Major fossil fuel corporations including ExxonMobil are clearly stating they would prefer the U.S. remain in the Paris Climate Agreement, despite President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to take the country back out. We discuss oil majors’ long-term plans for an energy transition. Also, hormone-disrupting chemicals in plastics take a yearly economic toll in the hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S. alone, according to a 2024 study. And PFAS, phthalates, BPA and flame retardants in plastics are...
Dec 06, 2024•54 min
The UN climate treaty summit known as COP29 teetered on the edge of collapse as less developed nations implored the rich countries of the global north to provide financial relief to help them cope with rising climate costs. Alden Meyer of E3G was at the COP and explains the frustrations with the process and the compromise delegates eventually reached. 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, U...
Nov 28, 2024•52 min
President-elect Trump’s choices to run three of the federal departments critical for climate and environmental protection are drawing concern and criticism from climate and eco-activists. We discuss the mandates for regulatory rollbacks for the nominees, former US Rep. Lee Zeldin for EPA, Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright for Energy and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for Interior. Also, given President-elect Trump’s vow to dismantle the Inflation Reduction Act, communities are concerned about their...
Nov 22, 2024•52 min
Delegates from nearly 200 countries are meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s 29th Conference of the Parties. Alden Meyer of the climate think tank E3G is a longtime observer of these meetings, and he shares his first impressions as these talks kick off. Although the global average temperature has been steadily increasing for decades, in 2023 there was a sudden jump of 0.2 degrees Celsius. Dr. Jennifer Francis, Senior Scientist at the Woodwell Climate Re...
Nov 15, 2024•54 min
The re-election of Donald Trump casts US climate action into doubt. President-elect Trump has vowed he will again pull the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement, cancel President Biden’s climate policies and unleash American fossil fuels. Our colleagues at Inside Climate News join us for a roundtable discussion about what’s next for the climate, environmental policy and journalism. Also, the latest summit for the UN’s biodiversity treaty to attempt to avert mass extinctions was recessed when it ...
Nov 08, 2024•54 min
The current plans of nations to reduce emissions would result in a destructive three degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels, far higher than the 1.5 C goal set by the Paris Climate Agreement. We discuss the widening gap between these plans and the ambition that’s needed to prevent catastrophic climate impacts. Also, research shows that public EV charging stations bring additional customers and income to nearby businesses. How businesses can take advantage of these benefits when i...
Nov 01, 2024•54 min
The heat within Earth’s crust could become a major source of always-on, carbon-free, renewable geothermal electricity thanks to a technology developed for fracking that allows for much deeper drilling into hot zones. How a partnership between the oil and gas and geothermal industries could bring transformational change to the electric power sector worldwide. Also, an explosion that spilled chemical waste into a river near the Russia-Ukraine border this August led to an ecological disaster with m...
Oct 25, 2024•53 min
As control of the US Senate hangs in the balance, the Pennsylvania race between Democratic incumbent Senator Bob Casey and his Republican challenger Dave McCormick is heating up. We explain the climate and environment dimensions of Pennsylvania’s Senate race. Also, in the lower Mississippi River region commonly known as Cancer Alley, communities of color live among industrial pollution while white neighborhoods have been mostly spared from heavy industry. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is no...
Oct 18, 2024•54 min
New research suggests that initial death tolls only account for a tiny fraction of the mortality that can be linked to hurricanes. On average, each tropical storm or hurricane contributes to 7,000 to 11,000 excess deaths as long as 15 years afterwards. Also, physical disabilities can make getting outside more challenging, but adaptive devices and accessible trails can transform lives. Producers Jenni Doering and El Wilson, who has cerebral palsy, test out an offroad wheelchair and meet a woman w...
Oct 11, 2024•52 min
Hurricane Helene brought devastating storm surge and winds to the Gulf Coast and deadly floods to the inland mountains of North Carolina. We discuss the societal toll of repeated climate-fueled disasters and whether this latest super cyclone might prove a tipping point for greater climate awareness and action. Also, physician Jill Stein, the 2024 Green Party nominee for US President, urges a much quicker phaseout of fossil fuels than either of her Republican or Democratic opponents appear willin...
