Living on Earth

Trump Climate Change Report / Saving The Sumatran Rhino / Climate Dangers of Palm Oil / BirdNote®: Long-Lived Wisdom, The Albatross / Beyond The Headlines / New England's Stone Walls The latest National Climate Assessment brings the most serious warning yet about present and future climate impacts in the U.S. But the Trump Administration is downplaying the findings of its own agencies as it continues to pursue rollbacks of climate protection regulations. Also, with fewer than 80 Sumatran Rhinos left in the wild, a new captive breeding program is hoping to learn from the mistakes of past attempts to bolster the species' numbers. They've plummeted in large part because of habitat loss, as a booming palm oil industry in Indonesia rapidly converts tropical forest into vast monocultures. And the destruction of these tropical peatlands is also causing a sharp uptick in carbon emissions. The climate consequences of palm oil and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Keystone XL Blocked Again / Beyond The Headlines / Emerging Science Note: Coral Reefs Wrecked By Rising Seas / Fighting Climate Change, Naturally / Let The Leaves Be And Feed The Birds / BirdNote®: How Much Do Birds Eat? / Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land In a major setback for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, a federal judge has halted the project, citing poor environmental reviews. Also, it turns out that a lazy fall yard-work ethic can help feed hungry native birds, which feed on the insects that thrive in leaf litter. And meet the farmers who are working to cultivate justice and root out racism, by reconnecting people of color to the earth. Liberation on the land and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Climate For Wildfires / Beyond The Headlines / Beyond Gas For Cooking / A Tasty Vegan Thanksgiving / Rewilding The English Countryside Fueled in part by climate change, California's 2018 wildfire season is the most deadly on record. And mega-fires are becoming increasingly common in California and elsewhere. Also, a vegan Thanksgiving feast may not have turkey or gravy, but meat and dairy substitutes and some creativity in the kitchen can make for a delicious meal all the same. And a gas pipeline disaster becomes an opportunity to highlight induction cooking technology as a more efficient alternative to cooking with gas. All that and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democratic Wins And The Environment / A Blue-Green Wave / Trump Boosts Offshore Wind Power / The Place Where You Live: Glacier National Park / How To Be A Good Creature / BirdNote®: How Free Is A Free-Range Chicken? The Democratic Party has regained control of the House of Representatives, and environmental advocates see the chamber as a crucible for oversight of President Trump's environmental rollbacks, as well as forging bipartisan environmental legislation. Also, new offshore wind projects could soon generate energy off the coasts of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and California. And Sy Montgomery joins us to discuss her latest book, a memoir celebrating the valuable life lessons she's gained from friendships with creatures of all kinds. How to Be a Good Creature and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your Health And Fluoride / Getting Hormones Out Of Wastewater / Beyond The Headlines / Brazil To Increase Amazon Deforestation / The Red-Tailed Hunter / Exxon Mobil Sued For Fraud / Investigative Reporting In Coal Country / Birdnote®: Two Phoebes Share The American West Most cities in the United States add fluoride to the water supply in an attempt to prevent tooth decay. But recent studies show a correlation between drinking water containing fluoride and health issues such as weight gain, fatigue and ADHD. Also, after a three-year investigation, the New York Attorney General has sued ExxonMobil for allegedly misleading its shareholders on the risks climate change regulations could pose to its business. And investigative reporter Ken Ward, who has spent decades doggedly unveiling corruption within the coal industry, is a 2018 MacArthur Fellow. Fluoride, Exxon, investigative reporting in coal country and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More Organics, Less Cancer / Beyond The Headlines / Gaza Water Crisis / Acquitted For Climate Convictions / BirdNote®: Saw-whet Owls Hoot And Hoot A major study finds a significant reduction in the risk of cancer among high consumers of organic food. Also, in the Gaza Strip, where every three out of four people are refugees, clean water is scarce, and there's a worsening health crisis for Gaza's children. And two recently acquitted protestors who temporarily shut down oil pipelines call for more civil disobedience, saying time is running out to save a livable climate. Fighting cancer, climate apathy and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Red Tide Boosts Blue Wave / Beyond The Headlines / A Warmer World Supercharged Hurricane Michael / Fly-fishing Saved From Pollution / Barbara Kingsolver, Unsheltered / Vegan Generation Gap A surge of toxic red and green algae blooms is fueling anger at Florida Republican Governor and Senate Candidate Rick Scott and could affect the November election outcomes. Also, how unusually warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico fed Hurricane Michael's rapid intensification and essentially doubled its destructiveness. And writer Barbara Kingsolver's new novel, "Unsheltered," explores two families dealing with economic crises and the denial of science - living a century apart. Slime, climate change, hurricanes and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kavanaugh On Environmental Law / Beyond The Headlines / Global Warming Is Heating Up / Bringing Back Butternut Trees / Night Moves / BirdNote®: Starlings Say It With Flowers / John Kerry: 'Respect Democracy - By Going Out And Voting' After being confirmed by a narrow margin, Brett Kavanaugh is now a Supreme Court Justice. We take a look at why he's likely to shift SCOTUS towards narrower interpretations of environmental law, which would limit the government's authority to regulate pollutants like climate-warming gases. Speaking of - a new UN climate report points to dire consequences if the world fails to quickly curb greenhouse gases. Earth's average surface temperature is already on track to rise by much more than the key threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures. And we wrap up our conversation with John Kerry about his memoir, Every Day Is Extra - and why respecting democracy means going to the polls on Election Day. Those stories, our weekly segment catching up with Peter Dykstra and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPA Raises Risks To Children's Health? / Beyond The Headlines / Cool Fix For A Hot Planet: A Tiny, Carbon-Sucking Fern / Failed Tsunami Warnings / Walrus Changes His Mind / Hemlock Trees On Hospice / John Kerry Looks Back - And Ahead / BirdNote®: Chipping Sparrows: Song Learning Starts Early John Kerry is on a mission to get out the vote. As America and the world face pressing issues like climate change, he says there's a dire need for elected officials who are willing to face the future head-on. His call to action comes as the Environmental Protection Agency is rolling back regulations on mercury and is reportedly preparing to shutter its Office of Children's Health Protection. Also, an artist and ecologist team up to communicate the story of the dying eastern Hemlock tree. "Hemlock Hospice" and more, in this installment of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Billion Dollar Losses Related to Roundup / Beyond the Headlines / Birdnote®: The Cuban Tody, A Caribbean Jewel / Rebuilding Puerto Rico's Battered Farms / The Tangled Tree Even before Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico imported nearly all of its food. Now, as locals rebuild their lives, an agricultural revival is bringing fresh fruits and veggies back to the island. Also, Bayer faces billions of dollars in potential court damages, after a jury finds Bayer-owned Monsanto knowingly sold a cancer-causing herbicides without warning consumers. And a discussion with science writer David Quammen on how new discoveries go beyond Darwin's "tree of life". New secrets of life and more, in this episode of Living on Earth from PRI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices