Wastes Flood The Carolinas
Heavy rains and floods from Hurricane Florence inundated the Carolinas with hog and poultry manure, and coal ash ponds loaded with toxic metals pose threat as well. Catawba Riverkeeper Sam Perkins explains how weak regulations and lack of enforcement put public health at risk.
“Pa’lante”: Puerto Rican Resilience After Maria
Hurricane Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico last year, taking roughly 3,000 lives. Many died not from the storm itself but from morbidity linked to such causes as treatable infections, unsafe water and accidental electrocution. But as Living on Earth’s Bobby Bascomb reports, some communities are looking at Hurricane Maria as a call to be more resilient the next time around.
An App For Urban Foraging
The harvest season brings a bounty of edible foods, even in cities. An online map called Falling Fruit is using public datasets to guide foragers to food for the taking. Living on Earth’s Savannah Christiansen reports.
California Moves Toward Carbon-Free Economy
California pledges 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045, and leaders from around the world recently convened in San Francisco at the Global Climate Action Summit organized by the state’s Governor, Jerry Brown. Former EPA Regional Chief Jared Blumenfeld discusses the swift progress towards decarbonization and the calls from activists who say California must go further.
Resilience In Puerto Rico’s Tropical Forests After Hurricane Maria
When Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in 2017, the direct hit turned a green island brown – destroying every ecosystem on the island from mangroves to cloud forests. But as Living on Earth’s Bobby Bascomb reports, forests that evolved in the hurricane belt have ways to cope and are coming back.
Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Blocked
Canada’s Federal Appeals Court has blocked the controversial Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion unless and until the Trudeau government properly consults with First Nations and studies impacts to southern resident killer whales, a process expected to push the project well past Canada’s elections in 2019.
Australia May Scrap Carbon Tax
China is the world’s largest emitter, and much of its coal comes from Australia. With the election of a new Prime Minister, Australia looks set to revoke its carbon tax, leaving many environmentalists worried about their country’s contribution to climate change. (photo: Bigstockphoto.com)
Climate Change and Sea Level Rise
New research finds that every 1 degree Celsius of temperature rise eventually equates to 2.3 meters of sea level rise. Anders Levermann tells host Steve Curwood about the expectations for sea level rise over the next 2,000 years.
Romance and Spring Harvest At Paradise Lot
For most gardeners, springtime means a few seedlings on a window sill. But for perennial gardeners spring is a time of harvest. The new book, Paradise Lot, is a personal and heartwarming account of finding romance and growing a permaculture food forest on a degraded backyard plot in a gritty neighborhood of Holyoke, MA.
“Pa’lante”: Puerto Rican Resilience After Maria
Hurricane Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico last year, taking roughly 3,000 lives. Many died not from the storm itself but from morbidity linked to such causes as treatable infections, unsafe water and accidental electrocution. But as Living on Earth’s Bobby Bascomb reports, some communities are looking at Hurricane Maria as a call to be more resilient the next time around.
Women Climate Scientists Threatened and Harassed
Climate scientists of all genders face harassment, bogus records requests, and even death threats. But women climate researchers are often subjected to sexist and misogynistic attacks as well. According to Lauren Kurtz, the Executive Director of the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund, there are allegations that climate denial organizations may be linked to these efforts.
Wastes Flood The Carolinas
Heavy rains and floods from Hurricane Florence inundated the Carolinas with hog and poultry manure, and coal ash ponds loaded with toxic metals pose threat as well. Catawba Riverkeeper Sam Perkins explains how weak regulations and lack of enforcement put public health at risk.
This Week’s Show
September 21, 2018
listen / download
Wastes Flood The Carolinas
listen / download
Heavy rains and floods from Hurricane Florence inundated the Carolinas with hog and poultry manure, and coal ash ponds loaded with toxic metals pose threat as well. Catawba Riverkeeper Sam Perkins explains how weak regulations and lack of enforcement put public health at risk.
Science Note: Hurricanes, Lizards and Leafblowers
listen / download
Hurricanes may act as a force of natural selection for Caribbean lizards, according to a recent study in the journal Nature. Living on Earth’s Don Lyman explains how scientists used leaf blowers to simulate hurricane-force winds to study how the hardiest lizards hang on.
“Pa’lante”: Puerto Rican Resilience After Maria
listen / download
Hurricane Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico last year, taking roughly 3,000 lives. Many died not from the storm itself but from morbidity linked to such causes as treatable infections, unsafe water and accidental electrocution. But as Living on Earth’s Bobby Bascomb reports, some communities are looking at Hurricane Maria as a call to be more resilient the next time around.
Beyond The Headlines
listen / download
Peter Dykstra discusses the extra hardships that slave descendants in South Carolina face in the wake of Hurricane Florence. Then, a note the dangers of a BPA alternative and a look at how the removal of hydroelectric dams can be a boon for certain fish populations.
Women Climate Scientists Threatened and Harassed
listen / download
Climate scientists of all genders face harassment, bogus records requests, and even death threats. But women climate researchers are often subjected to sexist and misogynistic attacks as well. According to Lauren Kurtz, the Executive Director of the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund, there are allegations that climate denial organizations may be linked to these efforts.
An App For Urban Foraging
listen / download
The harvest season brings a bounty of edible foods, even in cities. An online map called Falling Fruit is using public datasets to guide foragers to food for the taking. Living on Earth’s Savannah Christiansen reports.
Special Features
What the Osprey Overheard
listen / download
As new osprey parents feed and care for their young, even the faintest of sounds – like a distant plane – seem a threat to the youngsters. Living on Earth’s resident explorer Mark Seth Lender watches as the ospreys keep a watchful eye, and ear, on their surroundings, and muses on how loud our anthropogenic world must be to them.
Blog Series: Mark Seth Lender Field Notes
Field Note: Fishing Line Endangers Birds
Living on Earth's Explorer in Residence, Mark Seth Lender, reflects on his tangle with a tern and fishing line on the 4th of July.
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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