Living on Earth

Americans have voted to give President Obama a second term. Now he has four more years to make progress on environmental issues, such as climate change. Host Steve Curwood discusses the possible environmental priorities with ConservAmerica’s Vice President for Government and Political Affairs, Dave Jenkins, and the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Director of the Climate and Clean Air Program,...

Superstorm Sandy drew some of its strength from warmer waters, exacerbated by climate change. Elliott Sclar, director of the Center for Sustainable Urban Development at the Earth Institute at Columbia University tells host Steve Curwood how to design urban areas to be more resilient in a warming world. (published November 9, 2012)

The number of cyclists on New York City streets spiked after Superstorm Sandy. Caroline Sampanaro, director of bicycle advocacy at Transportation Alternatives, joins us to discuss the importance of the bike to helping create sustainable cities. (published November 9, 2012)

Bike share programs are increasingly popular, with nearly 200 world wide. In Boston the Hubway allows riders to take out a sturdy bike for 30 minutes at a time to help commuters the last mile of their commute. Living On Earth's Bobby Bascomb reports. (published November 9, 2012)

One of the rarest birds in the world migrates to the far northeast of Russia to breed each summer. Cornell Laboratory photographer Gerrit Vyn reports. (published November 9, 2012)

Best selling author Barbara Kingsolver’s newest novel takes place in a small Appalachian community in rural Tennessee. The farming town gets international attention when climate change causes the unexpected arrival of a huge collection of beautiful winged creatures. Barbara Kingsolver talks with host Steve Curwood. (published November 9, 2012)

Frankenstorm and Climate Change / Insuring for Climate Change / Affects of Climate Change on New York City / Protecting Coastal Areas With….Oysters / Letters / Delta Risk / Environmental Protest in China / BirdNote® Oystercatcher

Sandy hit the Eastern U.S. with a powerful punch. The superstorm lashed the coast, flooded whole towns, left millions without power, and dropped snow on towns from Ohio to Tenessessee. Host Steve Curwood discusses how climate change contributed to the storm's power with Kevin Trenberth, senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. (published November 2, 2012)

Scientists expect more severe storms like Sandy as a result of climate change and insurance companies are paying attention. Steve Dishart, former communications manager for reinsurer Swiss Re, tells host Steve Curwood that rates wil rise and some properties will be uninsurable as climate change brings about more fierce weather. (published November 2, 2012)

We revisit a Living on Earth documentary reported by John Rudolph in 2003 that examined the potential effects of climate change on New York City. Then Klaus Jacob, senior research scientist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, featured in the original story, talks to host Steve Curwood from his flooded home on the Hudson River. (published November 2, 2012)

Oysters are a delicacy to some, but writer Paul Greenberg says they could have a more practical function. Greenberg tells host Steve Curwood that oysters once helped protect New York city from fierce storms. (published November 2, 2012)

We dip into the Living on Earth mailbag to hear from our listeners. (published November 2, 2012)

Evaluating disaster risk is a major industry and researchers in California are working to reinvent how it’s done. Lauren Sommer has the story from IEEE Spectrum Magazine National Science Foundation special "Responding to Disasters, from Prediction to Recovery." (published November 2, 2012)

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Ningbo, China recently in opposition to a petrochemical plant they feel is a danger to public health. Ben Carlson, a journalist for the Global Post, told host Steve Curwood about the growing environmental movement in China. (published November 2, 2012)

The ocean battered the East Coast this past week but for the Black Oystercatcher the seashore is a protective habitat. BirdNOte’s Michael Stein reports. (published November 2, 2012)

First Nation Challenges Expansion of Canada’s Tar Sands / Students Demand Fossil Fuel Divestment / Exporting Wyoming Coal to Asia / Hospitals Go Green to Save Money and Save Lives / The Long Rise: Mark Seth Lender / The Whale that Spoke Human / Eternity of Eagles / BirdNote ©: Screech Owl

Canada’s tar sands cover an area the size of New York State. Now Shell Canada wants to expand its Jackpine tar sands mining operations, but several First Nations communities who live there fiercely protest the plans. Living on Earth host Steve Curwood hears why from Chelsea Flook, Executive Director of the Sierra Club Prairie Chapter. (published October 26, 2012)

Some 25 yrs ago, students demanded their universities pull investments out of South Africa to fight Apartheid. Now, activists want to fight climate change emissions using the same tactic. Host Steve Curwood talks to Harvard students who are asking the college to pull investment from all fossil fuel stocks. (published October 26, 2012)

Coal mines are booming in the Rocky Mountain West, and mining companies need expanded deep water terminals. Asia is hungry for coal, but some Pacific coast residents are not in favor of huge new export facilities at their ports. Ashley Ahearn of the Public radio collaborative EarthFix reports. (published October 26, 2012)

In an effort to stabalize energy costs hospitals nationwide are investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Host Steve Curwood checks out the innovative design of the new Spaulding hospital with John Masservy Director of Capital and Facilities Planning for Partners' HealthCare. (published October 26, 2012)

In the far north, in summer months dawn starts early and the light grows almost imperceptibly. One early morning, writer Mark Seth Lender, author of A Salt Marsh Diary, found himself out on the tundra, with three polar bears. (published October 26, 2012)

Whales are famous for their intelligence, and a new paper from neurobiologist Sam Ridgway argues that at least one beluga whale could imitate human speech patterns. Living on Earth's Emmett FitzGerald reports on Noc, the cetacean with the remarkable vocal powers. (published October 26, 2012)

Stephen Bodio is a naturalist, falconer, and writer whose travels have taken him all around the world. During the 1990s, he lived with Kazakh tribes of central Asia, who use eagles to hunt wolves. Bodio discusses with host, Steve Curwood his new book a compendium of all things eagle called An Eternity of Eagles. (published October 26, 2012)

Of all familiar birds, the Screech Owl has the spookiest and scariest calls, as Mary McCann explains in this week's BirdNote. (published October 26, 2012)

First Nation Challenges Expansion of Canada’s Tar Sands / Students Demand Fossil Fuel Divestment / Exporting Wyoming Coal to Asia / Hospitals Go Green to Save Money and Save Lives / The Long Rise: Mark Seth Lender / The Whale that Spoke Human / Eternity of Eagles / BirdNote ©: Screech Owl