Living on Earth: Public Radio's Environmental News Magazine

Public Radio's Environmental News Magazine (follow us on Google News)

LNG Carbon Bomb

The carbon footprint of U.S. liquefied natural gas, or LNG exports is 33% higher than for coal, according to research from Cornell University. Cornell Professor Robert Howarth explains why LNG is so carbon intensive and discusses the climate risks of a planned expansion of U.S. LNG exports.

Sacred Indian River Polluted

India’s Yamuna River is considered sacred by some devout Hindus, who bathe in the river to cleanse their sins. But around New Delhi it has become badly polluted with raw sewage and a thick off-white foam linked to detergents flowing untreated from laundries and households.

Plastics Treaty Delayed

Crafting a UN plastic pollution treaty hasn’t been easy, with countries butting heads on key issues including curbs on plastic production, changes of the chemistry of plastics and the role of waste management. And the recent session in Korea that was supposed to finalize the treaty resulted in only a very rough draft.

$250 Billion Yearly Economic Costs from Plastics

Hormone-disrupting chemicals in plastics take a yearly economic and health toll in the hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S. alone, according to a 2024 study. Pediatrician Leonardo Trasande discusses the research and explains why PFAS, phthalates, BPA and flame retardants in plastics are so harmful to human health.

Climate Action at the World Court

The world’s biggest climate case is underway at the International Court of Justice at the Hague in the Netherlands. Over 100 countries and intergovernmental organizations are arguing before a 15-judge panel, which could decide to issue an advisory opinion to clarify nations’ obligations to limit global warming emissions.

Giraffes in Trouble

Facing habitat loss, poaching and climate disruption, giraffes have declined more than 40 percent in the last thirty years. The US Fish and Wildlife Service recently proposed listing three giraffe subspecies as endangered and two others as threatened. We talk about the threats to giraffes and how their proposed addition to the Endangered Species List could aid recovery.

UN Climate Summit Falters

The UN climate treaty summit known as COP29 teetered on the edge of collapse as less developed nations implored the rich countries of the global north to provide financial relief to help them cope with rising climate costs. Alden Meyer of E3G was at the COP and explains the frustrations with the process and the compromise delegates eventually reached.

Celebrating 30 years of Living on Earth!

Host Steve Curwood in the Living on Earth studio

Join the Living on Earth Book Club on October 13th!

Bestselling science journalist Ed Yong joins us to talk about his new book. Click here to learn more and register!

Aine Minogue Celebrates Hope In Celtic Holiday Traditions

Irish harpist Aine Minogue shares stories of mid-winter traditions like visiting friends, decorating with evergreens, and summoning longer days. She also plays traditional tunes of the season and sings about a creature from the Land Beneath the Sea.

Sparky and Rhonda Rucker Celebrate Hope in the Traditions of Slaves

During this season of short days, people from around the world gather together with family and close friends, telling tales of hope for the new year. It’s a tradition that became especially important to slaves in the antebellum South. Husband and wife duo Sparky and Rhonda Rucker share old-time spirituals and stories of what slaves could expect during the holiday season.

Stories of Hope from Noa Baum

Israeli-American storyteller Noa Baum shares a couple of stories that she believes keep hope alive: a traditional, Eastern European tale about the importance of stories, and the true recollection of a Pakistani who discovers that his family tree includes people from all over the world and of all faiths.

This Week’s Show
December 20, 2024
listen / download

Aine Minogue Celebrates Hope In Celtic Holiday Traditions

listen / download
Irish harpist Aine Minogue shares stories of mid-winter traditions like visiting friends, decorating with evergreens, and summoning longer days. She also plays traditional tunes of the season and sings about a creature from the Land Beneath the Sea.

Sparky and Rhonda Rucker Celebrate Hope in the Traditions of Slaves

listen / download
During this season of short days, people from around the world gather together with family and close friends, telling tales of hope for the new year. It’s a tradition that became especially important to slaves in the antebellum South. Husband and wife duo Sparky and Rhonda Rucker share old-time spirituals and stories of what slaves could expect during the holiday season.

Stories of Hope from Noa Baum

listen / download
Israeli-American storyteller Noa Baum shares a couple of stories that she believes keep hope alive: a traditional, Eastern European tale about the importance of stories, and the true recollection of a Pakistani who discovers that his family tree includes people from all over the world and of all faiths.

Special Features

Field Note: "Seal Island"
Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence, Mark Seth Lender reflects on the military history of Seal Island in the Main Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
Blog Series: Mark Seth Lender Field Notes

Field Note: Eagle!
Rise early in the morning and head out to a nearby national wildlife refuge, and you’ve got a good shot of being rewarded with the sights and sounds of all kinds of birds. And on this birdwatching trip, you might be watched back.
Blog Series: Mark Seth Lender Field Notes

...Ultimately, if we are going prevent large parts of this Earth from becoming not only inhospitable but uninhabitable in our lifetimes, we are going to have to keep some fossil fuels in the ground rather than burn them...

-- President Barack Obama, November 6, 2015 on why he declined to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline.

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