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COP31 Kicks Off
The annual negotiations of the UN climate treaty or COP31 are now in full swing in the coastal city of Antalya, Turkiye, with some one hundred thousand attendees. Living on Earth's Paloma Beltran and Sophia Pandelidis are there, and Paloma shares some of the voices they have gathered from around the world: from Australia to Vanuatu to Inuit territory and beyond.
Climate and the Changing Congress
Although climate did not play a direct role in the "blue tsunami" of the midterm elections, voters' concerns over high energy costs bring it back into play. Gina McCarthy, former EPA Administrator and President Biden's national climate advisor, talks about the opportunities and challenges ahead for climate policy as Democrats prepare to take charge of the US House and Senate.
Democrats Look to Restore Science
A House Committee to watch as Democrats take control in January will be Science, Space, and Technology, which oversees federal grants and research at the National Laboratories and agencies like NASA, NOAA and EPA. In line to become its Chair is Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren of California. She discusses some of her priorities, including investigations of canceled grants and withheld research funds, as well as the possibility of bipartisan legislation.
Blue Wave, Green Hope
Though climate was not directly on the ballot in the midterm elections, high fuel prices and concerns about data centers boosted Democrats to a “blue tsunami.” And the new Democratic majority in both houses of Congress means Republican anti-environment measures like fossil fuel expansion and public land exploitation may be slowed down or even halted. Colleagues from our media partner Inside Climate News talk us through the results.
Blue Wave, Green Hope (Cont'd)
We continue our roundtable discussion with colleagues at Inside Climate News about voters’ frustration with high fuel prices and the opportunity for a Democratic-led Congress to now focus on clean energy to reduce energy costs. And we talk about what voters expect the Democratic party to deliver in the final two years of the Trump presidency and beyond.
Microplastics, Inflammation, and Your Health
Plastics have been widely adopted in all sorts of products from food packaging to toys to medical devices, in part because they don’t tend to chemically react. But new research challenges that notion when it comes to microplastics, finding that contact by tiny chips of plastic with water releases unstable molecules which in the human body are linked to inflammation.
Wolf Seeks Revenge on Humans in Novel Blacktail
This year, bookstores have a nature-based tale in the “eco-horror” genre to feature: Blacktail by Scott Hawkins. The novel tells the story of one wolf’s quest for vengeance on the humans who have wronged him. And to get his revenge, he’ll have to find and wake the Forest God. The author joins us for this spoiler-free chat.
Join the Living on Earth Book Club on October 13th!
Bestselling science journalist Ed Yong joins us to talk about his new book. Click here to learn more and register!
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Celebrating 30 years of Living on Earth!
Host Steve Curwood in the Living on Earth studio
COP31 Kicks Off
The annual negotiations of the UN climate treaty or COP31 are now in full swing in the coastal city of Antalya, Turkiye, with some one hundred thousand attendees. Living on Earth's Paloma Beltran and Sophia Pandelidis are there, and Paloma shares some of the voices they have gathered from around the world: from Australia to Vanuatu to Inuit territory and beyond.
Climate and the Changing Congress
Although climate did not play a direct role in the "blue tsunami" of the midterm elections, voters' concerns over high energy costs bring it back into play. Gina McCarthy, former EPA Administrator and President Biden's national climate advisor, talks about the opportunities and challenges ahead for climate policy as Democrats prepare to take charge of the US House and Senate.
Democrats Look to Restore Science
A House Committee to watch as Democrats take control in January will be Science, Space, and Technology, which oversees federal grants and research at the National Laboratories and agencies like NASA, NOAA and EPA. In line to become its Chair is Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren of California. She discusses some of her priorities, including investigations of canceled grants and withheld research funds, as well as the possibility of bipartisan legislation.
This Week’s Show
November 13, 2026
listen / download
COP31 Kicks Off
listen / download
The annual negotiations of the UN climate treaty or COP31 are now in full swing in the coastal city of Antalya, Turkiye, with some one hundred thousand attendees. Living on Earth's Paloma Beltran and Sophia Pandelidis are there, and Paloma shares some of the voices they have gathered from around the world: from Australia to Vanuatu to Inuit territory and beyond.
Climate and the Changing Congress
listen / download
Although climate did not play a direct role in the "blue tsunami" of the midterm elections, voters' concerns over high energy costs bring it back into play. Gina McCarthy, former EPA Administrator and President Biden's national climate advisor, talks about the opportunities and challenges ahead for climate policy as Democrats prepare to take charge of the US House and Senate.
Democrats Look to Restore Science
listen / download
A House Committee to watch as Democrats take control in January will be Science, Space, and Technology, which oversees federal grants and research at the National Laboratories and agencies like NASA, NOAA and EPA. In line to become its Chair is Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren of California. She discusses some of her priorities, including investigations of canceled grants and withheld research funds, as well as the possibility of bipartisan legislation.
Special Features
Field Note: "After the Storm"
Living on Earth's Explorer-in-Residence, Mark Seth Lender, ruminates on the storm as it meets the shore.
Blog Series: Mark Seth Lender Field Notes
Field Note: "Countermeasures"
Living on Earth's Explorer-in-Residence, Mark Seth Lender, shares observations about shorebirds in flight.
Blog Series: Mark Seth Lender Field Notes
...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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