Living on Earth

World Media Foundation
  • 4.6 (454)
  • NEWS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

As the planet we call home faces a climate emergency, Living on Earth is your go-to source for the latest coverage of climate change, ecology, and human health. Hosted by Steve Curwood and brought to you by PRX.

  1. 3D AGO

    Hot Prospects for Geothermal Energy, Do Aliens Speak Physics? Global Health Under Trump and more.

    As geothermal heating and cooling slowly spreads in the U.S., some communities and utilities are looking to grow small pilot projects into much larger networks of pipes and heat pumps that extract and store heat in the earth to warm and cool homes and businesses as needed. We hear about a large geothermal HVAC system that demonstrates the possibilities and benefits of scaling up. Also, classic science fiction tends to assume that if aliens visit Earth, they will have done so thanks to using math and science that’s like our own. But physicist Daniel Whiteson and cartoonist Andy Warner aren’t so sure. They’re the authors of the book Do Aliens Speak Physics? And Other Questions About Science and the Nature of Reality. And the current Trump administration has in its first year cut off the World Health Organization, dismantled the United States Agency for International Development or USAID, and overhauled vaccination recommendations, just to name a few decisions impacting health and claiming lives across the globe.  ---  Save the date for the next Living on Earth Book Club event! On Thursday, Feb. 26th at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, Terry Tempest Williams will join us live on Zoom to discuss her new book The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary. Go to loe.org/events to learn more and register for this free conversation about finding glimmers of hope in the natural world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    53 min

  2. JAN 23

    US Leaves Top Climate Science Body, Health and Economic Costs of Fossil Fuels, Gardening for Special Needs and more.

    The Trump Administration is withdrawing the US from the scientific Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or IPCC, which reports agreement about the basic scientific facts of global warming and the impact of core technologies to address it. A lead author of the IPCC fourth assessment report in 2007 explains how the fossil fuel industry has long pushed for such an action.  Also, the burning of fossil fuels is linked to some 300,000 deaths in America every year, not to mention the related carbon emissions that promote global warming. We discuss the major health and economic costs linked to pollution.  And for people with developmental or physical disabilities, growing plants in a garden may offer personal growth opportunities that unlock new possibilities outside of the garden too. An avid gardener and occupational therapist speaks about her book Nurturing Nature: A Guide to Gardening for Special Needs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    53 min

  3. JAN 16

    Trump Ices Climate Diplomacy, Western Water Crisis Boiling Over, Fungi and Climate Resilience, and more. 

    The Trump Administration recently announced plans to withdraw the United States from dozens of United Nations treaties and organizations including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, a treaty that was ratified by the US Senate in 1992 and is the key international forum for addressing the climate crisis. Marianne Lavelle, the Washington Bureau Chief for Inside Climate News, speaks about what this decision could mean for global climate progress. Also, the Colorado River provides water to seven western states, and there is not enough to go around. Recently the federal government ordered the states to agree on a plan on how to share what's left amid a worsening drought. Luke Runyon co-directs The Water Desk at the University of Colorado-Boulder’s Center for Environmental Journalism and he joins us to discuss the challenges of allocating water resources when demand continues to outstrip supply. And mycorrhizal fungi form intricate and vital partnerships with plants through enormous underground networks that could help ecosystems and agriculture withstand climate impacts. But these fungi are threatened by habitat loss, nitrogen pollution and more. 2025 MacArthur Fellow Toby Kiers is leading fungi research and conservation efforts; he shares the wonders of fungi and why they’re worth protecting.  —---- If you’re not yet signed up for the Living on Earth newsletter, the start of the new year is a great time to join! Don’t miss out on our weekly exclusive content and notes behind the stories you hear on Living on Earth. Just go to loe.org/newsletter to get started. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    52 min

  4. JAN 9

    Environment and Rule of Law Under Trump, Sea of Grass and the Disappearing Prairie, An Indigenous Bison Harvest and more.

    In its first year, the second Trump Administration slashed environmental regulations and programs, overstepping its executive authority in the eyes of some environmental advocates. But the judicial and legislative branches appear unable or unwilling to provide a check on what legal expert Pat Parenteau sees is abusive executive power threatening the health of people and planet. Also, the American prairie is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world, but today just one percent of eastern tallgrass prairie remains, and western shortgrass prairie is disappearing at a rate of more than a million acres a year. The author of Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin, and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie joins us to discuss.  And efforts to bring back bison that once roamed those plains are helping to revive Indigenous culture on lands across the US West, including in the city of Denver. --- If you’re not yet signed up for the Living on Earth newsletter, the start of the new year is a great time to join! Don’t miss out on our weekly exclusive content and notes behind the stories you hear on Living on Earth. Just go to loe.org/newsletter to get started. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    53 min

  5. JAN 2

    A City on Mars and the Perils of Settling Space; and Out-of-this-World Discoveries from 2025

    As a new space race heats up, private companies and sovereign nations alike have their sights on setting up permanent human settlements in space – but huge technological, medical and legal challenges remain. Kelly and Zach Weinersmith join us to talk about their book A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?  And 2025 brought some exciting extraterrestrial scientific discoveries, including new evidence about the Martian environment and the possibility of past life on Mars, the discovery of important building blocks of life in samples from the asteroid Bennu, and observations of the third interstellar object that’s been documented in our solar system. --- If you’re not yet signed up for the Living on Earth newsletter, the start of the new year is a great time to join! Don’t miss out on our weekly exclusive content and notes behind the stories you hear on Living on Earth. Just go to loe.org/newsletter to get started. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    52 min

  6. 12/26/2025

    The Earth Is Our Home For the Holidays and Always

    At this coldest, darkest time of year, draw near the fire and the radio, join with family and friends, and savor the warmth and joy of good company, good food, and good stories.  Master storyteller Jay O’Callahan shares some tales, including one about his community’s tradition of Christmas caroling and how it brought hope to his mother in a time of darkness and for Christmases to come. Also, Tem Blessed, an environmentally and socially-conscious hip-hop artist, discusses how contemporary music can communicate the importance of the environment and sustainability to young audiences.  And Denny Breau, a singer/songwriter from Maine, joins us during these cold winter months to discuss some of the moments that warm his heart. He shares stories about one of his favorite holiday meals, ice-fishing, his Acadian family origins, and traditions of song that span the generations. Happy holidays from all of us at Living on Earth! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    52 min

  7. 12/19/2025

    Winter Solstice Stories and Songs

    In many cultures, stories passed down through the generations explain how the world got to be the way it is. The Haudenosaunee people of Northeastern North America have a story about how the star cluster known as the Pleiades came to be, told by Perry Ground, Turtle Clan member of the Onondaga Nation of the Haudenosaunee. Also, a Cherokee myth, told here by storyteller Diane Edgecomb, explains why pines, spruces and firs stay green year-round. She joins us to talk about the value of bringing old stories alive for people -- what she calls “living myth” – and how stories have accumulated around this time of year, the winter Solstice, when in the Northern Hemisphere the Sun stands still on the horizon for three short days and three long nights. And Diane Edgecomb performs the Greek myth “Ceyx and Alcyone” about the origin of Halcyon birds, also known as kingfishers, which the ancients noticed would appear during the “Halcyon Days” when the seas became calm, around the time of the winter Solstice. She also shares how stories can help illuminate why we take part in old traditions at this time of year such as putting up lights, decorating evergreens, and hanging mistletoe. Happy holidays from all of us at Living on Earth!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    52 min

  8. 12/12/2025

    Bill McKibben on Abundant Solar and the Waning Power of Fossil Fuels, and more.

    Climate activist Bill McKibben, who authored The End of Nature nearly 40 years ago, is back with Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization. He joins us for a wide-ranging discussion on the stunning growth of renewable energy from the sun and wind, led in part by China, even as the fossil fuel industry digs in. Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence, Mark Seth Lender provides a refuge for hungry ducks during hunting season. He also observed something remarkable: these “dabbling” ducks have learned to dive for the seed he offers them. And as a preview for next week’s Winter Solstice storytelling special, we feature a traditional “Wassail Song” with storyteller Diane Edgecomb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    52 min
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Hosts & Guests

4.6
out of 5
454 Ratings

About

As the planet we call home faces a climate emergency, Living on Earth is your go-to source for the latest coverage of climate change, ecology, and human health. Hosted by Steve Curwood and brought to you by PRX.

Information

  • Creator
    World Media Foundation
  • Years Active
    2005 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1.3K
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    ℗ & © 2021 World Media Foundation
  • Show Website
    Living on Earth

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