Living on Earth

The “Three Sisters” of corn, beans, and squash all grow together in a symbiotic planting relationship. A Chickasaw chef shares recipes and the significance of these crops to many Native American cultures.Also, the story of the “first Thanksgiving” that persists in American culture often stereotypes Native peoples and sanitizes what happened to them as white settlers dispossessed them of their lands. A picture book written and illustrated by Indigenous authors offers a new story of the “first Thanksgiving” that centers the Three Sisters crops.And some like ‘em and others don’t but oysters can be eaten in many ways beyond the half-shell, and farmed correctly they nourish shallow waters. From his coastal Maine kitchen celebrity chef Barton Seaver talks about how oyster farming supports local economies and ecosystems, and whips up an oyster-flavored Thanksgiving stuffing.-- A special thanks to our sponsor this week, MIT’s award-winning podcast, Today I Learned: Climate, or TILclimate. It features 15-minute episodes focused on how real scientists and experts think about the science, technologies, and policies behind climate change.Also 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

The man leading the upcoming UN climate talks in Dubai heads the United Arab Emirates’ state oil company. Sultan Al Jaber is the climate envoy for the UAE and has led the state renewable energy company, but his critics question the substance of his green credentials. Inside the public relations campaign to green Al Jaber’s image and install an oil CEO at the heart of the UN climate process.Also, Antarctica’s ice shelves block glaciers from flowing into the sea, but a recent study found that these ice shelves lost 8.3 trillion tons of ice in the last 25 years raising the risk of sea level rise. A geoscientist sheds light on future ice loss in Antarctica.And a dinosaur fossil discovered in Egypt in the 70s gathered dust in museums for decades and now it finally has a name as a new species, Igai semkhu. A paleontologist explains why fossils from the end of the Age of Dinosaurs are relatively rare in Africa and what this “titanosaur” specimen can reveal about the distant past.--We’re an independent, non-profit organization and depend on your support to keep us going. Please consider pitching in to ensure we can keep bringing you quality environmental stories. Just go to loe.org and click on “Donate” at the top of the page. Thank you for your contribution in any amount! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exceptionally warm waters in the Eastern North Pacific off Acapulco, Mexico appear to have fed the rapid strengthening of Hurricane Otis into a deadly Category 5 storm that weather forecasters failed to understand in time to warn the public. We learn about the science behind the storm and how needed improvements in weather forecasting can help communities better prepare for extreme storms. Also, the new House Speaker, Republican Mike Johnson of Louisiana, has voted for legislation on the environment and some key social issues just 2% of the time, from the perspective of the League of Conservation Voters. He’s also expressed climate skepticism, received generous oil and gas industry campaign contributions, and is already trying to repeal President Biden’s signature climate law.And striking auto workers won higher wages, better benefits, and more ability to unionize electric vehicle battery plants that supply the “Big Three” US automakers. We unpack what the strike’s outcome could mean for the growing electric vehicle industry, its workers, and the public. --We’re an independent, non-profit organization and depend on your support to keep us going. Please consider pitching in to ensure we can keep bringing you quality environmental stories. Just go to loe.org and click on “Donate” at the top of the page. Thank you for your contribution in any amount! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wealthy nations have agreed to pay low-income countries for some of the loss and damage caused by the climate crisis. But rich and poor nations are divided on key elements of the fund.Also, on November 7th voters in the state of Maine will be able to choose if they want to replace the state’s two existing for-profit electric utilities with a non-profit utility largely governed by an elected board. How the new utility could help the state decarbonize its electricity sector.And the Biden Administration recently announced the recipients of up to $7 billion in grants for seven hydrogen technology “hubs” across the country to help move away from fossil fuels. But any climate benefits depend on the sources of hydrogen.-- We’re an independent, non-profit organization and depend on your support to keep us going. Please consider pitching in to ensure we can keep bringing you quality environmental stories. Just go to loe.org and click on “Donate” at the top of the page. Thank you for your contribution in any amount! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration is invoking special powers to waive more than 20 environmental laws so it can fast-track a new section of border wall. The administration claims it is compelled to spend funds appropriated by Congress, but opponents of the barrier say there could be severe environmental consequences.Also, when a wildfire powered by extreme heat and drought nears a neighborhood, all it takes is a single spark to send homes up in flames. We share some steps homeowners and renters alike can take to reduce that risk. And a study finds that giraffes, zebras, warthogs and impalas are far more afraid of human conversation than even the growls of lions. The research provides new insights into the “ecology of fear.”