Living on Earth

The US government has released its third National Climate Assessment for public comment. This comprehensive report finds humans unquestionably responsible for recent climate disruption, and warns that global temperatures could rise as much as ten degrees by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions go unchecked. Host Steve Curwood talks about the climate report with Carol Browner, President Obama’s former...

Nearly three-quarters of Pennsylvania's woodlands are still in private hands. As Ann Murray reports, the Nature Conservancy has helped develop a program to persuade land-owners to preserve forests by rewarding them for the carbon the trees sequester. (published January 18, 2013)

The New York Times has decided to shut down its environmental desk, though the paper says the change won’t reduce its coverage of the environment. Host Steve Curwood discusses the Times’s decision with Dan Fagin, who teaches at New York University and is former president of the Society of Environmental Journalists. (published January 18, 2013)

A new twitter hashtag is pulling back the curtain on some of the truths that drive decisions in scientific labs around the world. It’s called #overlyhonestmethods and scientists can’t seem to get enough. Living on Earth's Emmett FitzGerald reports. (published January 18, 2013)

We dip into the Living on Earth mailbag to hear from our listeners. (published January 18, 2013)

In a novel experiment, artists have set up cameras that beam images from a nature reserve to San Jose's airport. Adelaide Chen reports that over time, they hope to show climate change in action. (published January 18, 2013)

A Right Whale mother and newborn calf have been spotted in Cape Cod Bay. Whale and Dolphin Conservation Biologist Regina Asmutis-Silvia tells host Steve Curwood that Right Whales should travel to the balmy waters of Florida and Georgia to give birth at this time of year. (published January 18, 2013)

Insuring for Climate Change / Big Buffett Solar Buy / Idle No More / Introducing the Elf / The Kilo is Gaining Weight / A Bright Spot for Coral Reefs / BirdNote®

2012 Was the hottest year ever recorded in the United States as well as one of the most costly in terms of weather disasters like Hurricane Sandy. Ernst Rauch, head of the Corporate Climate Center for reinsurance company Munich Re tells host Steve Curwood that insurance companies are taking note of an increase in claims as a result of climate change. (published January 11, 2013)

Warren Buffet has invested around $2.5 billion in two solar projects in Southern California. Buffet already owns several wind farms and this newest buy makes him one of the biggest solar photovoltaic investors in the United States. Host Steve Curwood talks with Ethan Zindler, head of policy analysis at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, about the implications of Buffett’s newest solar acquisition. (pub...

First Nations across Canada are protesting government measures they say undermine native sovereignty and degrade the environment. A chief is on hunger strike, and flash mobs are popping up across north America as part of the movement known as Idle No More. Native American environmental activist Winona LaDuke joins host Steve Curwood to discuss the movement. (published January 11, 2013)

ELF stands for Electric, Light and Fun. And as Living on Earth's Helen Palmer reports, the ELF is a new invention, a solar and human powered covered tricycle that might just help create a commuting revolution, and combat climate change as well. (published January 11, 2013)

If you’re worried about putting on a few kilos over the holiday season, you are not alone. Scientists at the University of Newcastle in the UK say that the standard kilogram itself is getting a little pudgy as well. The university's mechanical engineering Professor Peter Cumpson joins host Steve Curwood to discuss the weight that gained weight. (published January 11, 2013)

World wide, many coral reefs are dying as a result of increased sea temperatures and coral bleaching. But Stanford University professor of Marine Science, Steve Palumbi, tells host Steve Curwood that some populations of coral in the American Samoa are thriving in high ocean temperatures. These heat-adapted corals might provide hope that corals can adapt to a rapidly heating ocean. (published Janua...

Though it's the middle of the northern winter, the large seabirds called Laysan Albatrosses are busy raising chicks, as Michael Stein reports in BirdNote®. (published January 11, 2013)

Remembering 2012 and Looking Forward to 2013 / The Changing of the Environmental Guard / Fungi / Gold Mining Boom / BirdNote ®- Winter Birds Love Suet / The World Until Yesterday

Host Steve Curwood discusses the environmental highs and lows of 2012, and hopes for 2013 with Frank O’Donnell of Clean Air Watch, the Center for Biological Diversity'S Kieran Suckling, and Carl Safina from the Blue Ocean Institute. (published January 4, 2013)

Gene Karpinksi, President of the League of Conservation Voters, assesses Lisa Jackson as she prepares to leave her post as head of EPA, and Congress's more environmentally minded new members with host Steve Curwood. (published January 4, 2013)

There's much more to fungi than the familiar mushrooms and toadstools. As Ari Daniel Shapiro reports, fungi are both the great creators and the great destroyers of the plant kingdom. (published January 4, 2013)

As the price of gold continues to rise, mining smaller deposits can be very lucrative. Magazine On Earth writer George Black tells host Steve Curwood that in developing countries like Peru, rules are lax and environmentally destructive gold extraction is booming. (published January 4, 2013)

In winter there are few bugs for hungry birds to eat so they flock to back yard suet feeders. BirdNote®'s Mary McCann reports. (published January 4, 2013)

Best-selling author Jared Diamond‘s new book “The World Until Yesterday” is part anthropology, part personal memoir drawing on decades of field work in New Guinea. He tells host Steve Curwood the book explores lessons westerners could learn from tribal cultures on issues as varied as conflict, childcare and personal safety. (published January 4, 2013)

A Look Back at the Birth of the Clean Water Act / Threats to Clean Water Today / A Look Ahead at the Clean Water Act

Forty years ago, when rivers caught fire and fish were washing up dead by the thousands Americans came together to demand “swimmable” “fishable” waterways for all. 1972 marks the creation of the Act that changed the way water pollution is managed in America. Host Ashley Ahearn talks with William Ruckelshaus, the first administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency who oversaw the initial imp...

The Clean Water Act has had considerable success over 40 years, but now it faces challenges such as crumbling infrastructure, stormwater overflows, agricultural runoff and lack of enforcement. Host Ashley Ahearn discusses some of those challenges with Robert McClure of Investigate West. (published December 28, 2012)