Living on Earth

Eight years after the encyclical Laudato Si’ Pope Francis published a new text “Laudate Deum” which condemns climate denial and urges the world to act swiftly to avert climate disaster.Also six young plaintiffs from Portugal are suing over 30 European countries they say have violated their rights to life by failing to act on climate change.  Patrick Parenteau is an emeritus professor at Vermont Law School and joined us to recap the recent hearing in front of a “Grand Chamber” of judges in the European Court of Human Rights and discuss what it could mean for climate action.And the 20-year U.S. war in Afghanistan brought tens of thousands of direct casualties but also dangerous pollutants that survivors are still living among. Reporter Lynzy Billing describes the hazards and health problems some Afghans link to the war.—To learn more about these stories check out our website loe.org for a full transcript,photos, and links to further reading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the 2024 campaign season heats up, some young Republicans want their party to move on from climate denial and offer solutions. We discuss policies that align with the environmental roots of the party.Also, the spacecraft OSIRIS-REx has successfully delivered a sample from the asteroid Bennu to Earth. Scientists are eager to study the rocky material and see if it can unveil anything about the origins of our solar system.And when a cougar on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State makes a meal out of someone’s goat or chicken, it can end up with a bounty on its head. But there are non-lethal methods to deter cougars from taking livestock and pets. --We’re an independent, non-profit organization and depend on your support to keep us going. Please consider pitching in to ensure we can keep bringing you quality environmental stories. Just go to loe.org and click on “Donate” at the top of the page. Thank you for your contribution in any amount! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ninety years after the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Biden administration is mobilizing a national workforce to tackle today’s crisis of climate disruption. The American Climate Corps aims to train 20,000 young people in its first year for jobs in clean energy, climate resilience, and land restoration.Also, governments are increasingly touting clean and renewable energy as the way of the future. But if you follow the money, you’d find that fossil fuels are receiving massive subsidies, worth around $7 trillion dollars each year, according to a recent report from the International Monetary Fund.And with a few tools and a fresh log, you can grow delicious mushrooms in your backyard that will come back year after year. The Living on Earth crew teams up to inoculate a log with shiitake mushroom spawn.--Want to dig deeper on these stories? Check out our website loe.org for a full transcript, photos, and links to further reading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the UN Climate Ambition Summit in New York, some developed nations promised more money to help vulnerable countries adapt, but biggest emitting countries including the US and China had no new plans to put on the table.Also, microorganisms can generate carbon-rich soil and help plants grow, but too often our food comes from industrial farms that limit beneficial microbes by depleting the soil with tillage and toxic chemicals. Farmer and author Dorn Cox joins us to describe his collaborative high-tech vision of harnessing the power of microbes in the fight against climate disruption.And hunted and trapped for centuries, wolves had all but disappeared from the contiguous US by 1960, but thanks to Endangered Species Act protections they’re bouncing back. A new pack with four pups was recently discovered further south in California in places where wolves hadn’t been seen for a century.--Want to dig deeper on these stories? Check out our website loe.org for a full transcript, photos, and links to further reading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2022 the US EPA opened a civil rights investigation into whether the State of Louisiana overburdens Black communities along “Cancer Alley” with toxic industries. But the agency abruptly closed the inquiry when the Louisiana attorney general filed a suit charging reverse discrimination.Also, Africa has emitted a tiny fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions but is experiencing catastrophic impacts with little ability to adapt. So, climate finance was a focus of the recent Africa Climate Summit, which took place in advance of the Climate Ambition Summit that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is convening in New York on September 20th.And overfishing, warming oceans, invasive species and unsustainable tourism threaten the rich marine life in the Mediterranean. So, a Turkish civil engineer and diver got together with local fishermen to pilot a community-run Marine Protected Area that led to expanded marine conservation in Turkey, and he was recognized with the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize for Asia.--Want to dig deeper on these stories? Check out our website loe.org for a full transcript, photos, and links to further reading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As extreme heat linked to climate disruption becomes more common during the school year, many U.S. schools lack adequate cooling and ventilation systems to keep kids safe and focused on learning. And temperature and air quality affect learning outcomes for low-income kids and students of color the most.Also, the wildfires that killed more than 100 people and displaced thousands on the Hawaiian island of Maui left in their wake a toxic mess of melted and charred metals, plastics and more. How testing air, water, and soil can keep communities safe from contamination as they rebuild. And if you combine hydrogen and oxygen in a fuel cell, you get water and clean, green electricity. This chemical reaction is fueling visions of future, carbon free flights to change voyages of fantasy into reality. --Join us on September 14th for a Living on Earth Book Club event with author Dorn Cox about regenerative agriculture! Find out more at loe dot org/events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Because of its unique geography, the United States is particularly vulnerable to nearly every kind of natural disaster: tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, blizzards, and more. And these natural disasters are getting an unnatural boost with climate change.Also, some Florida sugarcane growers near the Everglades still use the archaic method of burning fields to remove the tops and leaves before harvesting the sweet cane stalks. Communities of color nearby assert they bear a disproportionate burden of the smoke and ash pollution with adverse health effects.And over the past four decades, sperm levels among men in Western countries have dropped by more than 50%, and female fertility is also declining. Some chemicals that disrupt hormones are key culprits, including those found in plastics, cosmetics and fracking solutions.--Join us on September 14th for a Living on Earth Book Club event with author Dorn Cox about regenerative agriculture! Find out more at loe dot org/events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York state has adopted a law aimed at using federal funds to boost public power from renewables and shut down six polluting “peaker” gas power plants. Advocates say this will bring huge benefits for public health, environmental justice, and energy access.Also, unhoused residents help keep California clean by collecting recyclables. But many unhoused people say the state has rarely engaged with them and can even make it more difficult for them to do their work.And in her book The Hawk’s Way, author Sy Montgomery takes a deep dive into the world of hawks and falconry.--Join us on September 14th for a Living on Earth Book Club event with author Dorn Cox about regenerative agriculture! Find out more at loe dot org/events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sixteen young plaintiffs have won their suit against the state of Montana over its refusal to protect them from climate change. We explain the unprecedented ruling and where the case could head next. Also, children and adolescents are facing increasing health risks from extreme heat, and a study that looked at heat and pediatric emergency department visits found that black and brown children are especially impacted.And koalas begin life naked and tiny as a jellybean with none of the fur that makes them look so darn cuddly later. The natural history and uncertain future of the beloved koala.--We offer a full transcript for each show along with photos and links to learn more. Check it out at loe.org.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climate change is already making some places across the country unlivable and seems likely to uproot millions of Americans in the coming decades. The author of “The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration” collected the stories of people across the U.S. who have been driven out by fires, floods, droughts, and extreme heat.Plus -- when a whale dies, it eventually sinks to the ocean floor. And although that whale’s life is over, that’s when a whole new circle of life kicks off, with thousands of organisms including hagfish, zombie worms, and octopuses feeding off this “whale fall” for 50 or more years. And every animal species experiences the world in a totally unique way. Mantis shrimp can filter polarized light, and star-nosed moles can smell under water. Sensory marvels and more, this week on Living on Earth.--We offer a full transcript for each show along with photos and links to learn more. Check it out at loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices