Trump Ices Climate Diplomacy, Western Water Crisis Boiling Over, Fungi and Climate Resilience, and more. 

The Trump Administration recently announced plans to withdraw the United States from dozens of United Nations treaties and organizations including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, a treaty that was ratified by the US Senate in 1992 and is the key international forum for addressing the climate crisis. Marianne Lavelle, the Washington Bureau Chief for Inside Climate News, speaks about what this decision could mean for global climate progress.

Also, the Colorado River provides water to seven western states, and there is not enough to go around. Recently the federal government ordered the states to agree on a plan on how to share what's left amid a worsening drought. Luke Runyon co-directs The Water Desk at the University of Colorado-Boulder’s Center for Environmental Journalism and he joins us to discuss the challenges of allocating water resources when demand continues to outstrip supply.

And mycorrhizal fungi form intricate and vital partnerships with plants through enormous underground networks that could help ecosystems and agriculture withstand climate impacts. But these fungi are threatened by habitat loss, nitrogen pollution and more. 2025 MacArthur Fellow Toby Kiers is leading fungi research and conservation efforts; he shares the wonders of fungi and why they’re worth protecting. 

—----

If you’re not yet signed up for the Living on Earth newsletter, the start of the new year is

a great time to join! Don’t miss out on our weekly exclusive content and notes behind

the stories you hear on Living on Earth. Just go to loe.org/newsletter to get started.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices