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Ocean Monitoring Restored
After announcing at the end of May it was dismantling the Ocean Observatories Initiative, the National Science Foundation faced widespread public criticism and the Senate passed a bipartisan measure to preserve the vital ocean monitoring network. NSF then reversed its decision and says an array that was already being removed will be redeployed. We discuss this reprieve for climate and ocean science.
Fighting Fracking in Colombia
Our sixth and final installment of interviews with the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize winners features Latin American winner Yuvelis Morales Blanco, honored for fighting against fracking in Colombia and forced to flee after receiving death threats. The recent presidential elections in Colombia put fracking back on the table, after four years of an administration that signaled a desire to transition away from fossil fuels.
When the Forest Breathes with Suzanne Simard
Hosts Steve Curwood and Jenni Doering continue their conversation with forest ecologist Suzanne Simard about her latest book When the Forest Breathes: Renewal and Resilience in the Natural World. They discuss the interconnections between forests, the climate, salmon, Indigenous peoples and more.
El Niño Is Here
The 2026 El Niño is now officially underway, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA. Combined with the ongoing rising temperatures from the climate crisis, this possible “super” El Niño could spell major disruption of weather patterns and ocean circulation worldwide.
A Cemetery Buzzing with Bees
While honeybees get most of the buzz, most bees don’t produce honey, and most don’t even live in colonies. Instead, they’re solitary bees who build individual nests. A recent study details an astonishing finding of several million solitary bees in a cemetery in Ithaca, New York.
How Flowers Made Our World
Lush peonies, delicate hydrangeas, and vibrant roses burst into bloom in early summer, filling gardens and parks with color and fragrance. But flowers are more than their beauty. They’re some of the oldest beings on Earth, and they played a large role in shaping the natural world as we know it. Author and biologist David George Haskell joins us to discuss his 2026 book, How Flowers Made Our World: The Story of Nature’s Revolutionaries.
When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History and America's Black Botanical Legacy
When plant biologist Beronda Montgomery sat down to write When Trees Testify, a personal memoir mixed with a botanical history of African Americans, she found her research as a PhD lab scientist had brought her squarely into the world of social science as well. From her studies of how plants respond to light during photosynthesis, she started shining a light on the history of extensive plant cultivation by African Americans, including those who endured forced labor.
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!
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Ocean Monitoring Restored
After announcing at the end of May it was dismantling the Ocean Observatories Initiative, the National Science Foundation faced widespread public criticism and the Senate passed a bipartisan measure to preserve the vital ocean monitoring network. NSF then reversed its decision and says an array that was already being removed will be redeployed. We discuss this reprieve for climate and ocean science.
Fighting Fracking in Colombia
Our sixth and final installment of interviews with the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize winners features Latin American winner Yuvelis Morales Blanco, honored for fighting against fracking in Colombia and forced to flee after receiving death threats. The recent presidential elections in Colombia put fracking back on the table, after four years of an administration that signaled a desire to transition away from fossil fuels.
When the Forest Breathes with Suzanne Simard
Hosts Steve Curwood and Jenni Doering continue their conversation with forest ecologist Suzanne Simard about her latest book When the Forest Breathes: Renewal and Resilience in the Natural World. They discuss the interconnections between forests, the climate, salmon, Indigenous peoples and more.
This Week’s Show
June 26, 2026
listen / download
Ocean Monitoring Restored
listen / download
After announcing at the end of May it was dismantling the Ocean Observatories Initiative, the National Science Foundation faced widespread public criticism and the Senate passed a bipartisan measure to preserve the vital ocean monitoring network. NSF then reversed its decision and says an array that was already being removed will be redeployed. We discuss this reprieve for climate and ocean science.
Fighting Fracking in Colombia
listen / download
Our sixth and final installment of interviews with the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize winners features Latin American winner Yuvelis Morales Blanco, honored for fighting against fracking in Colombia and forced to flee after receiving death threats. The recent presidential elections in Colombia put fracking back on the table, after four years of an administration that signaled a desire to transition away from fossil fuels.
When the Forest Breathes with Suzanne Simard
listen / download
Hosts Steve Curwood and Jenni Doering continue their conversation with forest ecologist Suzanne Simard about her latest book When the Forest Breathes: Renewal and Resilience in the Natural World. They discuss the interconnections between forests, the climate, salmon, Indigenous peoples and more.
Remembering Environmental Journalist Jim Bruggers
listen / download
James Bruggers, who passed away in June, was a champion of environmental justice reporting who helped build the Society of Environmental Journalists with 13 years on its board and another two as its president. As a reporter for Inside Climate News, Jim appeared on Living on Earth over the years, and we remember his inspiring simpact.
Special Features
Field Note: "After the Storm"
Living on Earth's Explorer-in-Residence, Mark Seth Lender, ruminates on the storm as it meets the shore.
Blog Series: Mark Seth Lender Field Notes
Field Note: "Countermeasures"
Living on Earth's Explorer-in-Residence, Mark Seth Lender, shares observations about shorebirds in flight.
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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