Living on Earth

As extreme heat linked to climate disruption becomes more common during the school year, many U.S. schools lack adequate cooling and ventilation systems to keep kids safe and focused on learning. And temperature and air quality affect learning outcomes for low-income kids and students of color the most.Also, the wildfires that killed more than 100 people and displaced thousands on the Hawaiian island of Maui left in their wake a toxic mess of melted and charred metals, plastics and more. How testing air, water, and soil can keep communities safe from contamination as they rebuild. And if you combine hydrogen and oxygen in a fuel cell, you get water and clean, green electricity. This chemical reaction is fueling visions of future, carbon free flights to change voyages of fantasy into reality. --Join us on September 14th for a Living on Earth Book Club event with author Dorn Cox about regenerative agriculture! Find out more at loe dot org/events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Because of its unique geography, the United States is particularly vulnerable to nearly every kind of natural disaster: tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, blizzards, and more. And these natural disasters are getting an unnatural boost with climate change.Also, some Florida sugarcane growers near the Everglades still use the archaic method of burning fields to remove the tops and leaves before harvesting the sweet cane stalks. Communities of color nearby assert they bear a disproportionate burden of the smoke and ash pollution with adverse health effects.And over the past four decades, sperm levels among men in Western countries have dropped by more than 50%, and female fertility is also declining. Some chemicals that disrupt hormones are key culprits, including those found in plastics, cosmetics and fracking solutions.--Join us on September 14th for a Living on Earth Book Club event with author Dorn Cox about regenerative agriculture! Find out more at loe dot org/events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York state has adopted a law aimed at using federal funds to boost public power from renewables and shut down six polluting “peaker” gas power plants. Advocates say this will bring huge benefits for public health, environmental justice, and energy access.Also, unhoused residents help keep California clean by collecting recyclables. But many unhoused people say the state has rarely engaged with them and can even make it more difficult for them to do their work.And in her book The Hawk’s Way, author Sy Montgomery takes a deep dive into the world of hawks and falconry.--Join us on September 14th for a Living on Earth Book Club event with author Dorn Cox about regenerative agriculture! Find out more at loe dot org/events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sixteen young plaintiffs have won their suit against the state of Montana over its refusal to protect them from climate change. We explain the unprecedented ruling and where the case could head next. Also, children and adolescents are facing increasing health risks from extreme heat, and a study that looked at heat and pediatric emergency department visits found that black and brown children are especially impacted.And koalas begin life naked and tiny as a jellybean with none of the fur that makes them look so darn cuddly later. The natural history and uncertain future of the beloved koala.--We offer a full transcript for each show along with photos and links to learn more. Check it out at loe.org.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climate change is already making some places across the country unlivable and seems likely to uproot millions of Americans in the coming decades. The author of “The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration” collected the stories of people across the U.S. who have been driven out by fires, floods, droughts, and extreme heat.Plus -- when a whale dies, it eventually sinks to the ocean floor. And although that whale’s life is over, that’s when a whole new circle of life kicks off, with thousands of organisms including hagfish, zombie worms, and octopuses feeding off this “whale fall” for 50 or more years. And every animal species experiences the world in a totally unique way. Mantis shrimp can filter polarized light, and star-nosed moles can smell under water. Sensory marvels and more, this week on Living on Earth.--We offer a full transcript for each show along with photos and links to learn more. Check it out at loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Congo Basin in Central Africa is a critical biodiversity hotspot and linchpin in the fight against climate disruption. But will the world make good on its promises to protect biodiversity in the Congo and around the world?Also, the hit Netflix movie “Don’t Look Up” uses humor and the metaphor of an impending, Earth-obliterating comet to satirize climate denial, the political obstacles to climate action and the false promises of future technological fixes.And in nature, some animals live far longer than humans, and some don’t appear to age at all. One species of jellyfish can continually revert back to a juvenile stage, making it essentially immortal. Unlocking nature’s secrets to longevity and how humans can live longer.--We offer a full transcript for each show along with photos and links to learn more. Check it out at loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The summer of 2023 has seen extreme heat waves around the world. From Texas, how heatwaves have proven particularly dangerous for inmates in prisons that lack air conditioning.Meanwhile the UAE has increased its climate ambition targets under the Paris Agreement following criticism around their choice of a top oil executive to lead this year’s UN climate talks.  But environmental activists say the UAE is unlikely to meet its climate targets given its plans to boost oil and gas production.Also. parts of the deep ocean floor are covered with manganese nodules that contain minerals that could be extremely useful for renewable energy resources. But scientists say that mining these nodules could prove hazardous for deep ocean biodiversity. --Our team works hard to bring you the most important and compelling environmental news every single week. And we’re counting on you to help! If you can, please pitch in to support the work we do here at Living on Earth. Just go to loe.org and click on Donate. Thank you for supporting nonprofit environmental media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earth is choked by too much carbon in the atmosphere and running a fever that is only bound to get worse if we fail to restore its balance. How soaking up that excess carbon with the help of trees and plants is vitally important to life on Earth as we know it.Meanwhile, the financial sector isn’t taking likely climate impacts like sea level rise into account when it calculates risks to assets, according to a report. That leaves retirement accounts and pensions vulnerable in a warming world.Also, the California legislature is considering measures that would require large businesses to publicly disclose carbon emissions and verify claimed offsets. How the bills could help California meet its ambitious climate goals. -- Our team works hard to bring you the most important and compelling environmental news every single week. And we’re counting on you to help! If you can, please pitch in to support the work we do here at Living on Earth. Just go to loe.org and click on Donate. Thank you for supporting nonprofit environmental media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The chasing arrow symbol that many consumers think means a plastic product is recyclable often doesn’t mean that in practice, since most plastics are of little to no economic value. Why revising the use of the recycling symbol could reduce consumer confusion.Meanwhile, so-called ‘chemical recycling’ of plastics is a highly inefficient process that releases large amounts of carbon emissions and hazardous pollutants. And at the Brightmark chemical recycling plant in Indiana, health and safety problems have kept the plant from operating at full capacity.Also, extensive draining and channeling of the Everglades ecosystem has led to toxic algae blooms and land loss in Florida, so now a huge restoration effort is attempting to reverse some of those human caused consequences. But environmental groups have raised concerns about the design of the sixteen square mile reservoir at the heart of the project.--Our team works hard to bring you the most important and compelling environmental news every single week. And we’re counting on you to help! If you can, please pitch in to support the work we do here at Living on Earth. Just go to loe.org and click on Donate. Thank you for supporting nonprofit environmental media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first constitutional climate suit in the U.S. has made it to trial. Sixteen youthful plaintiffs allege that the state of Montana has violated their constitutional right to a “clean and healthful environment” by promoting fossil fuel extraction in the face of intensifying climate disruption. Also, global warming is slowing deep ocean currents near Antarctica that transport heat, carbon, and nutrients around the globe. Why this may spell trouble for the entire climate system.With two thirds of all cancer cases linked to environmental factors, many are calling for stronger chemical regulations as a means of cancer prevention. Treatments for cancer are better than ever, but cases continue to rise and cancer is still the second leading cause of death in the US. -- We offer a full transcript for each show along with photos and links to learn more. Check it out at loe.org.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices