Living on Earth

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. We talk about a proposed lithium mine in Nevada and efforts to reform the antiquated mining law.Also, a study found that three-quarters of young people surveyed believe the future is frightening because of climate change. What young people are expressing about their eco-anxiety and how parents can safely talk to their kids about climate.And a conversation about how the Zen Buddhist practice of mindfulness can provide an antidote to burnout and help us break out of a destructive cycle of consumption to live in harmony with the planet.---Support for Living on Earth comes from <a href=“ https://www.bio.org/podcast”>the I Am Bio podcast</a>, with powerful stories of biotech breakthroughs, the people they help, and the global problems they solve.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress has passed a historic climate bill with the enactment of the 2022 budget reconciliation measure called the Inflation Reduction Act. This first serious federal climate legislation includes about $400 billion to address climate and clean energy over the next decade, as well as major tax reforms and mandated consumer cost cuts for health care. We analyze the new law and take a closer look at its expanded electric vehicle incentives.Also, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide, and endocrine disrupting chemicals are partly to blame. One such chemical is DEHP, a phthalate chemical commonly used in plastic hospital intravenous bags and medical tubing, and studies have shown that it’s interfering with breast cancer treatment and augmenting the odds of relapse. And “The Reign of Wolf 21” is the true love story of an alpha pair who lead their Yellowstone pack with grace, courage, and an unbreakable bond. What these wolves can teach us about love, loyalty, and leadership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Underwater explorer Craig Foster dives nearly every day in the near-shore waters of South Africa and it’s here that he befriended an octopus, a relationship captured in the documentary “My Octopus Teacher.” He’s coauthor of the 2021 book “Underwater Wild” and joined us for a memorable Living on Earth Book Club event to talk about his encounters with cuttlefish, sharks, and Cape clawless otters, and the power of connecting with wild nature. Also, as the autism rate continues to rise among children, scientists and clinicians are connecting the dots between autism, genetics, folic acid deficiency, and chemicals like the endocrine disrupting plastic additives called phthalates.And bald eagles were nearly driven to extinction in the 20th century but are now making a big comeback. These majestic creatures are becoming so common that people are spotting them in the most unexpected places, even the heart of Manhattan.--Support for Living on Earth comes from <a href=“ https://www.bio.org/podcast”>the I Am Bio podcast</a>, with powerful stories of biotech breakthroughs, the people they help, and the global problems they solve.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A punishing drought in the Horn of Africa linked to climate change has led to mass famine, and some 19 million people in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya don’t have enough to eat.Also, there are about 700 active oil and gas wells in the city of Los Angeles, mostly located in minority communities like the one where young activist Nalleli Cobo grew up, just 30 feet from a well. She and her neighbors have suffered for years from headaches, asthma, and cancer -- illnesses linked to the proximity of oil well sites. For her work fighting the oil companies operating those wells Nalleli was awarded the 2022 Goldman Environmental Prize.And a baby giraffe at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park named Msituni, which means “in the forest” in Swahili, was born with a disability that gave her trouble walking. So her veterinary team found a creative way to help her heal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden responds to a lack of Congressional action on climate change with new executive orders but stops short of declaring a national climate emergency, disappointing some. Also, painting tree trunks bright blue to raise awareness about deforestation.And, The James Webb Space Telescope has sent back the first images of deep space and distant time.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden recently invoked the Defense Production Act to stimulate domestic production of clean energy technology including solar panels and heat pumps.And, how a seaweed supplement, currently in the experimental phase, may help reduce methane emissions from cattle.Also, Admiral David Titley, former Chief Operating Officer for NOAA, shares his observations on how climate change is affecting the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem from his home in Grand Teton National Park.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To help curb the plastic pollution crisis, the US Department of Interior will phase out single-use plastic products sold and distributed in national parks and other federal public lands it oversees. Also, the first successful Mars lander was Viking 1 in 1976, and now, after dozens of missions NASA has finally captured the first ever audio recorded on the surface of the red planet. How sounds on Mars compare to how we experience them here on Earth.And 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. -- Support for Living on Earth comes from:<a href=“https://getmaude.com/”>maude</a>. Get a treat from maude! Use the code EARTH to get $5 off your first order on all products.And <a href=“http://getaway.house/”>getaway.house</a>. Use promo code EARTH to save $25 on your stay — and enjoy more free time in the great outdoors.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a major 6 to 3 decision with sobering implications for climate policy, the Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority when it created guidelines for how utilities generate electricity.Also, rising seas and temperatures are exacerbating the perennial problem of increasing salinity on both coastal and inland farmland.And America’s aging prison facilities are largely unprepared for climate impacts and often lack air conditioning, wildfire evacuation plans, and hurricane strategies.--Support for Living on Earth comes from:maude. Get a treat from maude! Use the code EARTH to get $5 off your first order on all products.And Getaway House. Use promo code EARTH to save $25 on your stay — and enjoy more free time in the great outdoors.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Extreme heat events such as India and Pakistan recently endured are among the deadliest impacts of climate change, and pregnant women and fetuses are among the most vulnerable to heat stress. Extreme heat is linked to complications of pregnancy including eclampsia, preterm birth and stillbirth.Also, to help revitalize coal country as the mines close, the United Mine Workers of America is teaming up with an electric vehicle battery company on a new factory in West Virginia.And UN climate negotiators recently gathered in Bonn, Germany to prepare for the next climate summit this fall in Egypt, but these talks are not moving as fast as climate disruption itself.--Support for Living on Earth comes from <a href=“ https://www.bio.org/podcast”>the I Am Bio podcast</a>, with powerful stories of biotech breakthroughs, the people they help, and the global problems they solve.And from <a href=“https://getmaude.com/”>maude</a>. Get a treat from maude! Use the code EARTH to get $5 off your first order on all products.And also <a href=“http://getaway.house/”>getaway.house</a>. Use promo code EARTH to save $25 on your stay — and enjoy more free time in the great outdoors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 19th marks the holiday known as Juneteenth, when African Americans gather to celebrate emancipation of ancestors from slavery with picnics and cook outs. The voyage from Africa isn’t often on people’s minds, but it is in their stomachs, by way of the foodways from across the Atlantic.Fast-forward to today, to the farmers who are working to cultivate justice, root out racism, and find liberation on the land, by reconnecting people of color to the earth.And systemic racism has set Black Americans up for far greater exposure to deadly air pollution, and extreme heat brought by climate change. Both environmental concerns have been primarily caused and exacerbated by white Americans, yet it’s Black communities that bear the brunt of the harm.Dismantling racism, celebrating Juneteenth, and more, this week on Living on Earth from PRX.--Don’t miss our free, livestreamed Juneteenth celebration on Monday, June 20th at 6:30 p.m. Eastern! Sign up at <a href=“https://loe.org/events/”>loe.org/events</a>Our podcast is supported this week by:<a href=“https://getmaude.com/”>maude</a>. Get a treat from maude! Use the code EARTH to get $5 off your first order on all products.And also <a href=“http://getaway.house/”>getaway.house</a>. Use promo code EARTH to save $25 on your stay — and enjoy more free time in the great outdoors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices