Living on Earth

Food and Drug Admin. Disputes BPA Health Risks / Elizabeth Warren's Climate Plan / Investors Eye Climate Risk / 'Parasite' As Climate Fiction / Beyond the Headlines / The Book of Delights This week on Living on Earth, scientists charge the FDA with stacking the deck against findings that link the chemical BPA to harmful health effects, ranging from birth defects to cancer. And even "BPA-free" alternatives may pose a risk. Also, from healthcare to climate change, Elizabeth Warren has a plan for that. Her $11 trillion climate platform includes plans for a Green New Deal, environmental justice, and ocean health. Plus -- for a year, poet Ross Gay took a moment almost every day to write about something that delighted him, even in the most unexpected places. These essays comprise his most recent volume, The Book of Delights. All that 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-P13-00009. . . . *** LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . JOIN US at our upcoming live FREE event in Boston March 10 with Harvard law professor Richard Lazarus, on the landmark Massachusetts v. EPA Supreme Court case that found greenhouses gases are air pollutants that can be regulated. RSVP on Facebook or Eventbrite. . . . 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

Bernie Sanders on Climate / Beyond the Headlines / BirdNote®: Left Foot or Right? Handedness in Birds / The Place Where You Live: Tianmushan, China / China's Single-Use Plastics Ban / Armistice for Hippos and Crocs / Kochland: The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America This week on Living on Earth, much of the anti-climate policy efforts in the U.S. can be traced back to one powerful man, Charles Koch, who sits at the helm of a fossil fuel-based corporate empire. The new book "Kochland" describes how Charles Koch and his massive company have profited from secrecy and worked to thwart climate policy and stamp out the moderate wing of the Republican Party. Also, Bernie Sanders rallygoers share their thoughts on the Democratic presidential candidate's version of the Green New Deal. And we head to China to discuss its recent single-use plastics ban, and for our latest instalment in the Living on Earth - Orion Magazine series, the Place Where You Live. All that 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-P13-00008. . . . *** LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . JOIN US at our upcoming live FREE event in Boston March 10 with Harvard law professor Richard Lazarus, on the landmark Massachusetts v. EPA Supreme Court case that found greenhouses gases are air pollutants that can be regulated. RSVP on Facebook or Eventbrite. . . . 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 Admin Leaves Clean Energy Funding Unspent / Beyond the Headlines / Bill Weld's Climate Plan / The Place Where You Live: Petaluma, CA / UN and Protections for Climate Refugees / PFAS Chemicals Likely in All Major Water Supplies / Dueling Dinosaurs Ignite Battle Over Fossil Ownership The Trump Administration is under review by a House oversight panel for withholding funds that Congress designated for clean energy projects. Also, PFAS chemicals, common in nonstick consumer products, are also now ubiquitous in drinking water supplies. And Republican Presidential candidate Bill Weld is looking to bring environmental priorities, including more stringent regulations, back to the Grand Old Party. All that 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-P13-00007. . . . *** LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . JOIN US at our upcoming live FREE event in Boston February 20 with activist Ronnie Cummins, on regenerative agriculture and a Green New Deal. RSVP on Facebook or Eventbrite. . . . 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

Democrats Unveil CLEAN Future Act / Beyond the Headlines / How Wildfires Affect Water Quality / Regrowing Australian Forests / Sounds of Winter / Wine Regions Struggle with Climate Change / Feed Your Ex to a Bear for Valentine's Day Years of repeated bushfires linked to climate change have left some of Australia's iconic eucalyptus forests unable to come back on their own. Now humans are giving them a helping hand by carefully collecting and distributing their seeds. And as the climate changes, many traditional wine-growing regions are struggling with the heat and cooler regions, like the UK and China, are poised to fill in the gap. Also, in the face of the climate crisis, House Democrats released a draft of the CLEAN Future Act, a plan to put the United States on track for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. All that 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-P13-00006. . . . *** LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . JOIN US at our upcoming live FREE event in Boston February 20 with activist Ronnie Cummins, on regenerative agriculture and a Green New Deal. RSVP on Facebook or Eventbrite. . . . 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

Decoding the Coronavirus / Beyond the Headlines / Trump Water Rule 'Ignores Science' / Freshwater Mussels: Hunted for Buttons, Stranded by Dams / BirdNote®: Canada Jays Save Food For Later / Our Wild Calling As a novel coronavirus began spreading from Wuhan, China in December 2019, scientists were able to isolate, sequence, and publish the complete genetic code of the virus in less than a month. Also, critics of the Trump Administration's new water rule, including EPA's own Science Advisory Board, say that it has no grounding in basic watershed science. And our modern lives have separated us from other species and contributed to "species loneliness", says Richard Louv, author of the new book Our Wild Calling: How Connecting with Animals Can Transform Our Lives - and Save Theirs. All that 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-P13-00005. . . . *** LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . JOIN US at our upcoming live FREE event in Boston February 20 with activist Ronnie Cummins, on regenerative agriculture and a Green New Deal. RSVP on Facebook or Eventbrite. . . . 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