--We’re an independent, non-profit organization and depend on your support to keep us going. Please consider pitching in to ensure we can keep bringing you quality environmental stories. Just go to loe.org and click on “Donate” at the top of the page. Thank you for your contribution in any amount! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eight years after the encyclical Laudato Si’ Pope Francis published a new text “Laudate Deum” which condemns climate denial and urges the world to act swiftly to avert climate disaster.Also six young plaintiffs from Portugal are suing over 30 European countries they say have violated their rights to life by failing to act on climate change.  Patrick Parenteau is an emeritus professor at Vermont Law School and joined us to recap the recent hearing in front of a “Grand Chamber” of judges in the European Court of Human Rights and discuss what it could mean for climate action.And the 20-year U.S. war in Afghanistan brought tens of thousands of direct casualties but also dangerous pollutants that survivors are still living among. Reporter Lynzy Billing describes the hazards and health problems some Afghans link to the war.—To learn more about these stories check out our website loe.org for a full transcript,photos, and links to further reading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the 2024 campaign season heats up, some young Republicans want their party to move on from climate denial and offer solutions. We discuss policies that align with the environmental roots of the party.Also, the spacecraft OSIRIS-REx has successfully delivered a sample from the asteroid Bennu to Earth. Scientists are eager to study the rocky material and see if it can unveil anything about the origins of our solar system.And when a cougar on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State makes a meal out of someone’s goat or chicken, it can end up with a bounty on its head. But there are non-lethal methods to deter cougars from taking livestock and pets. --We’re an independent, non-profit organization and depend on your support to keep us going. Please consider pitching in to ensure we can keep bringing you quality environmental stories. Just go to loe.org and click on “Donate” at the top of the page. Thank you for your contribution in any amount! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ninety years after the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Biden administration is mobilizing a national workforce to tackle today’s crisis of climate disruption. The American Climate Corps aims to train 20,000 young people in its first year for jobs in clean energy, climate resilience, and land restoration.Also, governments are increasingly touting clean and renewable energy as the way of the future. But if you follow the money, you’d find that fossil fuels are receiving massive subsidies, worth around $7 trillion dollars each year, according to a recent report from the International Monetary Fund.And with a few tools and a fresh log, you can grow delicious mushrooms in your backyard that will come back year after year. The Living on Earth crew teams up to inoculate a log with shiitake mushroom spawn.--Want to dig deeper on these stories? Check out our website loe.org for a full transcript, photos, and links to further reading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the UN Climate Ambition Summit in New York, some developed nations promised more money to help vulnerable countries adapt, but biggest emitting countries including the US and China had no new plans to put on the table.Also, microorganisms can generate carbon-rich soil and help plants grow, but too often our food comes from industrial farms that limit beneficial microbes by depleting the soil with tillage and toxic chemicals. Farmer and author Dorn Cox joins us to describe his collaborative high-tech vision of harnessing the power of microbes in the fight against climate disruption.And hunted and trapped for centuries, wolves had all but disappeared from the contiguous US by 1960, but thanks to Endangered Species Act protections they’re bouncing back. A new pack with four pups was recently discovered further south in California in places where wolves hadn’t been seen for a century.--Want to dig deeper on these stories? Check out our website loe.org for a full transcript, photos, and links to further reading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2022 the US EPA opened a civil rights investigation into whether the State of Louisiana overburdens Black communities along “Cancer Alley” with toxic industries. But the agency abruptly closed the inquiry when the Louisiana attorney general filed a suit charging reverse discrimination.Also, Africa has emitted a tiny fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions but is experiencing catastrophic impacts with little ability to adapt. So, climate finance was a focus of the recent Africa Climate Summit, which took place in advance of the Climate Ambition Summit that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is convening in New York on September 20th.And overfishing, warming oceans, invasive species and unsustainable tourism threaten the rich marine life in the Mediterranean. So, a Turkish civil engineer and diver got together with local fishermen to pilot a community-run Marine Protected Area that led to expanded marine conservation in Turkey, and he was recognized with the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize for Asia.--Want to dig deeper on these stories? Check out our website loe.org for a full transcript, photos, and links to further reading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices