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China's Climate Pledge
China has for the first time committed to an absolute target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, by 7 to 10 percent by 2035, though it is likely to achieve greater reductions. We discuss China’s growing dominance in the global clean energy transition while the current US administration doubles down on fossil fuels.
Balcony Solar
Compared to traditional rooftop solar, “balcony solar” offers renters, apartment dwellers and folks on a tighter budget a much less expensive solar energy starter kit. Balcony solar is already common in Europe and Asia, and now it’s getting a boost from state legislation in the US.
Jane Goodall On Conservation
The late conservationist Jane Goodall made it her mission to protect habitat worldwide by empowering local communities to develop sustainably. We reprise her 2023 conversation about this holistic approach to conservation and how it all started when she was just ten years old and dreamed of studying wild animals in Africa.
Youth Climate Case
A preliminary hearing recently took place in federal court for the youth climate case Lighthiser v. Trump, in which plaintiffs are seeking immediate relief from three executive orders and subsequent actions of the Trump administration that boost fossil fuels. But the federal government maintains that the Lighthiser plaintiffs, like those in the prior case Juliana v. United States, lack standing.
Salmon Run Fattens Bears
The champion of Fat Bear Week 2025 is officially number 32 - “Chunk”, a big male who overcame a broken jaw to take the prize. Mike Fitz, the resident naturalist at explore.org, launched Fat Bear Week as a ranger at Katmai National Park in Alaska. He explains how this year’s strong salmon run in the Brooks River helped the local grizzlies bulk up.
Encountering Dragonfly: Notes on the Practice of Re-Enchantment
In lives full of screens and distraction, it can be hard to truly notice the natural world and the subtle ways that other creatures cross our paths. But author Brooke Williams believes these signs from nature can bring us important insights that are worth paying attention to. He explores these ideas in his book, Encountering Dragonfly: Notes on the Practice of Re-Enchantment.
The EPA Wants to Ignore GHG Emissions
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed ending the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, which requires the biggest industrial facilities and power plants in the country to report their global warming emissions. We discuss the potential consequences of this Trump Administration decision.
Join the Living on Earth Book Club on October 13th!
Bestselling science journalist Ed Yong joins us to talk about his new book. Click here to learn more and register!
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Celebrating 30 years of Living on Earth!
Host Steve Curwood in the Living on Earth studio
China's Climate Pledge
China has for the first time committed to an absolute target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, by 7 to 10 percent by 2035, though it is likely to achieve greater reductions. We discuss China’s growing dominance in the global clean energy transition while the current US administration doubles down on fossil fuels.
Balcony Solar
Compared to traditional rooftop solar, “balcony solar” offers renters, apartment dwellers and folks on a tighter budget a much less expensive solar energy starter kit. Balcony solar is already common in Europe and Asia, and now it’s getting a boost from state legislation in the US.
Remembering Jane Goodall
Members of the late conservationist Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots youth organization and the Living on Earth crew share memories of her and gratitude for her enduring gifts to the world.
This Week’s Show
October 10, 2025
listen / download
China's Climate Pledge
listen / download
China has for the first time committed to an absolute target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, by 7 to 10 percent by 2035, though it is likely to achieve greater reductions. We discuss China’s growing dominance in the global clean energy transition while the current US administration doubles down on fossil fuels.
Balcony Solar
listen / download
Compared to traditional rooftop solar, “balcony solar” offers renters, apartment dwellers and folks on a tighter budget a much less expensive solar energy starter kit. Balcony solar is already common in Europe and Asia, and now it’s getting a boost from state legislation in the US.
Science Note: Clever Cockatoos use Drinking Fountains
listen / download
After observing sulfur-crested cockatoos using a drinking fountain, Australian researchers reported that most of the local population of cockatoos attempted to use the fountains, and around half were successful. Living on Earth’s Don Lyman reports on the research findings and hypotheses for why these clever cockatoos have developed this habit.
Jane Goodall On Conservation
listen / download
The late conservationist Jane Goodall made it her mission to protect habitat worldwide by empowering local communities to develop sustainably. We reprise her 2023 conversation about this holistic approach to conservation and how it all started when she was just ten years old and dreamed of studying wild animals in Africa.
Remembering Jane Goodall
listen / download
Members of the late conservationist Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots youth organization and the Living on Earth crew share memories of her and gratitude for her enduring gifts to the world.
Special Features
Field Note: "After the Storm"
Living on Earth's Explorer-in-Residence, Mark Seth Lender, ruminates on the storm as it meets the shore.
Blog Series: Mark Seth Lender Field Notes
Field Note: "Countermeasures"
Living on Earth's Explorer-in-Residence, Mark Seth Lender, shares observations about shorebirds in flight.
Blog Series: Mark Seth Lender Field Notes
...Ultimately, if we are going prevent large parts of this Earth from becoming not only inhospitable but uninhabitable in our lifetimes, we are going to have to keep some fossil fuels in the ground rather than burn them...
-- President Barack Obama, November 6, 2015 on why he declined to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline.
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