Living on Earth

Nov 28 2024 1234 ep. 51 mins 4.9k
Living on Earth Podcast artwork

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.

  News  Science
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


UN Climate Summit Falters, Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer’s Guide to the Universe and more.

Nov 28 2024 52 mins  
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. Also, astronomer Phil Plait w

Trump's Anti-Green Rollback Team, Biden Climate Money in Jeopardy, Robin Wall Kimmerer on The Serviceberry, and more.

Nov 22 2024 52 mins  
President-elect Trump’s choices to run three of the federal departments critical for climate and environmental protection are drawing concern and criticism from climate and eco-activists. We discuss the mandates for regulatory rollbacks for the nominees, former US Rep. Lee Zeldin for EPA, Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright for Energy and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for Interior. A

29th UN Climate Talks Kick Off, Earth’s Fever, A win for Indigenous Groups Protecting the Planet, Puerto Rico’s Solar Power Problem and more.

Nov 15 2024 53 mins  
Delegates from nearly 200 countries are meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s 29th Conference of the Parties. Alden Meyer of the climate think tank E3G is a longtime observer of these meetings, and he shares his first impressions as these talks kick off. Although the global average temperature has been steadily increasing for decades, in

Climate and Trump’s Re-election, Biodiversity Talks Unfinished, Slippery Beast: A True Crime Natural History, with Eels and more.

Nov 08 2024 54 mins  
The re-election of Donald Trump casts US climate action into doubt. President-elect Trump has vowed he will again pull the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement, cancel President Biden’s climate policies and unleash American fossil fuels. Our colleagues at Inside Climate News join us for a roundtable discussion about what’s next for the climate, environmental policy and journal

Climate Goal in Trouble, EV Chargers Good for Business, Sy Montgomery on the Brains Behind the Cluck and more.

Nov 01 2024 53 mins  
The current plans of nations to reduce emissions would result in a destructive three degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels, far higher than the 1.5 C goal set by the Paris Climate Agreement. We discuss the widening gap between these plans and the ambition that’s needed to prevent catastrophic climate impacts. Also, research shows that public EV charging stations

Huge Untapped Earth Energy, ‘Ecocide’ of Ukrainian River, The Greening of Antarctica and more.

Oct 25 2024 52 mins  
The heat within Earth’s crust could become a major source of always-on, carbon-free, renewable geothermal electricity thanks to a technology developed for fracking that allows for much deeper drilling into hot zones. How a partnership between the oil and gas and geothermal industries could bring transformational change to the electric power sector worldwide. Also, an explosion t

Climate and the PA Senate race, Environmental Racism Case Appealed, Journey to a Melting Glacier in Antarctica and more.

Oct 18 2024 53 mins  
As control of the US Senate hangs in the balance, the Pennsylvania race between Democratic incumbent Senator Bob Casey and his Republican challenger Dave McCormick is heating up. We explain the climate and environment dimensions of Pennsylvania’s Senate race. Also, in the lower Mississippi River region commonly known as Cancer Alley, communities of color live among industrial pol

Hurricanes’ Huge Hidden Toll, Hiking on Wheels, and Conversations with Dogs.

Oct 11 2024 51 mins  
New research suggests that initial death tolls only account for a tiny fraction of the mortality that can be linked to hurricanes. On average, each tropical storm or hurricane contributes to 7,000 to 11,000 excess deaths as long as 15 years afterwards. Also, physical disabilities can make getting outside more challenging, but adaptive devices and accessible trails can transform liv

Disastrous Climate Wake Up, Jill Stein for the Greens, Sudan's Climate and War Misery and more.

Oct 04 2024 51 mins  
Hurricane Helene brought devastating storm surge and winds to the Gulf Coast and deadly floods to the inland mountains of North Carolina. We discuss the societal toll of repeated climate-fueled disasters and whether this latest super cyclone might prove a tipping point for greater climate awareness and action. Also, physician Jill Stein, the 2024 Green Party nominee for US Presiden

Exxon's Alleged Plastics ‘Deception,’ Three Mile Island to Power AI, Risks for Transgender Field Scientists and more.

Sep 27 2024 52 mins  
California is suing ExxonMobil over the oil giant’s alleged “campaign of deception” to convince the public that recycling is a viable solution for plastic waste, when less than 10% of plastics are recycled. Also, to meet the tremendous energy needs of artificial intelligence Microsoft has inked a major power purchase deal with the owners of Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania,