Living on Earth

Two cases in front of the Supreme Court are looking to restrict federal agency power by overturning the longstanding Chevron Doctrine. Environmentalists fear this could limit the ability of federal agencies to set strong environment and climate regulations.Also, a recent report finds that social media platforms like YouTube are amplifying and sometimes profiting from new forms of climate denial that falsely claim it’s too late to act on the climate crisis. We explore how climate disinformation has evolved from attacking science to attacking solutions.And nearly all the tall coast redwoods in California’s Big Basin Redwoods State Park burned in a 2020 wildfire. But within a few months the charred trunks had grown a fuzz of healthy green shoots. A new paper documents how the trees were able to regenerate using energy reserves stored for many decades.--We rely on support from listeners like you to keep our journalism strong. You can donate at loe.org – any amount is appreciated! -- and thank you for your support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently granted more than $600 million to states and communities across the country to roll out new EV charging stations and tune up existing ones. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joins us to discuss the connections between EV charging access, environmental justice, and economic growth.Also, when scientists began to warn in the later half of the twentieth century that burning oil, gas, and coal could bring severe consequences for our planet, they touched a nerve in the powerful fossil fuel industry. In this second installment of our series on climate change disinformation, we dive into how the fossil fuel industry infiltrated the political sphere and scientific community to block climate action.And a potential third-party presidential run by West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin could influence the outcome of the 2024 election. Inside Climate News reporter Phil McKenna is back on the campaign trail in New Hampshire with this report about Senator Manchin’s support of fossil fuels and the climate concerns of New Hampshire voters. --We rely on support from listeners like you to keep our journalism strong. You can donate at loe.org – any amount is appreciated! -- and thank you for your support.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley sends mixed signals on climate change, acknowledging that it’s real and human-caused while also touting her role in pulling the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement.Also, the electric vehicle industry is undergoing a transformation as US sales lag slightly behind production surges. Domestic manufacturing and sourcing requirements mean that fewer models currently qualify for the $7500 federal tax credit, but the forecast for the long-term future of EVs is bright.And the fossil fuel industry has known its products would cause dangerous warming for decades but chose to deceive the public to stall climate progress around the globe, says history professor Naomi Oreskes.Plus - fierce and fuzzy wolverines are in decline, especially in the Lower 48 states where they were recently listed as a Threatened species due to disappearing snow and habitat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The climate emergency is creating a public health emergency by increasing risks for heat stress, vector-borne diseases, and traumatic injuries as well as disrupting healthcare access.Also, 2023 saw some notable environmental decisions in U.S. federal and state courts, from the Supreme Court’s removal of some wetlands protections to the landmark win for youth plaintiffs in a Montana climate case. And 2023 is likely to go down in history as the hottest year ever seen by humans. But we still have a chance to rein in global warming before it runs too hot for our civilization, says UPenn Professor Michael Mann, whose latest book is Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth’s Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis. --As a non-profit media organization we could not produce high-quality journalism that educates and inspires you to be fully informed about climate change and environmental issues without your help. Please consider making a donation by going to LoE.org and clicking on donate at the top of the page. Thank you for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From one woman’s dream of swimming with marine iguanas, to uncommon encounters with common rabbits, to a Native American tale of how the dog came to be our loyal companion, and much more, this Living on Earth holiday storytelling special features stories of how other species on this Earth touch human lives. “Wildly Magical: Stories of Animal Encounters”, a storytelling special from PRX.-- As a non-profit media organization we could not produce high-quality journalism that educates and inspires you to be fully informed about climate change and environmental issues without your help. If you haven’t yet contributed to Living on Earth this giving season, please consider making a donation by going to LoE.org and clicking on donate at the top of the page. Thank you for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Power Of Stories / Native American Tales / Stories of the Night Sky and an English WassailNative American myths and tales help us endure or even enjoy the short days and long nights of winter. Living on Earth's annual celebration of stories helps connect people with the natural world, and includes an Iroquois explanation of why the constellation Pleiades twinkles overhead and an Abenaki custom that asks forgiveness for any wrongs of the previous year. Seasonal stories and more, in this holiday special from Living on Earth from PRX.