Living on Earth

Heat, drought, and arson are fueling an explosion of fires in Brazil’s Amazon and Pantanal region, highlighting the need for the world to act boldly on climate when Brazil hosts the UN climate talks next year.Also, climate change got just one token question at the first and perhaps only debate between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. We offer other climate questions that should be asked about the Inflation Reduction Act, holding oil companies accountable and more.And the relentless heating of the Earth is prompting people to move after climate-related catastrophes and amid more gradual changes. Journalist Abrahm Lustgarten is the author of On the Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America, about the northward migration he anticipates as Americans seek to escape punishing heat, fire, and drought. -- What issues are you most interested in having Living on Earth cover in the 2024 election season? Let us know by sending us a written or audio message at comments@loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bureau of Land Management is updating its master plan for developing solar energy on western lands, to help the US meet ambitious clean energy targets. The proposed plan aims to reduce barriers to solar by highlighting “previously disturbed” lands and automatically excluding critical habitat. Also, Democratic VP candidate Tim Walz has signed climate legislation as Minnesota Governor and supported regenerative agriculture bills as a Congressman, but he has received criticism for his history of supporting the ethanol industry and oil pipelines.And poetry can be up to the seemingly impossible task of capturing ecological loss, wild joy, and empathy for other species on this embattled planet. US Poet Laureate Ada Limón shares poems from her new anthology, You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World and discusses why she believes we need a new kind of nature poetry for the new nature amid the climate crisis.-- What issues are you most interested in having Living on Earth cover in the 2024 election season? Let us know by sending us a written or audio message at comments@loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Renewables like wind and solar don’t produce electricity around the clock, so there’s often a mismatch between when the power is being generated and when it’s being used. “Virtual power plants” can tap home and electric vehicle batteries and shift the timing of HVAC and appliance demand to help close this gap.Also, if you combine hydrogen from carbon-free sources and oxygen in a fuel cell, you get water and electricity. This chemical reaction is fueling visions of future, carbon free flights to change voyages of fantasy into reality.And the Athabasca oil sands in Alberta, Canada ranks as one of the world’s most destructive crude oil operations. People laboring in the Athabasca oil sands often live in austere work camps, with long 12-hour shifts and female workers imperiled by sexual harassment and violence. That painful reality is captured in the 2022 graphic memoir Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands. -- What issues are you most interested in having Living on Earth cover in the 2024 election season? Let us know by sending us a written or audio message at comments@loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A recent poll of 2,600 green-focused voters aged 18-34 in five key battleground states, revealed favorability for Presidential Kamala Harris. We discuss findings by the Environmental Voter Project and how young green voters could impact upcoming elections.Also, we take a look at Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’ environmental history from her time as attorney general, senator, and Vice President. We walk through what this record could mean for her campaign going forward.And since young voter turnout can make all the difference in an election, we speak with youth environmental activists on either side of the aisle about what they want from a presidential campaign. American Conservation Coalition Action and the Sunrise Movement have different approaches but both care about the same issue: solving the climate and environment crises.-- What issues are you most interested in having Living on Earth cover in the 2024 election season? Let us know by sending us a written or audio message at comments@loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Also, on the northern California coast the Yurok tribe is getting 125 acres of its stolen land back thanks to an historic partnership between the National Park Service, California State Parks, and Save the Redwoods League. Chairman of the Yurok Tribe Joseph L James describes how the land will help nurture Yurok cultural traditions.And to raise awareness about the threats facing coral reefs, crafters everywhere are picking up their crochet hooks and contributing to a worldwide “Crochet Coral Reef.” The curator of the Pittsburgh Satellite Reef at the Carnegie Museum of Art describes what it’s like to stand inside the exhibit and how it came together.From abolitionist Harriet Tubman to novelist Louisa May Alcott, some of the country’s most important women trailblazers shared a connection with the natural world in their girlhood. Tiya Miles shares their stories in her book Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation.--What issues are you most interested in having Living on Earth cover in the 2024 election season? Let us know by sending us a written or audio message at comments@loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new satellite is set to revolutionize methane tracking, enhancing accountability for climate pollution in the oil and gas industry. Simulated Mars missions in Utah are preparing for potential human habitation and the search for extraterrestrial life. Meanwhile, a novel explores the emotional experiences of astronauts on the International Space Station, emphasizing their unique perspective of Earth from orbit. The podcast also reflects on the beauty of the cosmos, contrasting the fragility and resilience of our planet in the face of climate change.

The oceans cover 70 percent of our “blue planet” yet remain largely unexplored because of the intense pressures at depth. But there are some intrepid few who have descended into this “underworld” and lived to tell of its marvels, and journalist Susan Casey profiles them in her latest book. She joins Host Steve Curwood to talk about The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean.Also, Poet Catherine Pierce joins Living on Earth’s Jenni Doering to read her poem, “Earth, Sometimes I Try to Play It Casual” and her thoughts about the meaning of “celebrating the Earth” by being present to the wonders around us.Plus: Poet and essayist Ross Gay is back with a follow up to his 2019 Book of Delights, loaded with moments of good that sprout amid our troubles. He joins Host Steve Curwood to share readings from his new Book of (More) Delights celebrating simple joys such as clothes on a clothesline, garlic sprouting, and dandelion abundance.--What issues are you most interested in having Living on Earth cover in the 2024 election season? Let us know by sending us a written or audio message at comments@loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vice President Kamala Harris has garnered more than enough delegates for the Democratic nomination for President. We review her record on the environment, which has included prosecuting cases against polluting oil companies, supporting a Green New Deal, and representing the US at UN climate meetings.Also, the four years of the Trump Administration brought over a hundred regulatory rollbacks, the exit of the US from the Paris Climate Agreement, and a conservative dominated Supreme Court that is skeptical of environmental regulation. We hear insights from a former Trump EPA official, environmental policy experts and advocates about the environmental impacts of the Trump presidency and what a second one could bring. Plus: a scientist who rappels down cliffs to hand-pollinate endangered plants; a vine that mimics the leaves of nearby species; rice that crowds out strangers but leaves room for the roots of relatives. All of these are featured in the new book The Light Eaters, which tackles big questions of plant intelligence, consciousness, and communication.--What issues are you most interested in having Living on Earth cover in the 2024 election season? Let us know by sending us a written or audio message at comments@loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator J. D. Vance, once held moderate Republican stances on climate and clean energy. But he now echoes Trump on the “Green New Scam” and unleashing domestic fossil fuels.Also, climate may not always top the list of voter concerns, but research suggests it can tip the scales in US presidential elections, including the 2020 election which came down to 44,000 votes. So the Environmental Voter Project is trying to mobilize nearly 5 million registered voters who rate environment or climate as a top concern but might not otherwise turn out this November.And Republican Cliff Bentz represents Oregon’s second district in Congress, where he chairs the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife and is part of the Conservative Climate Caucus. He joins us to share his views on conservative approaches to climate adaptation, carbon capture and storage, wildfire prevention, public lands stewardship and more.--What issues are you most interested in having Living on Earth cover in the 2024 election season? Let us know by sending us a written or audio message at comments@loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thirteen young plaintiffs who took the Hawaii Department of Transportation to court over its role in the climate crisis have won a settlement that requires the agency to fast-track public transit, new bike lanes, and electric vehicles.Also, new technology reveals startling levels of cancer-causing ethylene oxide gas wafting from industrial sources in Cancer Alley, Louisiana. And Black residents of Cancer Alley who live next door to polluting industrial plants say they are the victims of environmental discrimination. But their attempts to seek justice through a key provision of the Civil Rights Act are being met with racist pushback.--What issues are you most interested in having Living on Earth cover in the 2024 election season? Let us know by sending us a written or audio message at comments@loe.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices