
Dire Climate Warning From IPCC
The world has no more than a year or two to start bending the curve of carbon emissions downward to avoid more drastic impacts of climate change, according to the latest scientific consensus the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. UPenn climate scientist Michael Mann discusses what’s at stake for the planet and what’s necessary to keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.


Natl Audubon Keeps Enslaver’s Name
The namesake of the National Audubon Society was an enslaver, racist and white supremacist, so several local chapters are changing their names. But the leadership of the national group has rejected making a change. DC chapter President Tykee James says the decision is an obstacle to a more inclusive birding community.


Microplastics – “A Poison Like No Other”
Microplastics are everywhere scientists have looked for them, from the deepest ocean trenches to mountain peaks. Micro and nano plastics are in our air, water, food, and our own bodies. The recent book “A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies” takes a deep dive into the world of these tiny pollutants laden with thousands of different chemicals. Author Matt Simon discusses the dangers and options to address the problem.

This Weeks Show
March 31, 2023
listen / download

Dire Climate Warning From IPCC
listen / download
The world has no more than a year or two to start bending the curve of carbon emissions downward to avoid more drastic impacts of climate change, according to the latest scientific consensus the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. UPenn climate scientist Michael Mann discusses what’s at stake for the planet and what’s necessary to keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Beyond the Headlines
listen / download
Living on Earth Contributor Peter Dykstra and Host Bobby Bascomb talk about Scotch whiskey going green, armadillos marching north into the Midwest thanks to climate change, and likely the only time mafia boss Charles “Lucky” Luciano was held accountable for a killing, with the victim a pheasant.

Natl Audubon Keeps Enslaver’s Name
listen / download
The namesake of the National Audubon Society was an enslaver, racist and white supremacist, so several local chapters are changing their names. But the leadership of the national group has rejected making a change. DC chapter President Tykee James says the decision is an obstacle to a more inclusive birding community.

Microplastics – “A Poison Like No Other”
listen / download
Microplastics are everywhere scientists have looked for them, from the deepest ocean trenches to mountain peaks. Micro and nano plastics are in our air, water, food, and our own bodies. The recent book “A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies” takes a deep dive into the world of these tiny pollutants laden with thousands of different chemicals. Author Matt Simon discusses the dangers and options to address the problem.
Special Features
Field Note: Cliff Hanger
Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender expands on his essay about cormorants and explains how the remnants of war can create refuges for wildlife where no humans will venture.
Blog Series: Mark Seth Lender Field Notes
Field Note: I’ll Take Menhaden
Menhaden fish once gathered in schools several miles long and were a common food for predators like sharks, sea birds, and bass. But after humans turned them into everything from supplements to fertilizer their numbers plummeted by roughly 90 percent. In Long Island Sound they’re finally bouncing back and Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender, witnesses their return.
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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