How to Green Up - FRI 11/6/09 6:05pm

A special one-hour interview with Dr. James Hansen, NASA's top climate scientist, as an Earth Day 40th anniversary special.　Dr. Hansen discusses the role of nuclear power in the climate crisis, the need for alternatives to cap and trade as a solution to climate change, and the possibilities that Earth will become like Venus due to fossil fuel consumption.　

Adding insult to injury, residents all along the Gulf Coast are gutting their houses because they were rebuilt after Hurricanes Rita and Katrina with toxic drywall. Jim Vallette of the Healthy Building Network explains how the drywall came to include toxic ash and other wastes from coal-fired power plants in China. And, the World Bank has approved a loan that will create one of the world's largest coal-fired power plants. The plant emits 23 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. Desmond D'Sa of the Environmental Alliance of South Africa talks about the project.

Tyson Slocum, the director of the energy program for the group Public Citizen and Caroline Cannon, president of the native village of Point Hope on Alaska's North Slope, discuss President Obama’s decision to expand off shore oil drilling in Alaska and elsewhere, and, a victory in the fight against mountaintop removal mining.

An upcoming US Supreme Court Case reviews the Center for Food Safety's legal victory banning the sale and planting of Monsanto's genetically altered alfalfa. 　The case mirrors a battle over genetically altered eggplants in India. Daphne Wysham speaks to the Center's founder, Andrew Kimbrell and a new report shows how the second richest man in New York is quietly funding climate deniers. We speak to Kert Davies of Greenpeace USA about how David Koch is pouring millions into climate denial campaigns.

Fracking for natural gas can cause flames to shoot out of water faucets and pollute groundwater with unknown chemicals - and yet the EPA has little authority to this process used by the natural gas industry in 38 states. Daphne Wysham speaks to Abrahm Lustgarten about the articles he's written about fracking for the non-profit investigative journalism group - ProPublica

Environmental activist Mike Roselle faces charges of trespassing, obstruction, contempt of court, and the defiance of a temporary restraining order - so all is going to plan for this Kentucky native.　Mike is the author of the book 'Tree Spiker' and the co-founder of several groups including Earth First!, the Ruckus Society and the Rainforest Action Network. He's just been released from jail in West Virginia for his nonviolent work against mountaintop removal mining with Climate Ground Zero.

Billionaires Bill Gates and Richard Branson are funneling millions of dollars into far-out solutions to climate change. It's called geoengineering and these high-risk, planet-altering schemes are already underway. 　And, the sweet smell of success on coal-fired power. Bruce Nilles, the director of the Sierra Club's national coal campaign, discusses how nearly all of the 150 planned coal-fired power plants have been stopped nationwide.

In this rebroadcast of an earlier Earthbeat, Mike Tidwell discusses how the White House held closed-door meetings that may result in HFCs becoming a bargaining chip on the worldwide carbon market with David Sassoon, the editor of the website Solve Climate. Also, how a DC lobbying group forged anti-climate letters - pretending to be grassroots African-American and Hispanic non-profits groups in Virginia and Joe Romm, editor of the website Climate Progress, discusses the lack of progress on the nightly news in efforts to educate the public about climate change.

'Clean Coal' has been the rallying call of the coal industry in America, but as author and activist Jeff Biggers explains to Earthbeat host Daphne Wysham, it's actually a strategy that the dirty industry has used throughout history to push back on any types of restrictions on coal mining.　

Mike Tidwell discusses the implications of the Supreme Court vote with Rich Thomas, the general counsel and senior vice president of the League of Conservation Voters, also, the election to the US Senate of a Republican from Massachusetts – Scott Brown is discussed by two environmentalists who know Brown more than most. Jack Clarke is the director of public policy for Mass Audubo and Lora Wondolowski, the executive director for the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters.

While the US Senate continues to stall on climate change, there are allegations that oil companies are writing legislation being sponsored by Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski. Steven Biel of MoveOn.org and Courtney Abrams of Environment America share what they know about the charges. Then, a discussion of presidential power and climate change with Kevin Bundy of the Center for Biological Diversity. And, a critical discussion on agriculture and climate change with Rachel Smolker of BioFuel.

Mike Tidwell reviews two Senators, one from Montana and one from Louisiana, who are obstructing climate change legislation. Both come from powerful political families, both are Democrats, and both represent states that are uniquely affected by climate change. Then, the recent explosion in solar energy across America. Solar power is stronger, faster and cheaper than ever before. Joining us to discuss solar is author Amanda Little.

Nuclear power proponents say it's 'clean energy' because, unlike coal-fired power plants, nuclear power doesn't produce carbon dioxide. In this encore episode we hear from Dr. Helen Caldicott the author of Nuclear Power is Not the Answer on the dangers of nuclear power. Plus, Pete Altman, the climate campaign director for the Natural Resources Defense Council talks about what the resignation of major companies from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce may mean to the fight to halt climate change.

It's a sooty, black substance that holds great promise for not only slowing down climate change - but actually reversing it. In this encore episode of Earthbeat, Mike Tidwell discusses the promise of biochar with Durwood Zaelke, the president and founder of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development. And, the connections between population and climate change go far beyond the recent comments by conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.

Earthbeat Radio:  Indonesia recently rounded up and deported international journalists and activists who were in-country to witness the massive, intentionally set, fires that are destroying the country's tropical rainforest.　 Mike Tidwell discusses the devastation to the area - and its consequences for our climate with Greenpeace forest activists Rolf Skar in San Francisco and Chiara Campione in Italy. Then, hear about a rock that naturally traps carbon dioxide right out of the air. It's kinda like the 'anti-coal.

Daphne Wysham speaks to Laurie Williams and Allan Zabel about their YouTube video that shows how cap and trade is fatally flawed. A review of the UN climate meeting in Barcelona and details of President Obama’s climate agreement with China.
 

THIS WEEK: Daphne Wysham speaks to Laurie Williams and Allan Zabel about their YouTube video that shows how cap and trade is fatally flawed. A review of the recent UN climate meeting in Barcelona with Ilana Solomon of Action Aid and Janet Redman of the Sustainable Energy and Economy Network. Plus, details of President Obama's climate agreement with China with Julian L. Wong of the Center for American Progress.　

Al Gore's long-awaited follow up to 'An Inconvenient Truth' is in bookstores. 'Our Choice' is a master plan for fighting climate change. Joe Romm, author of the website Climate Progress, talks about the book. Plus, a review a lawsuit by victims of Hurricane Katrina against the oil companies that they say contributed to the ferocity of the storm with F. Gerald Maples, the lead attorney in the case.

Earthbeat Radio:  Denmark’s Ambassador to the United States discusses how his country became a world leader in renewable energy, lower greenhouse gases, and a strong national economy. Plus, the federal government classifies incinerators as a source of renewable energy. Meg Sheehan of Eco-law in Massachusetts discusses the irony of naming waste as renewable and Edward Mazria, the founder and executive director of Architecture 2030 talks about how his architecture research group is working to slow climate change.

Host Mike Tidwell discusses the promise and the actions of the president with Joe Romm, the editor of the blog ClimateProgress. Copenhagen, Denmark is the greenest city in the world, even though a large portion of its electricity comes from coal. Peter Garforth talks about how to “green up” American cities. And, an encore of our interview with Professor Jessica Hellmann of the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indianan on her work studying forced migration - when conservation biologists move plants and animals to new locations to protect them from extinction due to climate change.

THIS WEEK: Pete Altman, the climate campaign director for the Natural Resources Defense Council and Antonia Juhasz, the author of the book The Tyranny of Oil talk about breaking the strangle hold oil companies have on the world’s future. And, a look for the answer to why the EPA called a secret grand jury hearing to investigate what has been called the biggest toxic dumping scandal of the 21st century.

THIS WEEK: Months before Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and ripped away its protective levees, one Louisiana State University professor sounded the warning that the levees were inadequate and ready to collapse. He blamed the problem on the off shore drilled of Chevron for undermining the coastline. Now, that professor and all of his colleagues at the hurricane study center were fired and the center was closed. A few weeks later, a new center for the study of wetlands was opened…with a majority of the funding coming from Chevron. Investigative reporter Greg Palast tells this story of “green-washing.”

THIS WEEK: Daphne Wysham discusses how the rest of the world is leaping forward on a clean energy future with Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute and the author of the book, “Mobilizing to Save Civilization.” And, David Bookbinder, the chief climate counsel of the Sierra Club and Tyson Slocum, the head of Public Citizen’s energy program discuss the pending U.S. action in the Senate on the nation’s first major legislation to fight climate change.

On the same week that the federal government agreed to review putting the walrus on the endangered species list - a herd in Alaska stampeded killing hundreds of the animals. You’ll hear how oil and gas drilling is affecting the walruses from biologist Shaye Wolf of the Climate Law Institute at the Center for Biological Diversity. Bestselling author and investigative journalist Greg Palast discusses how the oil company Chevron is behind the firing of hurricane experts at Louisiana State University.