visitors can bike,

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51:53

Heat Waves Linked to Company Emissions, Insurance and...

Living on Earth ·

2025/09/19

New research finds that since 2010 killer heat waves have become 200 times more likely, thanks to greenhouse gas emissions, and the scientists say about half of the increase in heatwaves can be attributed to big coal, big oil, big gas and cement. Also, while the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season has been relatively quiet, last year damages from three major hurricanes ran to over 200 billion dollars and claims have stressed homeowners and insurance companies alike. We hear about Florida homeowners

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51:51

Trump Stalls Offshore Wind, Huge Danger from...

Living on Earth ·

2025/09/12

The Trump Administration is putting offshore wind energy on hold by canceling grants, cutting tax credits and revoking permits for projects that are nearly complete. We discuss the economic impacts to port communities and the view that the US is ceding the opportunity to be a global leader in renewable energy.Also, with the Arctic warming four times as fast as the rest of the globe, and fires now routinely burning large swaths of northern forests, carbon stored in permafrost is rapidly escaping

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51:52

PFAS Polluters Pay Up, Tylenol Upcycled from Plastic,...

Living on Earth ·

2025/09/05

New Jersey officials are calling its $2 billion settlement with major manufacturers of PFAS “forever chemicals” the largest environmental settlement ever won by a state. We discuss the legacy of industrial contamination in the state and how the settlement is expected to pay for cleanup as well as restoration of degraded ecosystems. Also, scientists in the UK were able to use genetically modified bacteria to turn plastic bottles into the common pain reliever acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol

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51:52

Oyster Trash to Treasure, The Outlaw Ocean, A “Little...

Living on Earth ·

2025/08/29

Oysters on the half shell are big business on Nantucket Island, and a local program recycles oyster shells from restaurant waste into habitat for young oysters. These recycled oyster shell reefs are helping to protect the coastline from worsening storms and rising seas. Also, seventy percent of our planet is covered by the oceans, and in this vast wilderness lawlessness is rampant, with crimes ranging from illegal fishing to slavery at sea. These high crimes on the high seas are the focus of

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51:50

Life as an Incarcerated Firefighter, An Ancient...

Living on Earth ·

2025/08/22

Around a thousand of the firefighters who battled blazes around southern California in January 2025 were incarcerated. They do essentially the same work as other firefighters but are paid as little as around $5 a day. A formerly incarcerated firefighter shares what it was like and how the experience helped him forge a new life after prison as a professional firefighter.Also, as the water supply in Athens, Greece dwindles and demand surges from residents and tourists alike, the city is looking to

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51:53

Sounds of Soil, “Depaving” the Way to Greener...

Living on Earth ·

2025/08/15

Sounds like the overlapping songs of birds can speak volumes about the biodiversity in an ecosystem, and now scientists are looking to use the tiny sounds made by earthworms, ants, and voles to study the health of soils. Also, "depaving parties" of volunteers with sledgehammers are turning paved yards into pollinator havens and green space. That can help reduce climate impacts from extreme heat and flooding. Plus -- a scientist who rappels down cliffs to hand-pollinate endangered plants. A vine

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51:52

Complex Air Pollution and Public Health, Under Alien...

Living on Earth ·

2025/08/08

A study from Johns Hopkins researchers found that residents near or on the fence line of polluting enterprises are at higher risk for multiple health problems because of the toxic mix of air they breathe. The lead researcher explains the study.Also, astronomer Phil Plait wondered what it would be like to walk on Mars, fall into a black hole, or fly through a nebula, so he wrote a book, Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer’s Guide to the Universe. He reveals the strange colors of a sunset on Mars, what

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51:42

Slippery Beast: A True Crime Natural History, with...

Living on Earth ·

2025/08/01

Eels play an important ecological role in many rivers and streams, but they’re so eel-usive that even eel scientists have been challenged to observe them mating in the wild. Ellen Ruppel Shell is author of the 2024 book Slippery Beast: A True Crime Natural History, with Eels, and she sheds light on the eel’s murky ecology and path through the seafood industry.And the relentless heating of the Earth is prompting people to move after climate-related catastrophes and amid more gradual changes

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51:58

EPA Cuts Scientific Research, Censorship in US...

Living on Earth ·

2025/07/25

The US Environmental Protection Agency is shutting down its Office of Research and Development, which represents 50 years of independent scientific research. We explain the impact of this federal decision on both EPA employees and science. Also, National Parks are undergoing increased layoffs and funding cuts under the second Trump administration stretching staff short. A former NPS employee speaks out. And Wildfire season is scorching through Canada and a particularly dangerous kind of fire,

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51:31

Weakening Disaster Prep, Climate-Resilient Coffee,...

Living on Earth ·

2025/07/18

Weather forecasting, climate research and climate resilience are being hit with major budget and staffing cuts by the Trump administration, impacting emergency preparedness for floods such as the one that devastated the Texas hill country.Also,research has long shown that the top two coffee species, Arabica and Robusta, are vulnerable to climate impacts like increased drought and heat. And by 2050 as much as half of coffee producing land could no longer be suitable for these top species. But

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52:00

Congress Busts Carbon Budget, Climate Disruption...

Living on Earth ·

2025/07/11

As the climate crisis brings ever more devastating floods, storms, heat waves and fires, the Republican-led Congress and President Trump have slashed around half a trillion dollars in clean energy tax credits that would have reduced climate pollution and helped America to better adapt to climate change. Also, catastrophic floods like the one that claimed at least 100 lives in Texas this July are becoming more likely because of climate disruption. A meteorologist joins us to talk about the

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52:21

Trump Faces Youth Climate Lawsuit, Tempered Hope for...

Living on Earth ·

2025/07/04

19-year-old Eva Lighthiser has experienced climate anxiety for most of her life, as her home state of Montana faces worsening floods, wildfires, and extreme heat. Now she and 20 other young people are suing the Trump administration over its efforts to boost fossil fuels while suppressing climate science and renewable energy. Also, ten years since nations adopted the historic Paris Agreement, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, and hopes are dimming that we can meet the Paris goal of

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52:29

EPA Ignores Climate Dangers, From Plastic Trash to...

Living on Earth ·

2025/06/27

This June the US Environmental Protection Agency proposed eliminating regulations that limit climate changing gases from power plants, about a quarter of US emissions. Harvard Law Professor Richard Lazarus speaks about the perils of the broader Trump administration effort to weaken federal environmental protections.Also, the ugly truth of plastic is that the world produces over 400 million metric tons each year and recycles less than ten percent of it. But artist Erik Jon Olson is transforming

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89 results

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