Oct 04, 2024•52 min
California is suing ExxonMobil over the oil giant’s alleged “campaign of deception” to convince the public that recycling is a viable solution for plastic waste, when less than 10% of plastics are recycled. Also, to meet the tremendous energy needs of artificial intelligence Microsoft has inked a major power purchase deal with the owners of Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, where a nuclear power reactor underwent a partial meltdown in 1979. Its unaffected twin reactor operated until 2019 and co...
Sep 27, 2024•52 min
West and Central Africa have been hit hard by extreme flooding that has claimed thousands of lives and left millions stranded in Nigeria and neighboring countries. The perilous situation is prompting urgent pleas for wealthy nations to provide more climate adaptation assistance. Also, oysters on the half shell are big business on Nantucket Island, and a local program that recycles oyster shells from restaurant waste into habitat for young oysters turns ten this year. These recycled oyster shell ...
Sep 20, 2024•53 min
Heat, drought, and arson are fueling an explosion of fires in Brazil’s Amazon and Pantanal region, highlighting the need for the world to act boldly on climate when Brazil hosts the UN climate talks next year. Also, climate change got just one token question at the first and perhaps only debate between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. We offer other climate questions that should be asked about the Inflation Reduction Act, holding oil companies accountable and more. And the...
Sep 13, 2024•52 min
The Bureau of Land Management is updating its master plan for developing solar energy on western lands, to help the US meet ambitious clean energy targets. The proposed plan aims to reduce barriers to solar by highlighting “previously disturbed” lands and automatically excluding critical habitat. Also, Democratic VP candidate Tim Walz has signed climate legislation as Minnesota Governor and supported regenerative agriculture bills as a Congressman, but he has received criticism for his history o...
Sep 06, 2024•53 min
Renewables like wind and solar don’t produce electricity around the clock, so there’s often a mismatch between when the power is being generated and when it’s being used. “Virtual power plants” can tap home and electric vehicle batteries and shift the timing of HVAC and appliance demand to help close this gap. Also, if you combine hydrogen from carbon-free sources and oxygen in a fuel cell, you get water and electricity. This chemical reaction is fueling visions of future, carbon free flights to...
Aug 30, 2024•53 min
A recent poll of 2,600 green-focused voters aged 18-34 in five key battleground states, revealed favorability for Presidential Kamala Harris. We discuss findings by the Environmental Voter Project and how young green voters could impact upcoming elections. Also, we take a look at Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’ environmental history from her time as attorney general, senator, and Vice President. We walk through what this record could mean for her campaign going forward. And since young voter t...
Aug 23, 2024•53 min
When a wildfire powered by extreme heat and drought nears a neighborhood, all it takes is a single spark to send homes up in flames. We share some steps homeowners and renters alike can take to reduce that risk. Also, on the northern California coast the Yurok tribe is getting 125 acres of its stolen land back thanks to an historic partnership between the National Park Service, California State Parks, and Save the Redwoods League. Chairman of the Yurok Tribe Joseph L James describes how the land...
Aug 16, 2024•53 min
A new satellite recently blasted off into Earth orbit with the important mission of tracking methane emissions from oil and gas infrastructure across the globe. Free public access to the data from MethaneSAT is a game-changer for holding oil and gas companies accountable for climate pollution. Also, since 2001 the Mars Society has run over 300 simulated missions at a remote site in the high desert of Utah, to study the effect of extra-vehicular activity or EVA on the human body and mimic field r...
Aug 09, 2024•53 min
The oceans cover 70 percent of our “blue planet” yet remain largely unexplored because of the intense pressures at depth. But there are some intrepid few who have descended into this “underworld” and lived to tell of its marvels, and journalist Susan Casey profiles them in her latest book. She joins Host Steve Curwood to talk about The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean. Also, Poet Catherine Pierce joins Living on Earth’s Jenni Doering to read her poem, “Earth, Sometimes I Try to Pl...
Aug 02, 2024•52 min
Vice President Kamala Harris has garnered more than enough delegates for the Democratic nomination for President. We review her record on the environment, which has included prosecuting cases against polluting oil companies, supporting a Green New Deal, and representing the US at UN climate meetings. Also, the four years of the Trump Administration brought over a hundred regulatory rollbacks, the exit of the US from the Paris Climate Agreement, and a conservative dominated Supreme Court that is ...
