What is living on Earth?
Living on Earth As the planet we call home faces a climate emergency, Living on Earth is your go-to source for the latest coverage of climate change, ecology, and human health. Hosted by Steve Curwood and brought to you by PRX.
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Living on Earth is an independent media program and relies entirely on contributions from listeners and institutions supporting public service. Please donate now to preserve an independent environmental voice. Living on Earth offers a weekly delivery of the show's rundown to your mailbox. Sign up for our newsletter today!
What is the living on Earth holiday storytelling special?
December 31, 2021 • From one woman's dream of swimming with marine iguanas, to uncommon encounters with common rabbits, to a Native American tale of how the dog came to be our loyal companion, and much more, this Living on Earth holiday storytelling special features stories of how other species on this Earth touch human lives.
When is the next living on Earth Book Club event?
Join the next Living on Earth Book Club event on December 9th at 6:30 p.m.! We'll be speaking with diver-filmmaker Craig Foster about his book Underwater Wild, which captures the underwater world of wonder seen in the Academy Award-winning documentary "My Octopus Teacher." Register at loe.org/events Learn more about your ad choices.
Green Voter Opportunity
The Environmental Voter Project’s recent research found nearly 1 million environmentalists who voted in the 2020 presidential election but have never voted in a midterm election.
Love Overwhelms National Parks
Amid the restrictions and stresses of COVID, throngs of visitors seeking the solace of nature at many of our national parks threaten to overwhelm the chronically underfunded and understaffed park system, explains Kristen Brengel, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association.
Black History on the Mississippi
After 1865, freed Black Americans built thriving communities along a stretch of land along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and Louisiana. But now, more than 150 petrochemical facilities pollute the air, land, and water, along what has been dubbed Cancer Alley. Sharon Lavigne, the founder of environmental justice group RISE St.
Special Features
Living on Earth's Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender shares a reflection on how the availability of prey shapes the lives of young ospreys.
Congress and Climate Action, Forest-Friendly Chocolate and More, and Beavers Move Into the Arctic
The blocked Build Back Better budget bill contains half a trillion dollars of renewable energy and climate resiliency investments. So House Democrats now aim to include them in a revised budget reconciliation bill that can get all Senate Democrats on board.
Biden Oil Leases Blocked, Sustainability and the Beijing Olympics, Winter Olympics in a Warming World, and more
A federal Judge revokes the largest offshore oil and gas lease sale in U.S. history by the Biden Administration, citing environmental concerns. What the legal battle says about how seriously the White House is taking its promises to phase out fossil fuels.
Carbon in the Congo, A Trip into Black History with George Washington Carver, UN Plastics Treaty and more
The Congo Basin is home to one of the largest peatlands in the world and a massive repository of carbon dioxide. Locals have been sustainably hunting and fishing in the area for generations, but the threat of new development has scientists concerned.
Black History on the Mississippi, Green Voter Opportunities, Love Chokes National Parks and more
For Black History month: Black Americans rose up from sugarcane slavery and built thriving communities along the lower Mississippi River, only to have the petrochemical industry move in and pollute the air, land, and water in what’s been dubbed Cancer Alley. An environmental justice champion shares her memories of what her home of St.
Congress and Climate Action, Forest-Friendly Chocolate and More, and Beavers Move Into the Arctic
The blocked Build Back Better budget bill contains half a trillion dollars of renewable energy and climate resiliency investments. So House Democrats now aim to include them in a revised budget reconciliation bill that can get all Senate Democrats on board.
Biden Oil Leases Blocked, Sustainability and the Beijing Olympics, Winter Olympics in a Warming World, and more
A federal Judge revokes the largest offshore oil and gas lease sale in U.S. history by the Biden Administration, citing environmental concerns. What the legal battle says about how seriously the White House is taking its promises to phase out fossil fuels.
Biden's First Year, Financing Net Zero Carbon, Climate Anxiety Therapy and more
When President Biden took office a year ago, he laid out bold goals to halt federal oil and gas drilling, reach carbon neutrality by 2050, and rectify environmental injustices. We’ll look at where progress has been made on these initiatives and where it’s lacking.
Remembering Naturalists E.O. Wilson and Tom Lovejoy, Winter Wildfires in a Changing Climate, and more
Two leading naturalists who pioneered the field of conservation biology passed away at the end of December 2021. A look back on E.O. Wilson’s big idea to save half of the Earth for nature, and Tom Lovejoy’s gift for bringing people together to protect the planet.
Wildly Magical: Stories of Animal Encounters
From one woman’s dream of swimming with marine iguanas, to uncommon encounters with common rabbits, to a Native American tale of how the dog came to be our loyal companion, and much more, this Living on Earth holiday storytelling special features stories of how other species on this Earth touch human lives.
Remembering naturalist E.O. Wilson
We remember E.O. Wilson, one of the world’s leading naturalists who died on Dec. 26, 2021. “I like to call it, ‘one Earth, one experiment,'" he once said. "We’ve only got one shot at this. Let's be careful.”
Remembering Tom Lovejoy, champion of biodiversity and the Amazon
Tom Lovejoy, along with his colleague EO Wilson, shaped humanity’s understanding of biodiversity and the importance of keeping vital ecosystems intact.
Colorado's catastrophic winter firestorm may be a sign of more to come
Nearly 60 million homes in the United States are within a mile of a wildfire zone, but most people are unaware of the risk. This risk was made clear in the suburbs of Boulder, Colorado, on Dec. 30, 2021, when the Marshall fire torched close to a thousand homes.
YouTube influencers work to stem the flow of trash to the seas
The world’s oceans are in trouble, and plastic is a huge part of it. A group of YouTube influencers is now helping to slow the estimated 20 billion pounds of plastic that get dumped into the ocean each year.
A new study highlights the urgent need to regulate phthalates in plastic
A new meta-study correlates phthalates in plastics with numerous health disorders, including obesity, male and female reproduction problems and mental health troubles.
World leaders pledged to end forest loss. What will it take?
At the climate talks in Glasgow last month, more than 130 countries representing 90% of the world’s forest cover pledged to end net-forest loss by 2030. Is this really achievable?
World leaders agree to help South Africa phase out coal
At the recent COP26 climate talks in Scotland, the US and European nations agreed to provide $8.5 billion in financing to help South Africa phase out its use of coal power.
