Horizon by Barry Lopez
Barry Lopez, author of National Book Award-winning Arctic Dreams, took around 30 years to write his latest book, Horizon. It’s a sweeping account of his lifetime of traveling the world and seeking the perspectives of diverse cultures. Barry Lopez speaks about the importance of acknowledging “the horrors” of our past and present, and striving towards a more humane and hopeful future.
Recomposing the Departed
For most of recent human history, we’ve laid our dearly departed to rest through burial and cremation, which can pose an environmental burden through land use and greenhouse gas emissions. Now, Washington State residents have a new green option: human composting, also known as natural organic reduction. Katrina Spade, CEO of Recompose, talks about the process of human composting and her mission to help families turn lost loved ones into fertile soil.
Green Wave Sweeps European Parliament
The European Parliament ushered in a new wave of Green party members for its 2019 election. Jon Henley, Europe correspondent for the Guardian, talks about what’s on the Green party agenda and how deconsolidated power in the European Parliament will encourage parties to compromise.
The Law of Languages
Zipf’s Law is a linguistic pattern that exists in every human language that’s been tested. Now researchers are looking to see if non-human languages, like that of dolphins and whales, follow a similar structure. Laurance Doyle from the SETI Institute shares some of his surprising results.
Our Planet
Our Planet is an inspiring nature documentary series narrated by the renowned Sir David Attenborough. The eight-episode Netflix original provides viewers with majestic scenes of our natural world, through the sobering lens of climate change. Keith Scholey, a lead producer of the series, discusses what it took to produce the series and why Our Planet calls viewers to action.
Saving West Africa’s Last Rainforest
When an oil palm development in the poor West African country of Liberia threatened indigenous communities and moved to cut down the last major swath of tropical rainforest in the region, lawyer Alfred Brownell jumped into action. He and his colleagues were able to persuade the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil to get the company to back off, but not without great personal risk. Attorney Brownell, who has been recognized with a 2019 Goldman Environmental Prize, explains why the remaining Liberian tropical rainforest is so important to protect, shares his story of a near assassination, and implores American consumers to consider their complicity in the devastation caused by oil palm developments.
Bayou Community Struggles with Sinkhole
A huge sinkhole in the tiny swamp community of Bayou Corne is giving residents unique and unpleasant challenges. It is now approximately 20 acres in size.
Nuclear Storage Crisis
The meltdown at Fukushima in Japan may be grabbing all the headlines, but with the Yucca Mountain project in perpetual limbo the United States has a nuclear storage problem on its hands as well.
Sobering Climate Risks
The Australia-based Breakthrough National Centre for Climate Restoration has released a report showing that if carbon emissions keep going up until 2030, it will be too late to avoid a ‘hot house’ Earth, with a billion climate refugees starting in 2050. David Spratt, Research Director at the Breakthrough National Centre, tells how the world needs to mobilize on a scale never before seen in peacetime.
Exploring the Parks: Cactus and Snow in the Desert Sky Islands
Coronado National Forest, north of Tucson, Arizona is home to plenty of heat and cacti, of course – but also many species ordinarily found far north of the desert Southwest. With a local biologist as her guide, Bobby Bascomb reports on the remarkably diverse biomes of Arizona’s Sky Islands.
Horizon by Barry Lopez
Barry Lopez, author of National Book Award-winning Arctic Dreams, took around 30 years to write his latest book, Horizon. It’s a sweeping account of his lifetime of traveling the world and seeking the perspectives of diverse cultures. Barry Lopez speaks about the importance of acknowledging “the horrors” of our past and present, and striving towards a more humane and hopeful future.
This Week’s Show
June 14, 2019
listen / download
Sobering Climate Risks
listen / download
The Australia-based Breakthrough National Centre for Climate Restoration has released a report showing that if carbon emissions keep going up until 2030, it will be too late to avoid a ‘hot house’ Earth, with a billion climate refugees starting in 2050. David Spratt, Research Director at the Breakthrough National Centre, tells how the world needs to mobilize on a scale never before seen in peacetime.
Note on Emerging Science: Hot Potato Blues
listen / download
Potatoes are a staple food for populations around the world, but when the temperature rises over 70 degrees Fahrenheit, potatoes produce vastly fewer, and less nutritious, tubers. Joseph Winters explains in this week’s science note that new research has uncovered the reason why and developed a way to grow more nutritious potatoes in hotter weather.
Beyond the Headlines
listen / download
In this week's trip beyond the headlines, Peter Dykstra and Steve Curwood first take a look at some controversial suggestions from the current Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo about how people can cope with mounting climate impacts. Then, the two discuss the Democratic National Committee, which declined requests from candidates and activists to feature a climate change-focused debate during the Democratic Presidential primary season. Finally, the pair looks back in history to the groundbreaking paper that linked chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, to ozone layer destruction.
Exploring the Parks: Cactus and Snow in the Desert Sky Islands
listen / download
Coronado National Forest, north of Tucson, Arizona is home to plenty of heat and cacti, of course – but also many species ordinarily found far north of the desert Southwest. With a local biologist as her guide, Bobby Bascomb reports on the remarkably diverse biomes of Arizona’s Sky Islands.
BirdNote®: Ponderosa Pine Savanna
listen / download
The unique ecology of the ponderosa pine savanna, which covers much of the desert Southwest, has been shaped in large part by fire. BirdNote’s Mary McCann has more about the birds that call this landscape home.
Horizon by Barry Lopez
listen / download
Barry Lopez, author of National Book Award-winning Arctic Dreams, took around 30 years to write his latest book, Horizon. It’s a sweeping account of his lifetime of traveling the world and seeking the perspectives of diverse cultures. Barry Lopez speaks about the importance of acknowledging “the horrors” of our past and present, and striving towards a more humane and hopeful future.
Special Features
The Mighty Condor
listen / download
Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender encounters one of Earth’s most impressive birds: the California Condor.
Blog Series: Mark Seth Lender Field Notes
Field Note: Leopard Seal Says Hello
Living on Earth's Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender was astounded when a huge leopard seal swam right up to his small Zodiac boat on a trip to Antarctica. He muses on the rare close encounter.
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.
Donate to Living on Earth!
Living on Earth is an independent media program and relies entirely on contributions from listeners and institutions supporting public service. Please donate now to preserve an independent environmental voice.
NewsletterLiving on Earth offers a weekly delivery of the show's rundown to your mailbox. Sign up for our newsletter today!
Sailors For The Sea: Be the change you want to sea.
Creating positive outcomes for future generations.
Innovating to make the world a better, more sustainable place to live. Listen to the race to 9 billion
The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment: Committed to protecting and improving the health of the global environment.
Energy Foundation: Serving the public interest by helping to build a strong, clean energy economy.
Contribute to Living on Earth and receive, as our gift to you, an archival print of one of Mark Seth Lender's extraordinary wildlife photographs. Follow the link to see Mark's current collection of photographs.
Buy a signed copy of Mark Seth Lender's book Smeagull the Seagull & support Living on Earth
© Copyright World Media Foundation. All Rights Reserved
Home | Contact | RSS | Donate | Newsletter