Jul 26, 2024•53 min
Donald Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator J. D. Vance, once held moderate Republican stances on climate and clean energy. But he now echoes Trump on the “Green New Scam” and unleashing domestic fossil fuels. Also, climate may not always top the list of voter concerns, but research suggests it can tip the scales in US presidential elections, including the 2020 election which came down to 44,000 votes. So the Environmental Voter Project is trying to mobilize nearly 5 million registered voters who ...
Jul 19, 2024•52 min
Thirteen young plaintiffs who took the Hawaii Department of Transportation to court over its role in the climate crisis have won a settlement that requires the agency to fast-track public transit, new bike lanes, and electric vehicles. Also, new technology reveals startling levels of cancer-causing ethylene oxide gas wafting from industrial sources in Cancer Alley, Louisiana. And Black residents of Cancer Alley who live next door to polluting industrial plants say they are the victims of environ...
Jul 12, 2024•52 min
In a 6-3 decision the US Supreme Court struck down the longstanding Chevron deference doctrine, which allowed federal agencies to make rules relying on unclear statutes, provided their interpretation was reasonable. We parse the potentially disastrous consequences of this decision for environmental and other public protection regulations and what agencies and environmental lawyers will need to do to have a fighting chance in court. Also, a powerful new NASA satellite called PACE can look at the ...
Jul 05, 2024•52 min
At the first debate of the 2024 presidential election, Joe Biden and Donald Trump had vastly different responses to the single question on climate change. We cover the highlights, what was left out of the debate and the stark contrast between what the two presidents have done on climate and environment during their times in office. Also, heat waves can bring health problems and death for anyone but especially for the young, elderly, and people with conditions like heart disease and diabetes. And...
Jun 28, 2024•53 min
Generations of Black Americans have faced racism, redlining and environmental injustices, such as breathing 40 percent dirtier air and being twice as likely as white Americans to be hospitalized or die from climate-related health problems. So the quest for racial justice now must include addressing the climate emergency, writes Heather McTeer Toney in her book Before the Streetlights Come On: Black America’s Urgent Call for Climate Solutions. Also, the incredible story of Robert Smalls, who comm...
Jun 21, 2024•53 min
Clouds of diesel fumes clog the air in Beirut, Lebanon where the virtual collapse of the power grid has led residents to rely on diesel generators. The city’s air is now so badly polluted researchers at the American University of Beirut are linking it to a startling 30% spike in cancer cases. Also, Isaias Hernandez is an environmental activist and social media creative who uses the handle @QueerBrownVegan on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. His topics include environmental racism, mushroom foragin...
Jun 14, 2024•52 min
Streams in northern Alaska are turning a cloudy orange, and scientists think the cause is metals like iron leaching from melting permafrost as the Arctic rapidly warms. Also, summer has barely begun in the Northern Hemisphere but extreme heat is already baking Pakistan, where climate disruption is also bringing frequent catastrophic floods. What it’s like to be in Lahore right now, how people are trying to cope and why these climate disasters are compounding Pakistan’s economic and security chal...
Jun 07, 2024•52 min
Amid extreme drought affecting Rio Grande tributaries, Mexico is struggling to make water deliveries to Texas as required by a treaty. How the situation is linked to climate change and farmer livelihoods in both the US and Mexico. Also, carbon-intensive industries like steel and chemical manufacturing require a lot of heat to operate, most of which comes from burning fossil fuels. Now engineers are working on turning electricity from renewable sources into heat with something called a thermal ba...
May 31, 2024•52 min
Facing costly climate impacts such as the billion-dollar flood disaster of July 2023, Vermont is seeking to make fossil fuel companies pay for some of those costs with a new “Climate Superfund” bill. Also, the Mar Menor or “little sea” lagoon on the coast of Spain faces impacts from mining, agriculture, and a booming tourist industry. Teresa Vicente helped pass a 2022 law granting the lagoon legal personhood to give it greater protection. She recently received the 2024 Goldman Environmental Priz...
May 24, 2024•52 min
2023 was the hottest year on record, at 1.48 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. That’s just below the 1.5 C increase that the UN says is the limit to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. As the summer of 2024 approaches in the Northern Hemisphere, climate scientists are raising the alarm on dangerous impacts of ongoing heat waves. Also Shell’s flagship carbon capture and storage project in Canada generated millions of dollars in carbon credits based on greenhouse gas emission redu...
May 17, 2024•52 min