-- As a non-profit media organization we could not produce high-quality journalism that educates and inspires you to be fully informed about climate change and environmental issues without your help. If you haven’t yet contributed to Living on Earth this giving season, please consider making a donation by going to LoE.org and clicking on donate at the top of the page. Thank you for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly 200 nations attending the COP28 UN climate summit in Dubai came to a consensus to declare fossil fuels are on their way out, marking a breakthrough after three decades of climate summits. But much more is needed to turn the words into action.Also, author and animal whisperer Sy Montgomery’s latest book, Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell features miraculous stories of recovery at a hospital for gravely injured turtles. Sy joined us to share these stories and discuss how these long-lived, ancient beings help illuminate the nature of time itself.  And a new law updates cosmetics regulations at the Food and Drug Administration for the first time in 85 years. But gaping loopholes remain for ingredient disclosure and safety testing, amid the continued presence of carcinogens, hormone disruptors and other harmful chemicals in cosmetics.-- As a non-profit media organization we could not produce high-quality journalism that educates and inspires you to be fully informed about climate change and environmental issues without your help. If you haven’t yet contributed to Living on Earth this giving season, please consider making a donation by going to LoE.org and clicking on donate at the top of the page. Thank you for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The very first bill that Speaker Mike Johnson passed through the House would gut many energy and climate projects financed by the Inflation Reduction Act, even though Republican states are massively benefiting from this funding. The repeal would also block environmental justice efforts and deny a “just transition” for disadvantaged communities. Also, even if the world’s nations soon come together to keep temperatures from rising beyond 1.5 degrees, we face a troubling and uncertain future. David Gessner’s 2023 book A Traveler’s Guide to the End of the World: Tales of Fire, Wind, and Water grapples with a complicated relationship with hope amid a warming world.And a lifeboat is offered to the tiny island nation of Tuvalu, which faces inundation from rising seas. A new treaty would allow a limited number of its citizens to study, work or live in Australia under a climate-related visa program with geopolitical implications.--As a non-profit media organization we could not produce high-quality journalism that educates and inspires you to be fully informed about climate change and environmental issues without your help. If you haven’t yet contributed to Living on Earth this giving season, please consider donating by going to LoE.org and clicking on donate at the top of the page. Thank you for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leaked documents from the team leading the COP28 climate talks now underway in Dubai point to corporate coopting of the UN climate negotiations. COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber is also CEO of the UAE national oil company Adnoc, which according to the documents has used the COP process to try to cut oil and gas deals with companies and countries. Also, in North Birmingham, Alabama, racist zoning practices and industrial coke production have plagued Black communities for decades. Despite a growing focus on environmental justice from the federal government, it’s yet to be clear how new funds will help the communities in North Birmingham.And scientists are turning to high tech solutions to preserve genetic diversity of endangered species, including biobanking in which cells and living tissues are frozen. A new project aims to biobank 24 endangered mammals to start, and we explore the science of using biobanked material to restore healthy populations of black-footed ferrets, Mexican wolves and more. --As a non-profit media organization we could not produce high-quality journalism that educates and inspires you to be fully informed about climate change and environmental issues without your help. If you haven’t yet contributed to Living on Earth this giving season, please consider making a donation by going to LoE.org and clicking on donate at the top of the page. Thank you for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 Many of the chemicals used in fracking for natural gas are hazardous to human health, but loopholes in disclosure laws mean that companies can keep them secret. Pennsylvania’s Governor is moving to change that.Also, the world is way off track from the Paris Agreement goal to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. A new joint statement on fighting the climate crisis from the world’s two biggest emitters, China and the United States, offers a glimmer of hope.And as solar energy costs fall and installations of solar panels rise, some are raising concerns about the materials they’re made from and are promoting disinformation about the safety of recycling these modules. A team at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory clarified this waste from solar panels.-- As a non-profit media organization we could not produce high-quality journalism that educates and inspires you to be fully informed about climate change and environmental issues without your help. In honor of Giving Tuesday please consider making a donation to Living on Earth by going to LoE.org and clicking on donate at the top of the page. Thank you for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices