
Trump Stalls Offshore Wind
The Trump Administration is putting offshore wind energy on hold by canceling grants, cutting tax credits and revoking permits for projects that are nearly complete. We discuss the economic impacts to port communities and the view that the US is ceding the opportunity to be a global leader in renewable energy.


Huge Danger from Permafrost Loss
With the Arctic warming four times as fast as the rest of the globe, and fires now routinely burning large swaths of northern forests, carbon stored in permafrost is rapidly escaping into the atmosphere where it can warm the planet even faster. We learn about the enormous climate risks of permafrost loss and how Indigenous cultural practices can help protect this vital resource.


The Health Risks of Noise
Human-made noise is bad for our health, disrupts our natural world, and hinders our ability to connect with one another. The book Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World and How We Can Take It Back explores the hidden costs of unwanted sound and advocates for turning down the volume on human-made noise.

This Weeks Show
September 12, 2025
listen / download

Trump Stalls Offshore Wind
listen / download
The Trump Administration is putting offshore wind energy on hold by canceling grants, cutting tax credits and revoking permits for projects that are nearly complete. We discuss the economic impacts to port communities and the view that the US is ceding the opportunity to be a global leader in renewable energy.

A Tale of Two Turtles
listen / download
Living on Earth’s Don Lyman is back in classrooms teaching biology as a substitute and incorporating his passion for herpetology wherever he can. But one unusual classroom turtle presented an identification puzzle, and a teaching moment that he recounts in his essay “A Tale of Two Turtles.”

Huge Danger from Permafrost Loss
listen / download
With the Arctic warming four times as fast as the rest of the globe, and fires now routinely burning large swaths of northern forests, carbon stored in permafrost is rapidly escaping into the atmosphere where it can warm the planet even faster. We learn about the enormous climate risks of permafrost loss and how Indigenous cultural practices can help protect this vital resource.

BirdNote®: The Auspicious Chime of the Bare-throated Bellbird
listen / download
The exceptionally loud, metallic call of the Bare-throated Bellbird can be heard almost a mile away. BirdNote®’s Nick Bayard reports that the Bare-throated Bellbird is Paraguay’s national bird and has inspired Paraguayan harp music.

The Health Risks of Noise
listen / download
Human-made noise is bad for our health, disrupts our natural world, and hinders our ability to connect with one another. The book Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World and How We Can Take It Back explores the hidden costs of unwanted sound and advocates for turning down the volume on human-made noise.
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.
Donate to Living on Earth!
Living on Earth is an independent media program and relies entirely on contributions from listeners and institutions supporting public service. Please donate now to preserve an independent environmental voice.
NewsletterLiving on Earth offers a weekly delivery of the show's rundown to your mailbox. Sign up for our newsletter today!
Sailors For The Sea: Be the change you want to sea.
The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment: Committed to protecting and improving the health of the global environment.
Contribute to Living on Earth and receive, as our gift to you, an archival print of one of Mark Seth Lender's extraordinary wildlife photographs. Follow the link to see Mark's current collection of photographs.
Buy a signed copy of Mark Seth Lender's book Smeagull the Seagull & support Living on Earth