Living on Earth

Key Southern US Senate Races and the Climate / Beyond the Headlines / A Win for Native American Sovereignty / BirdNote®: Eastern Whip-Poor-Will - Bird of the Night Side of the Woods / Megafire Hard Times / Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Environment Climate and the environment are controversial subjects in several closely-watched US Senate races in the South this fall. The South faces significant climate impacts, and residents are concerned, but candidates are taking low key approaches to the issue. Also, a recent Supreme Court ruling recognized Native Americans sovereignty over millions of acres of tribal lands in Oklahoma. What the ruling means after decades of ignored rights of Native American tribal members living in Oklahoma and the implications for Indian country as a whole. And in addition to championing women's rights, the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg leaves a strong and sophisticated record of votes and written opinions regarding environmental law. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Black & Latinx Voters Lean Green / Beyond the Headlines / World's Largest Wetlands on Fire / BirdNote®: Thick-Billed Euphonia: Deceitful Mimic / Spirit Run: A 6,000-Mile Marathon Through North America's Stolen Land As wildfires blaze across the West Coast of the U.S., Brazil grapples with its own fires in its massive Pantanal wetlands, the largest in the world, and in the Amazon rainforest. Also, every four years a 6,000-mile marathon run called Peace and Dignity Journeys unites Indigenous runners from all over North and South America, seeking to heal the wounds left from colonization and displacement. And surveys suggest Black and Latinx voters are more likely than white voters to view the environment and climate as their top concerns. What environmental advocates are doing to support strong Black and Latinx voter turnout this November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mastering Fire with Fire / Women Hotshot Firefighters / Wetlands Mitigate Hurricane Damage / Millions of Americans Lack Clean, Affordable Water / Beyond the Headlines / BirdNote®: New Zealand's Kakapo / Cutting Carbon for Healthier Kids Fires are inevitable in much of the West due to the region's ecology, but devasting megafires aren't. How fire itself can be used as a tool to manage wildfires and keep communities safe. Also, stories of the first women "hotshot" firefighters who led the way, and what it's like to do that demanding, dangerous work. And research now shows that a landmark program aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic has helped lead to healthier kids, thanks to cleaner air. Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00037. . . . 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. . . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More Organics, Less Cancer / FaceTime: Bumblebees / Toxic Black Hair Products / Getting Hormones Out of Wastewater / HBO's "Ice On Fire" Offers Climate Solutions A major study finds a significant reduction in the risk of breast cancer and lymphoma among high consumers of organic food. Also, Black women in America commonly use hair relaxers and leave-in conditioners to straighten and smooth their textured hair. But many of these products contain hormone-disrupting chemicals, linked with preterm birth, diabetes, and cancer. Plus, how wastewater treatment plants break down hormones in sewage so that they don't wreak havoc on the environment. Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00036. . . . 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. . . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republican National Convention / Container Farming in the City / Saving West Africa's Last Rainforest Climate change was barely mentioned at the 2020 Republican National Convention but President Trump did brag of rolling back environmental regulations. Also, when an oil palm development in the poor West African country of Liberia uprooted indigenous communities, destroying their religious shrines and burial grounds, lawyer Alfred Brownell jumped into action. He was able to get the company to back off, but was forced to flee for his life. And some urban farmers are thinking sustainably and outside the box by bringing their farms inside the box in the form of shipping containers. Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00035. . . . 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. . . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00034. . . . 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. . . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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

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! . . . FOLLOW US and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. . . . 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. 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! . . . FOLLOW US and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. . . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices