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Garbage “waste-to-energy” incineration has long been sold to the public as a technologically-advanced solution to the waste crisis and a source of renewable energy. In reality, incineration poses significant environmental, human health, and climate risks, while disproportionately impacting communities of color and low-income communities that already face high pollution burdens. Anti-incineration advocates also point to the high costs needed to keep this declining industry afloat in the U.S., siphoning public money away from more just and sustainable waste management solutions. 
This week on Terra Verde, host and producer Hannah Wilton invites Denaya Shorter, Senior Director for the US and Canada Region of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), to discuss the anti-incineration movement and zero waste alternatives to burning. Denaya sheds light on the industry’s connections to the plastic and petrochemical complex, the concept of “waste colonialism,” zero waste as a strategy rooted in justice, and the recent closure of California’s second to last waste incinerator, representing a major win for grassroots community activists and environmental groups.
The post Starving the Incinerators appeared first on KPFA.

In October, the Teesta III dam in Northeast India was destroyed when torrential rains caused an upstream glacial lake to overflow and burst. Indigenous activists in the region have protested against the Teesta III and other major hydropower projects for decades, warning of the catastrophic impacts that dams, railway tunnels, and industry activities have on the fragile and sacred ecosystem that is especially prone to seismic activity, landslides, and climate change-related events. 
On this episode of Terra Verde, Mayalmit Lepcha and Minket Lepcha join host Fiona McLeod, to discuss how they have worked to protect their ancestral homelands in Sikkim and Darjeeling, and to advocate for indigenous communities most impacted by disasters like the Teesta III dam break. They share important insights about how the tragedy in Northeast India offers important lessons that decision-makers, community members, and individuals around the world can learn from. 
To learn more about Minket Lepcha and her film, Voices of Teesta, click here: https://talkingrivers.org/minket-lepcha.
To learn more about Mayalmit Lepcha and her work with Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) and International Rivers, click here: https://www.internationalrivers.org/news/women-river-defender-highlight-marmit-lepcha/
The post Voices of the River Teesta appeared first on KPFA.

This week’s episode of Terre Verde is preempted by part 2 of a special edition of Professor Richard Wolff’s Economic Update.
 
The post Special Spring Fund Drive Programming appeared first on KPFA.

This week’s episode of Terre Verde is preempted by part 2 of a special edition of Professor Richard Wolff’s Economic Update.
 
The post Special Spring Fund Drive Programming appeared first on KPFA.

This week’s episode is preempted by part 2 of Professor Richard Wolff’s Economic Update.
Click here for part 1.
 
The post Special Spring Fund Drive Programming appeared first on KPFA.

With one of the largest and most diverse agricultural sectors in the United States, California is encouraging its producers to adopt sustainable farming practices to help mitigate climate change. While many state incentive programs have been introduced in recent years, we have a long way to go in order to fully understand the potential benefits of climate smart farming and to implement these regenerative practices on a wider scale. This episode of Terra Verde explores the growing field of climate smart agriculture, shedding light on research gaps, policy barriers and the most pressing challenges confronting California’s producers today as they strive to invest in long-term sustainable land stewardship.
Tune in as host and producer Hannah Wilton speaks with Jamie Fanous, Policy Director at Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), and Jessica Chiartas, a Project Scientist at University of California, Davis and Founder of Soil Life, whose research focuses on the long-term impacts of agriculture on soil carbon, soil health and ecosystem services. Together, Jessica and CAFF recently published a scientific literature review titled, Understanding the Science Behind Climate Smart Agriculture in California, which explores key climate smart practices within a California context while identifying knowledge gaps in the field.
The post Farming for the Future appeared first on KPFA.