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Living on Earth

Living on Earth

By: World Media Foundation
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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.℗ & © 2021 World Media Foundation Earth Sciences Politics & Government Science
Episodes
  • Vanguard Retreats from ESG, Running Free from Pricey Gas—EVs, A Vision of a Wind-Powered Venezuela and more.

    Vanguard Retreats from ESG, Running Free from Pricey Gas—EVs, A Vision of a Wind-Powered Venezuela and more.
    Mar 20 2026
    The investment giant Vanguard is retreating from its climate initiatives as part of a $30 million settlement deal for an anti-trust lawsuit brought by Republican state attorneys general. The lawsuit alleged that Vanguard and fellow asset managers BlackRock and State Street, which are still fighting the suit, conspired to kill the coal industry. Vanguard did not admit to wrongdoing but is now barred from participating in climate investment watchdog groups such as Ceres. Also, facing pain at the pump, US drivers looking to buy an electric vehicle now have more and cheaper choices than ever. But with the $7500 federal tax credit for new electric vehicles now gone, you may be wondering whether EVs are the smart buy in 2026. We share some insights about EV options, cost and the charging network. And since the US capture of President Nicolás Maduro in early January, there has been a lot of discussion about Venezuela’s massive oil reserves. But it also turns out that Venezuela is ideally positioned to harness abundant clean, renewable energy, particularly from wind. We map out this blue-sky vision for a green Venezuela. --- Join LOE and Inside Climate News for the next Living on Earth Book Club event on Thursday, March 26th! We’ll talk with data scientist Hannah Ritchie about her new book Clearing the Air: A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change in 50 Questions and Answers. Learn more and sign up for this free, live online event at loe.org/events Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • Fires and Logging Justice, Back to the Moon, Pioneering Women in Science and more.

    Fires and Logging Justice, Back to the Moon, Pioneering Women in Science and more.
    Mar 13 2026
    A decades-old US Forest Service rule that’s been used to supposedly reduce wildfire risk through large-scale logging while bypassing environmental review has been deemed unlawful by a federal court in Oregon. Clearcutting can instead increase wildfire risk, and our guest says USFS needs to rethink its entire approach to managing forests and wildfire risk. Also, the Artemis II mission is getting ready to use the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA to return to the moon for the first time since the original Apollo missions more than 50 years ago. How declining public support shut down the Apollo program, and why NASA again faces headwinds in maintaining the public’s interest in space exploration. And women have historically been underrepresented in science and engineering, but that didn’t stop Marie Curie, Jane Goodall, and Rachel Carson, and there are many more women in these fields who are not as famous. Artist and author Rachel Ignotofsky shares the contributions of some of the remarkable female scientists she profiles in her book, Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World. --- Join LOE and Inside Climate News for the next Living on Earth Book Club event on Thursday, March 26th! We’ll talk with data scientist Hannah Ritchie about her new book Clearing the Air: A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change in 50 Questions and Answers. Learn more and sign up for this free, live online event at loe.org/events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • Justice Advances in Cancer Alley; Trump, Glyphosate and Cancer; Stinky Seaweed Menace and more.

    Justice Advances in Cancer Alley; Trump, Glyphosate and Cancer; Stinky Seaweed Menace and more.
    Mar 6 2026
    Descendants of enslaved people fighting pollution in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ have been greenlit for a trial. Their lawsuit alleges the St. James Parish government discriminated against Black residents by repeatedly permitting industrial plants in predominantly Black districts while shielding mostly white districts from industry. Also, President Trump has deemed glyphosate as essential for national security even though some 200,000 people have complained they have gotten cancer or other adverse health effects, while using it as directed. Meanwhile a Missouri state court has given preliminary approval to a class action settlement plan for people sickened by Roundup, which contains the herbicide glyphosate. Why some in the Make America Healthy Again movement feel betrayed by the Trump Administration’s support for glyphosate. And though the floating seaweed known as Sargassum provides critical habitat for many species in the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic, it is now finding a fertile home in southern waters, where it’s wreaking havoc on coastal communities and ecosystems, with impacts to respiratory health, tourism and sea turtles. --- Join LOE and Inside Climate News for the next Living on Earth Book Club event on Thursday, March 26th! We’ll talk with data scientist Hannah Ritchie about her new book Clearing the Air: A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change in 50 Questions and Answers. Learn more and sign up for this free, live online event at loe.org/events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    52 mins
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