Tough Climate At The G7
Leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States convened in Quebec, Canada for the G7 Summit with climate one of the items on the agenda. But President Trump left before the climate discussions began and the meeting ended in a conspicuous rift between the United States and its closest allies. Alden Meyer, the Director of Strategy and Policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, explains how this could impact international climate policy going forward.
Atlas of a Lost World: Travels in Ice Age America
The Americas have been home to humans for at least fifteen thousand years, and people appear to have left signs they were here far earlier, too. Some likely used boats to travel along the coast of what is now Russia and Alaska as well as perhaps trekking the Bering land bridge. In his book, Atlas of a Lost World: Travels in Ice Age America, author-adventurer Craig Childs follows in their footsteps, reflecting on how a changing climate likely forced these ancient peoples to adapt.
Zero Carbon Nuclear Boost For New Jersey
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy recently signed into law subsidies for two aging nuclear power plants. Some say the deal helps New Jersey meet its climate protection goals, but others have criticized the measure, citing safety concerns and a preference for renewables.
Former EPA Chief Gina McCarthy Launches Center for Climate, Health and the Environment At Harvard
The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health recently launched C-CHANGE: The Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment. Speakers at a launch event included John Holdren – former Science Advisor to President Obama and John Kerry – former US Secretary of State and a key architect of the Paris Agreement. Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy is at the helm of the center, and she sat down with Steve Curwood to discuss her vision for a healthy environment.
Half a Degree Hotter Will Cost $30 Trillion
Researchers at Stanford University find that keeping global warming to one and a half degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, rather than two degrees, could save a whopping $30 trillion of GDP globally.
A Record Hurricane Disaster in Puerto Rico
A door-to-door survey invalidates official government estimates of just 64 deaths from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. At least 800, and as many as 8,000 if not more, perished as a result of the hurricanes' destruction and interruption of the power grid, infrastructure and medical services, a Harvard study found.
Otters and Climate Change
Sea Otters are known for their playful demeanor and cuddly appearance, but scientists at the University of California at Santa Cruz think that the cuddly creatures could help reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. (Photo: Imtiaz333 Flickr Creative Commons)
The Great Lakes and Climate Change
In the last 30 years the largest fresh water lake in the world in terms of surface area, Lake Superior, has warmed nearly six degrees Fahrenheight. The increased temperature is a boon to some fish but warmer water is also more suitable for some species.
Tough Climate At The G7
Leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States convened in Quebec, Canada for the G7 Summit with climate one of the items on the agenda. But President Trump left before the climate discussions began and the meeting ended in a conspicuous rift between the United States and its closest allies. Alden Meyer, the Director of Strategy and Policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, explains how this could impact international climate policy going forward.
EPA Dilutes Toxics Law
A Congressional overhaul in 2016 did much to strengthen The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, providing uniform federal review standards for thousands of everyday chemicals. But just two years later, the EPA is narrowing that mandate. Currently, the EPA is investigating ten chemicals of special concern out of the tens of thousands that need review. The agency is using a narrower set of criteria that ignore air and water quality issues.
Atlas of a Lost World: Travels in Ice Age America
The Americas have been home to humans for at least fifteen thousand years, and people appear to have left signs they were here far earlier, too. Some likely used boats to travel along the coast of what is now Russia and Alaska as well as perhaps trekking the Bering land bridge. In his book, Atlas of a Lost World: Travels in Ice Age America, author-adventurer Craig Childs follows in their footsteps, reflecting on how a changing climate likely forced these ancient peoples to adapt.
This Week’s Show
June 15, 2018
listen / download
Tough Climate At The G7
listen / download
Leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States convened in Quebec, Canada for the G7 Summit with climate one of the items on the agenda. But President Trump left before the climate discussions began and the meeting ended in a conspicuous rift between the United States and its closest allies. Alden Meyer, the Director of Strategy and Policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, explains how this could impact international climate policy going forward.
Canada Buys Tar Sands Oil Pipeline
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently announced that the federal government will fund Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Pipeline. It would carry oil sands crude for export from Alberta to the British Columbian coast. The Canadian government cites economic benefits but activists say the cost to the climate is too high.
EPA Dilutes Toxics Law
listen / download
A Congressional overhaul in 2016 did much to strengthen The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, providing uniform federal review standards for thousands of everyday chemicals. But just two years later, the EPA is narrowing that mandate. Currently, the EPA is investigating ten chemicals of special concern out of the tens of thousands that need review. The agency is using a narrower set of criteria that ignore air and water quality issues.
Beyond the Headlines
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On this week’s Beyond the Headlines, Peter Dykstra and Steve Curwood discussion about a notorious Superfund site in Toms River, NJ, as an open-air classroom for local high school students. Then, and they consider the ongoing “water war” between Texas and New Mexico. The history lesson features a flash back to 1942, when FDR directed the US Army to build the first atomic bomb.
BirdNote: Exquisite Thrush Song
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Thrushes are widely regarded to have some of the most musical bird songs. BirdNote’s Michael Stein explains how these birds use a special anatomical structure to create their elaborate songs.
Atlas of a Lost World: Travels in Ice Age America
listen / download
The Americas have been home to humans for at least fifteen thousand years, and people appear to have left signs they were here far earlier, too. Some likely used boats to travel along the coast of what is now Russia and Alaska as well as perhaps trekking the Bering land bridge. In his book, Atlas of a Lost World: Travels in Ice Age America, author-adventurer Craig Childs follows in their footsteps, reflecting on how a changing climate likely forced these ancient peoples to adapt.
Audio Postcard: A Fisherman Rigging Bait on Nantucket
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Nantucket Island has a long history of providing safe harbor to seafarers and whalers. Today, many different kinds of boats dock there. Among the polished yachts and luxury cruise boats, Living on Earth contributor Matt Hoisch found a scrappy fisherman with a weather-beaten face nimbly prepping bait.
Special Features
Lawmakers Call for Pruitt to Resign
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EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is under heavy fire for alleged legal and ethical violations, and a record number of lawmakers say "enough is enough." Some 140 House members and 39 senators, all caucusing with Democrats, have signed on to a non-binding resolution introduced by Representative Kathy Castor of Florida and Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico calling for Mr. Pruitt’s resignation. Senator Tom Udall discusses with host Steve Curwood Pruitt's ethical red flags that have recently come to light, and the EPA rollbacks the Senator says are harmful to human health.
Blog Series: LOE Updates
Field Note: Eagles At Play
In this field note, Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender remarks on the powerful hold the American Bald Eagle has on our collective awe, and on how severely we have decimated their numbers in the centuries since Europeans landed on North America’s shores.
Blog Series: Mark Seth Lender Field Notes
Sexual Misconduct in the U.S. Forest Service: Michaela Myers' Story
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Michaela Myers finished college in 2017 and landed what she thought was a dream job: working with the US Forest Service fighting wildfires in Oregon. But a pattern of sexual harassment and hazing by her boss and colleagues turned that dream into a nightmare. She tells her story to Living on Earth host Steve Curwood.
Blog Series: LOE Updates
...Ultimately, if we are going prevent large parts of this Earth from becoming not only inhospitable but uninhabitable in our lifetimes, we are going to have to keep some fossil fuels in the ground rather than burn them...
-- President Barack Obama, November 6, 2015 on why he declined to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline.
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