KPFA - Terra Verde

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – July 10, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – July 3, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

Author and speaker Jeremy Lent suggests that as climate change, inequality, and social fragmentation intensify, humanity faces an imminent choice. We can either continue with the same system of extraction, exploitation, and endless growth that created the polycrisis we now face—which will almost certainly lead to collapse—or, we can reimagine civilization itself.  In his new book, Ecocivilization:...

Veteran environmental activists André Carothers and Annie Leonard have spent decades protesting for climate action, environmental protection, and human rights. Photo by Brooke Anderson. The right to speak freely, to organize and protest injustice is under threat across much of the world right now. In the United States, in particular, protesters — especially those focused on environmental justice a...

Eighteen young people are challenging the EPA’s repeal of the 2009 “endangerment finding” on constitutional grounds. The finding provided the basis for federal climate policy,including the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trucks, and power plants. Photo by Sila Lundquist / Unsplash. Earlier this year, the Trump administration repealed the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 “en...

The former Zeneca chemical facility site in Richmond, CA, a contaminated shoreline property that has become a focal point for community concerns about environmental health, cleanup efforts, and the future impacts of sea level rise along San Francisco Bay. Photo courtesy of Richmond Shoreline Alliance. Across the San Francisco Bay shoreline, communities are living alongside the legacy of more than...

Fog Eaters explores the unexpected link between fog and high mercury levels in California’s coastal mountain lions. Photo by Zetong Li. In his new documentary Fog Eaters, filmmaker Kyle Baker follows environmental toxicologist Peter Weiss-Penzias and a team of researchers investigating unusually high levels of methylmercury in mountain lions along California’s central coast. Tracing mercury pollut...

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – May 15, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – May 8, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

A rarely-invoked committee colloquially known as the “God Squad” met in late March and unanimously voted to exempt oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Mexico from environmental safeguards put in place by the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ESA is widely recognized as one of the most effective conservation laws in the United States, having prevented extinction of 99% of protected species since 19...

A “bathtub ring” lines the canyon walls of Lake Mead, marking the dramatic drop in water levels as the Colorado River system faces prolonged drought and overuse. Image by Tara W. / Pexels. As the Colorado River Basin faces historic drought, shrinking reservoirs, and intensifying climate pressures, new research reveals a striking reality: Some of the largest water users in the West pay little to no...

Locally farmed flowers offer an alternative to imported varieties, which in the United States typically come from South America. ​Photo by Zoe Richardson. Flower have much to offer. They bring us joy and beauty. They improve ecosystem health and boost food production. And they play an important role in many cultural practices and in celebrations of love and life. The global flower industry, howeve...

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – April 3, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – March 27, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

This oil drilling rig off the coast of Santa Barbara is one of numerous that line the ocean view. Photo courtesy of Way Out West News. On Saturday, March 14, using the pretext of the war on Iran and spiking fuel prices, the Trump administration allowed Sable Offshore Corp. to restart the controversial Santa Ynez offshore oil platform and pipeline along the Santa Barbara County coast. The pipeline...

The National Parks Service has lost nearly a quarter of its permanent employees since Trump took office last year, and drastic budget cuts have significantly impacted the agency’s ability to carry out educational programming, maintenance, and vital emergency services within the parks. On this episode of Terra Verde, host and producer Fiona McLeod speaks with Christine Lehnertz, President and CEO o...

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – March 6, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – February 27, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – February 20, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

After an extended stretch of dry, record-warm weather, California is finally seeing cooler, wetter conditions—a rapid swing the state is increasingly facing. Image credit: NASA Worldview Snapshots. California is lurching between extremes—from record-breaking heat and low mountain snowpack to torrential atmospheric river events and catastrophic wildfire. In this episode of Terra Verde, host and pro...

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – February 6, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

As the world races to transition away from fossil fuels, demand for lithium and other “green” minerals is exploding—reshaping landscapes, supply chains, and geopolitics in the process. On this episode of Terra Verde, host Hannah Wilton speaks with political scientist and author Thea Riofrancos about the hidden costs and contested promises of the green energy boom. In her new book, Extraction: The...

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – January 23, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

Old vs New: Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s new red meat- and dairy-heavy food pyramid (right) versus an earlier iteration of the US Department of Agriculture’s food pyramid. Images courtesy of USDA. On January 7, US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced new dietary guidelines for Americans, which upend the food pyramid as we know it...

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – January 9, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.