Living on Earth

Exploring the Parks: Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve / Why I Wear Jordans in the Great Outdoors / Exploring the Parks: Cactus and Snow in the Desert Sky Islands / Spring Awakening / A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration Some stereotypes about who can be "outdoorsy" can leave people of color out, but a pair of beloved Air Jordan "Bred" 11 sneakers is helping one enviro...

Biden Boosts Offshore Wind / The Ocean as Solution, Not Victim / Restoring Life in the Oceans / Beyond the Headlines / Tips for the Casual Gardener Enric Sala's love for the ocean drew him into a career in marine biology. But as he studied damaged marine environments, he began to feel he was writing the "obituary of the ocean." Now he advocates for marine protected areas that support ocean biodive...

Damaged Amazon Adds to Global Warming / Belo Monte Dam Disrupts Amazon Floodplain Balance / Horse of a Different Color / Beyond the Headlines / Prehistoric Magnetic Flip Shook Up Life on Earth / Not Just Maple Syrup: Birch, Beech and Other Sappy Trees The first broad study of all greenhouse gases in the Amazon rainforest reveals that the damaged ecosystem is now a net contributor to climate change...

Madam Secretary Haaland / One in Five Deaths from Fossil Fuels / Note on Emerging Science: Oldest DNA Ever Sequenced / Families Sickened by Fracking / Beyond the Headlines / Carbon Bomb Fridges Ultrafine particulate matter produced from fossil fuel combustion is known to cause numerous health issues. A recent study finds that this pollution is responsible for one in five deaths worldwide, or about...

Warming Planet Slows Ocean Currents / Beyond the Headlines / 30x30 To Save Species / Protecting Badger-Two Medicine And The Grand Canyon / Regenerative Farming for Soil Health / Regenerative Farming In Action The climates of North America and Europe depend on tropical heat circulated by massive system of currents in the Atlantic Ocean. But research shows that climate change is slowing this thermal...

Radioactive Water Dilemma at Fukushima / The New Climate War / Hard Times for Ginseng Farmers / Beyond the Headlines / Nature and the Beat Despite rising global temperatures and an increase in climate disruption-related natural disasters, climate denial still runs rampant. Renowned climate scientist Michael Mann's latest book describes how fossil fuel companies have spent decades deflecting blame...

No Power For The People In Texas / Beyond the Headlines / Note on Emerging Science: Wild Bees a Boost to Crops / A Civilian Climate Corps / Searching for Life on Mars The coldest air to visit Texas in a decade killed dozens, crippled the state's power grid and revealed the risks of extreme deregulation. How America's electric power system has grown more unstable in recent decades. Also, Washington...

India Climate Activist Jailed / Beyond the Headlines / A New Leader for USDA / The Butterfly Effect: Insects and the Making of the Modern World Amid ongoing massive farmer protests, the Indian government is cracking down on activists including Disha Ravi, the young climate activist who founded Fridays for Future - India. How climate activism connects with the Indian farmer protests, and the govern...

India's Farm Crisis and the Climate Emergency / Beyond the Headlines / Angry Birds and the People's Climate Vote / Bottlenose Whales in the Arctic / Modernizing Mobility / BirdNote®: Here Come the Barred Owls / In Honor of Black History Month: Harriet Tubman and the Barred Owl India is experiencing dramatic climate impacts that are hitting farmers especially hard. On top of that, the Indian govern...

Biden's Pen and the Climate / Beyond the Headlines / GM in the EV Fast Lane / The COVID Biking Boom / An Owl-Inspired Hearing Test / Teddy Roosevelt's Conservation Legacy President Biden has signed detailed executive orders focused on protecting the environment and fighting against climate change, laying the groundwork for strong climate policy and green investment. And the private sector is alrea...

The Whole of Government For Climate Action / Resisting Line 3 Pipeline / COVID Risk for Tribal Cultures / Beyond the Headlines / Vista: A Break in the Storm / 'Becoming Wild' and Culture Among Animals The Biden Administration is making big and early moves to tackle the climate crisis and show the rest of the world and major investors that the U.S. is committed to decarbonization. Also, Native Amer...

U.S. Back in Paris Agreement / Biden Reverses Trump Rollbacks / Little Time Left to Save Right Whales / Beyond the Headlines / Ubuntu and Unity for Healing At his inauguration on January 20th President Biden called for unity at a time when America faces multiple crises. For a model of unity, Mr. Biden might look to the African concept of Ubuntu as a way to heal the many broken relationships in Ame...

Merrick Garland and the Environment / Deb Haaland: 'Fierce for our Planet' / Interior's Next Frontiers / Beyond the Headlines / A Mayan Bee Guardian / Ice Visions President-elect Biden's Attorney General pick, Judge Merrick Garland, has ruled over many environmental rules and regulations while on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. What an AG Garland could mean for environmental policy a...

Georgia's Green and Brown Voters / ANWR Oil Leasing / BirdNote®: The Oilbird's Lightless Life / Activism Cuts Plastic Waste in the Bahamas / Beyond the Headlines / Remembering Barry Lopez The Democratic victories for both of the Senate seats in Georgia's runoff elections are thanks in part to the state's environmental voters, who are more likely to be people of color and young, and to live in urba...

Care for the Common Critter / 'It Could Be the Last One': Stories of People Helping Rare Critters / Wildly Magical: Animal Encounters in the Galapagos / Native American Stories of Human and Animal Kinship 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 Li...

The Power Of Stories / Native American Tales / Stories of the Night Sky and an English Wassail Native American myths and tales help us endure or even enjoy the short days and long nights of winter. Living on Earth's annual celebration of stories helps connect people with the natural world, and includes an Iroquois explanation of why the constellation Pleiades twinkles overhead and an Abenaki custo...

UN Moves Forward with Paris Climate Agreement / China's Bold Climate Action Plan / Keeping Coal from Going to the Bank / Microfiber Pollution: Note on Emerging Science: Denim / Beyond the Headlines / The Reindeer Chronicles: Working with Nature to Heal the Earth / Story Time Environmental destruction and habitat loss can feel overwhelming, but the trend can be reversed, as people around the world...

Africa's Low Covid Fatality Rate / Beyond the Headlines / Journeys North: The Pacific Crest Trail / Produce and Microplastics / 'Tis the Season for Green Gifts Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa has shown a surprisingly low fatality rate. Underreporting may not fully account for the discrepancy, so scientists are looking further to see if there may be other factors. Also, every year,...

The Pandemic And American Hunger / Beyond The Headlines / Ghanaian Climate Leader Wins Goldman Prize / Troubles For Science Research In The Pandemic / The Road To Darwin / Migrations: A Powerful Novel About A World Losing Life / BirdNote®: What In The World Is A Hoopoe? The 2020 novel Migrations is set in a future world where polar bears, chimpanzees and wolves are extinct, though not all is lost....

The Climate & Georgia Senate Showdown / Mustering Georgia's Environmental Voters / Beyond the Headlines / Making the Pill from Yams to Fish / The Dark / Note on Emerging Science: Sea Otters Protect Alaskan Reefs / Planetary Health The 2020 Presidential election had a historic turnout, especially with voters under age 30 and voters of color, who are more likely than others voters to list climate or...

How Biden Can Keep It in the Ground / Beyond the Headlines / Down Yonder in the Pawpaw Patch / Native American Traditions of Giving Thanks / Sustainable Thanksgiving Fare from the Sea How President-elect Joe Biden can "keep it in the ground" by halting or reducing fossil fuel extraction on federal lands for a new climate protection agenda. Also, oysters can be eaten in many ways beyond the half-sh...

Climate and the Biden Transition / Beyond the Headlines / Lead in Hunted Meat / Midtown Coyote / Tree Story: The History of the World Written in Rings How the Biden transition team can best plan to fight climate disruption after four years of policy disruption while in incoming Administration also prepares to address the crises of the Covid-19 pandemic, the economy, and equal justice. Also, millio...

Biden, Republicans and the Climate / Green Questions on the 2020 Ballot / Beyond the Headlines / Ice Hockey COVID Outbreaks / Tales of Two Planets: Stories of Climate Change and Inequality In A Divided World Some Republicans see opportunity for bipartisanship with a Democratic president, especially on the climate. How climate solutions can find support on both sides of the aisle if Congress remain...

Arctic Sea Ice Overdue / Beyond the Headlines / All We Can Save / How Wildfires Benefit Wildlife / Remembering Mario Molina / Fall Gardening Tips An influential new collection of essays seeks to elevate women's voices in the climate movement and makes a strong case that diversity and inclusion are fundamental to addressing the climate crisis. Also, after record heat in the far north this summer, A...

Environmental Justice Debated / Climate and Senate Races in North Carolina and Georgia / Rapid Ice Melt and Rising Seas / Overcoming Climate Anxiety / Beyond the Headlines / Hiking in 6-Inch Heels The final presidential debate and US Senate races in North Carolina and Georgia underscore the growing climate concerns of voters. The Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets are melting at alarming rates tha...