Living on Earth

Kamala Harris and Environmental Justice / Healthy People Equal Healthy Forests / Forests of Rain / Note on Emerging Science: Plastic-Eating Mushrooms / Cloning Giant Sequoias / 'Forest Bathing' for Health Former Vice President Joe Biden's choice of Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate made history and highlighted the campaign's focus on environmental justice. Also, for many of those living in and near tropical forests, one of the only ways to get cash to pay for healthcare is by logging. Now a nonprofit is providing healthcare that patients can pay for with seedlings or manure. And Coast Redwood trees and Giant Sequoia are among the biggest and oldest individual living things on our planet, but were heavily logged decades ago. Scientists are helping restore these majestic, carbon-sequestering trees by cloning their DNA. Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00033. . . . LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . . FOLLOW US and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. . . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bi-Partisan Victory for Great American Outdoors Act / Funding the National Parks, Finally / Beyond the Headlines / Fishing Fleet Threatens the Galapagos / BirdNote®: What Do Desert Birds Drink? / Healthy Buildings Boost Productivity / Trying to Train Crows For years national parks and public lands in the United States have been severely underfunded. The Great American Outdoors Act is set to help turn that around, with billions of dollars to address maintenance backlogs and support new conservation. Also, Ecuador is on alert after discovering a fleet of more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels near the Galapagos Islands. Ecuadorian officials worry that it could pose a danger to the delicate ecosystems of the world's second-largest marine reserve. And most of us spend 90% of our time indoors, where carbon dioxide levels and ambient chemicals can significantly impact our productivity and cognitive function. Organizations should take note and can see major dividends from improving office air quality, says Joe Allen, Director of the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard University and author of the book, "Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity". Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00032. . . . LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . . FOLLOW US and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. . . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Saving Forests Could Save Us from Diseases / Beyond the Headlines / Race and the Nature Gap / Parktracks: Sounds of the Kiowa Nation Buffalo Songs / Systemic Racism and Green Groups The environmental movement in America has deep ties to the nation's history of systemic racism and white supremacy. Now, as Americans confront racial injustice, powerful green groups like the Sierra Club are beginning to reckon with their own histories of hate and exclusion. Also, Americans of color experience nature deprivation at three times the rate of white Americans, according to a new report. Why systemic racism has limited access to nature for Black Americans in particular, and how conservation and sensitive planning can help narrow the nature gap. And with the COVID-19 pandemic estimated to cost several trillions of U.S. dollars, a new study suggests that spending just a tiny fraction of that to curb deforestation and the wildlife trade could prevent future costly diseases that jump from wildlife to humans. Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00031. . . . LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . . FOLLOW US and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. . . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump Rolls Back National Enviro Policy Act / Beyond the Headlines / "Goatscaping" for Chemical-Free Weed Control / Farmland Losing to Development / Crab-Eater Seals Take a Break / Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Blue Jay The Trump Administration has rolled back rules for a 50-year-old bedrock environmental law that requires careful study of possible impacts from major infrastructure projects. Also, a herd of hungry goats will happily mow down invasive blackberries, kudzu, and even poison ivy, for chemical-free weed control. "Goatscapers" on the job. And raising an injured baby blue jay named Jemima turned out to be one of the most challenging, and rewarding, experiences of wildlife rehabilitator Julie Zickefoose's life. In her book Saving Jemima, which she also illustrated, Zickefoose gives a peek inside the mind of her young charge learning how to be a blue jay and shares the balance of emotions involved in raising a wild bird for release. Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00030. . . . LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . . FOLLOW US and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. . . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climate Disinformation on Facebook / Beyond the Headlines / Tracking Migratory Species from Space / Clean Energy in Space to Save Planet Earth / The Sirens of Mars The Mars Perseverance Rover is set to leave Earth in late July or early August with the mission of helping to find out if there is evidence of past or present life on Mars. We'll talk with an astrobiologist who is part of the mission team and also the author of the new book, "Sirens of Mars". Also, with an historic SpaceX launch and several Mars missions underway, 2020 is proving a pivotal year for space exploration. How innovations in space technology such as solar charging stations that beam energy back down to Earth, and mining hard rock materials in space, can be used to fight climate disruption. Plus, the field of wildlife tracking is getting a major upgrade thanks to a new initiative called ICARUS. It uses special equipment on the International Space Station to allow researchers to track much smaller species than ever before, including tiny migrating birds and even insects. And prominent environmental groups are joining more than 1000 companies in pausing their advertising on Facebook in July as part of the "Stop Hate for Profit" campaign. We talk about why these groups are taking a stand against the spread of racism, white supremacy and climate disinformation on this giant social media platform. Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00029. . . . LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . . FOLLOW US and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. . . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democratic Climate Action Plan / Beyond the Headlines / Guinea Fowl and Tick Control / BirdNote®: The Paradise-Whydah / Jane Goodall On 60+ Years of Conservation And Research The iconic Jane Goodall has spent her life advocating for the conservation of the natural world. Sixty years ago on July 14th, 1960, Jane arrived in what is now Gombe National Park, Tanzania, to begin her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees. She joins Living on Earth to discuss her career studying chimps, the work her organization is doing now, and more. Also, House Democrats have released a massive climate action plan that aims to end carbon pollution and build new clean energy and transportation systems, while also helping communities adapt to climate disruption. And as tickborne diseases like Lyme disease become more common in our warming climate, some homeowners in the thick of tick country are turning to guinea fowl to control the bloodthirsty arachnids. Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00028. . . . LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . . FOLLOW US and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. . . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Siberian Heat Wave / Beyond the Headlines / EPA Approves GMO Mosquito Trials / Court Finds EPA Violated Pesticide Safety Procedures / Dancing with Bees: A Journey Back to Nature The town of Verkhoyansk, Siberia recently hit a record-high temperature of 100.4º F, though it is well north of the Arctic Circle. Why the Far North is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, and the implications of this for the rest of the world. Also, EPA has given biotech company Oxitec the go-ahead to test the effectiveness of genetically modified mosquitoes in parts of Florida and Texas, generating environmental safety concerns. And observing the remarkable habits of solitary bees gave author Brigit Strawbridge Howard a way back into a childlike fascination with nature. She shares tips for helping diverse bee species thrive in your own backyard. Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00027. . . . LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . . FOLLOW US and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. . . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Texas Town Refuses Fracking Expansion / Beyond the Headlines / Bill McKibben on the Divestment Movement / Eye Contact with a Wild Elephant / BirdNote®: Salmonberry Bird The fossil fuel divestment movement is making inroads at major institutions, including Ivy League schools, massive pension funds and more. Author and climate activist Bill McKibben reflects on what the divestment movement has achieved so far and how it all began. Also, why racial justice goes hand in hand with the fight for a cleaner environment, and the big takeaways that the coronavirus pandemic has for the climate crisis. And citizens of Arlington, Texas have taken a historic stand by refusing to expand a fracking complex located next to a preschool that serves primarily Black and Latino children. Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00026. . . . LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . . FOLLOW US and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. . . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juneteenth and African Foodways / The Racial Gap of Pollution Responsibility / Redlined Real Estate & Extreme Urban Heat / Why I Wear Jordans in the Great Outdoors / Farming While Black: A Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land June 19th marks the holiday known as Juneteenth, when African Americans gather to celebrate emancipation of ancestors from slavery with picnics and cook outs. The voyage from Africa isn't often on people's minds, but it is in their stomachs, by way of the foodways from across the Atlantic. Fast-forward to today, to the farmers who are working to cultivate justice, root out racism, and find liberation on the land, by reconnecting people of color to the earth. And systemic racism has set Black Americans up for far greater exposure to pollution, and extreme heat brought by climate change. Both environmental concerns have been primarily caused and exacerbated by white Americans, yet it's Black communities that bear the brunt of the harm. Dismantling racism, celebrating Juneteenth, and more, this week on Living on Earth from PRX. Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00025. . . . LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . . FOLLOW US and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. . . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Race and Environmental Justice / Beyond the Headlines / COVID-19 and Healthy Buildings / Red-Billed Oxpeckers and Black Rhinos / Coronavirus Reduces Rhino Poaching / Climate Liability Cases Seek Big Damages from Big Oil / Lyme Disease Risk is High in City Parks, Too Environmental pollution and exposure to climate risks like heat waves are closely linked with systemic racism. Yet national environmental organizations have long sidelined Black organizers working for environmental justice. Also, the pandemic continues to spread, with over 7 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide by June 12, and research has shown that much of this spread has happened indoors. What we can do in our own homes, buildings, and even cars to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus. And several coastal counties and cities in California are suing Big Oil to seek compensation for the steep costs of adapting to sea level rise. Now the litigation is one step closer to trial. Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00024. . . . LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . . FOLLOW US and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. . . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices