At the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, the US and European nations agreed to provide $8.5 billion in financing to help South Africa phase out its use of coal power. South Africa, which is experiencing yet another wave of power outages, gets most of its electricity from burning coal and is the largest carbon emitter in Africa. What international aid means for South Africa's energy transition.

Also, tropical forests are a treasure trove of biodiversity and contain vast stores of carbon that threaten the stability of Earth’s climate system if released through deforestation. And at the recent COP26 in Glasgow more than 130 countries representing 90 percent of the world’s forest cover pledged to end net forest loss by 2030.

Join the next Living on Earth Book Club event on November 18th at 6:30 p.m.! We'll be speaking with Devi Lockwood about her book 1,001 Voices on Climate Change and her quest to bike around the world collecting real, personal stories about how flood, fire, drought, and rising seas are changing communities. Register at loe.org/events

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Episode #626: Natural Disasters & Private Practice, feat. Dr. Julia Colangelo