
Drought Threatens Hydropower
Amid extreme drought and record low water levels in the Colorado Basin, the federal government has decided to retain more water in Lake Powell and release less to Lake Mead and beyond, which preserves hydropower generation for the short term. But as reporter Luke Runyon explains, the Colorado River basin still faces a long-term water shortage that imperils the future of cities and farms in the Southwest.


“SmartICE” Helps Inuit People Adapt
For thousands of years the Inuit people of Northern Canada have relied on stable sea ice for travel and hunting, but as the climate warms the ice is growing dangerously thin. Now, some Inuit communities are working with SmartICE, an organization that uses sensor and GPS technology along with Inuit traditional knowledge to help find safe passages over sea ice in real time, explains Rex Holwell, an Inuit man working as the North Production Lead for SmartICE.


How to Save the Climate
The Earth is hurtling toward climate disaster as evidenced by many scientific studies, including the latest results from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Yet the world continues to rely heavily on fossil fuels and drag its heels on transitioning to clean energy. Harvard University Professor of the History of Science Naomi Oreskes notes climate change science is unequivocal and why the paths to solving the climate crisis are political and social.

This Weeks Show
May 13, 2022
listen / download

Drought Threatens Hydropower
listen / download
Amid extreme drought and record low water levels in the Colorado Basin, the federal government has decided to retain more water in Lake Powell and release less to Lake Mead and beyond, which preserves hydropower generation for the short term. But as reporter Luke Runyon explains, the Colorado River basin still faces a long-term water shortage that imperils the future of cities and farms in the Southwest.

BirdNote: The Zone-tailed Hawk
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Turkey vultures soar over the landscape, searching for dead animals. But the Zone-Tailed Hawk, an American raptor that’s a vulture look-alike, soars with them, its sharp eyes searching for mice and birds that ignore the carrion-seeking birds.

Beyond the Headlines
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On this week's trip beyond the headlines Environmental Health News' Weekend Editor Peter Dykstra and Host Bobby Bascomb consider a record-setting heat wave in India and Pakistan. Then, the two check in on a positive trend in solar and wind power in the United States. Finally, a look in the history books at the fate of the law behind the Scopes Monkey Trial which prohibited the teaching evolution in Tennessee public schools.

“SmartICE” Helps Inuit People Adapt
listen / download
For thousands of years the Inuit people of Northern Canada have relied on stable sea ice for travel and hunting, but as the climate warms the ice is growing dangerously thin. Now, some Inuit communities are working with SmartICE, an organization that uses sensor and GPS technology along with Inuit traditional knowledge to help find safe passages over sea ice in real time, explains Rex Holwell, an Inuit man working as the North Production Lead for SmartICE.

Invasive Jumping Worms
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Jumping worms, native to Korea and Japan, are spreading quickly across several states within the U.S. The invasive worms degrade soil texture as they eat and deplete it of nutrients, causing problems for gardens and lawns. This week, Kara Hollsopple from the Allegheny Front reports on how to spot and avoid jumping worms and what to do if you encounter them.

How to Save the Climate
listen / download
The Earth is hurtling toward climate disaster as evidenced by many scientific studies, including the latest results from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Yet the world continues to rely heavily on fossil fuels and drag its heels on transitioning to clean energy. Harvard University Professor of the History of Science Naomi Oreskes notes climate change science is unequivocal and why the paths to solving the climate crisis are political and social.
Special Features
Field Note: The Impala Imperative
Living on Earth's Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender provides additional insight on how impala markings help confound predators and buy the antelope crucial extra time to escape.
Blog Series: Mark Seth Lender Field Notes
Field Note: “To Fly, To Live:” Osprey of Long Island Sound
Living on Earth's Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender shares a reflection on how the availability of prey shapes the lives of young ospreys.
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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