Appeals Court Reluctantly Dismisses Youth Climate Case / Beyond the Headlines / A Plan to Avoid Extinctions / Mangroves Thriving in a Warming World / BirdNote®: Laysan Albatrosses Nest at Midway Atoll / Norway's Disappearing Winter / Redlining Linked with Extreme Urban Heat As many as 1 million species are at risk of going extinct in the coming decades. Now the UN has a bold plan to set aside half of the earth by 2050 to save biodiversity. Also, the discriminatory practice known as redlining is now linked with neighborhoods that experience extreme heat. And even Scandinavia, nearly synonymous with cold and snow, is heating up: Oslo, Norway is already experiencing 21 fewer days of winter than it did 30 years ago. Norway's disappearing winter 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-P13-00004. . . . *** LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . JOIN US at our upcoming live FREE event in Boston January 30 with author Terry Tempest Williams! RSVP on Facebook or Eventbrite. . . . 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 Debaters United on Need For Climate Action / Beyond the Headlines / Senator Lisa Murkowski Talks Up Public Lands / Trump Moves to Weaken NEPA / Note on Emerging Science: Plastic-Eating Mushrooms / After Coal: Stories of Survival in Appalachia and Wales At the final Democratic primary debate before the 2020 Iowa caucuses, the six candidates onstage all discussed their concerns about climate impacts and their plans to meet this existential challenge. Also, communities in Appalachia have been hit hard economically as coal production dropped. It's a story that has also played out in Wales in the UK. Now the "After Coal Project" is helping breathe new economic and cultural life into both communities. And Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, known for reaching across the aisle to broker bipartisan deals, sponsored the 2019 Dingell Act to protect and expand public lands. The Alaska Senator is entering her final year as Chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. All that 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-P13-00003. . . . *** LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . JOIN US at our upcoming live FREE event in Boston January 30 with author Terry Tempest Williams! RSVP on Facebook or Eventbrite. . . . 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

Australia's Wildfires Point to the Future / Climate Disasters Drive Refugee Crisis / McSweeney's '2040 AD' Climate Fiction Issue / Note on Emerging Science: Deep-Sea Serpents / Beyond the Headlines: The Year in Review / Climate and the 2019 Lexicon / BirdNote®: Encounter with a Cassowary Australia is in the throes of its worst fire season in modern history. As thousands of homes are incinerated and an estimated billion animals perish, the rest of the world is getting a glimpse of some of the troubles ahead on a warming planet. Also, a new "climate fiction" issue from the literary publication McSweeney's enlists notable authors to pen short stories envisioning climate disruption. And climate loomed large in the 2019 "word of the year" chosen by three prominent dictionary publishers. Living with climate disruption 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-P13-00002. . . . *** LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . JOIN US at our upcoming live FREE event in Boston with author Terry Tempest Williams! RSVP on Facebook or Eventbrite. . . . 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. . . . SNACK WHILE YOU LISTEN: Our sponsor Exo offers cricket protein bars, whole roasted crickets, and more! Get your 15% discount here: https://exoprotein.com/discount/EARTH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Rollbacks of 2019 / The Best Science and Nature Writing / Endangered Species Success Stories / Barren-Ground Caribou As we open a new year, Living on Earth looks back on key environmental developments of 2019. Last year saw the rollbacks of more than 80 environmental rules under the Trump Administration. Critics say these changes will harm more than the climate: they'll hurt business, the environment, and human health. Law professor Pat Parenteau joins us for an overview of some of the key regulatory rollbacks. And 2019 brought both good news and bad news for endangered species. While the Trump Administration finalized changes to the Endangered Species Act that could slow species' recovery, birds like the Kirtland's warbler, least tern and more have bounced back thanks to the ESA. And from a quirky little fish, to a couple of stonefly species that depend on melting glaciers to survive, a few more species received much-needed ESA protections. Also, the best science writing strives to entertain and educate in equal measures, and to help make the jargon of the scientific world accessible to the general public. And with bestselling science writer Sy Montgomery at the helm, the 2019 edition of the Best American Science and Nature Writing was sure to bring together some fascinating science journalism. A look back at 2019 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-P13-00001. . . . *** LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . JOIN US at our upcoming live FREE event in Boston with author Terry Tempest Williams! RSVP on Facebook or Eventbrite. . . . 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. . . . SNACK WHILE YOU LISTEN: Our sponsor Exo offers cricket protein bars, whole roasted crickets, and more! Get your 15% discount here: https://exoprotein.com/discount/EARTH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How the Border Wall Could Harm Wildlife / Bison and Sustainable Land Management / Science in Danger at the US-Mexican Border / Water Ranching in Mexico / BirdNote®: Lily-Trotters, Jesus Birds This week on the pod, a special series of stories Living on Earth's Bobby Bascomb reported from the US-Mexico border. In that increasingly fractured landscape, some species struggle to stay connected to populations north and south of the border. The walling off of Mexico from the US also presents a challenge for scientists doing research near the border. But the lands and people north and south of the border are united by species conservation efforts, and projects that seek to bring back wetland ecosystems and slow down water to help sustain plants and animals long after the seasonal monsoons. Bison could be part of the solution, since they evolved with a variety of grasslands including semi-arid ones, so some ranchers in Mexico are choosing to breed bison to help manage their land more sustainably. Stories from the borderlands and more, in this episode of Living on Earth from PRX. Find this week's transcript here. *** LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! JOIN US at our upcoming live FREE event in Boston with author Terry Tempest Williams! RSVP on Facebook or Eventbrite. PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution here. 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