Environment & Climate Change

Professor Thomas Naff of the University of Pennsylvania and head of the Middle East Water Project. He discusses the overwhelming importance of water in the Middle East; water beneath the Ocupied Territories may be a factor in the Israeli government's refusal to cede lands to the Palestinians.

Pollan is executive editor of "Harper's Magazine." He's written a new book, "Second Nature: A Gardener's Education," in which he examines the relationship between Americans and their lawns and gardens.

Terry talks about tuna fishing and free trade with:
(1) Activist Sam LaBudde, of the Earth Island Institute. He went undercover on a tuna boat and video taped the slaughter of dolphins during tuna fishing. The tape was instrumental in starting the tuna boycott.
(2) Attorney, Josh Floum sued the Bush Administration to get it to enforce its law regarding dolphin-safe tuna fishing.
(3) Philippe Charat, President of the Tuna Association of Mexico. He responds to criticism that fishermen are killing dolphins while tuna fishing.

Nature writer Paul Schullery. Schullery has a new collection of essays, called "Pregnant Bears and Crawdad Eyes" (published by the Mountaineers). Schullery also writes and talks often about Yellowstone National Park, where he's lived off and on for 15 years. That's the subject of his earlier book, "Mountain Time: Man Meets Wilderness in Yellowstone" (published by Fireside/Simon and Schuster). (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

We examine the controversy surrounding Vice President Dan Quayle's Council on Competitiveness. We talk with New York Times reporter Phil Hilts, who covers the Council.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently released a report that examined the link between race and pollution. That report said that while things like toxic waste dumps are disproportionately located in poor areas, they're NOT disproportionately located in black areas. We look at both sides of the question...
1) First, Terry talks with sociologist Robert Bullard, author of the book, "Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class, and Environmental Quality." He disagrees with the EPA report.

Jessica Tuchman Mathews, Vice President of the World Resources Institute, which she helped to found, discusses global environmental issues. Many environmental issues, like the greenhouse effect and air and water pollution, cross national borders and their solutions depend on international cooperation. Mathews is also a columnist for The Washington Post and was on the staff of the National Security Council during the Carter Administration.

Journalist and professor of environmental studies Donella Meadows. Twenty years ago she co-authored the book, "The Limits to Growth." The book used a computer model to project the impact of growth on the environment. It caused a sensation because of it's eco-gloom and helped spur the environmental movement. Now in the authors' sequel, "Beyond the Limits," they argue that we have shot past the earth's limited resources but that we are in a better position to avoid global economic collapse because of new technical possibilities.

Marty talks with science writer Seth Shulman about how the military has left toxic wastes in bases all across the country. His new book is "The Threat at Home: Confronting the Toxic Legacy of the U.S. Military." (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Author and Senior Fellow at the World Wildlife Fund, Roger D. Stone. He's on his way to Rio de Janeiro for the Earth Summit. His book, "The Nature of Development: A Report from the Rural Tropics on the Quest for Sustainable Economic Growth," (by Knopf) in which he theorizes that the only way to protect an environment is to provide economically viable, ecologically sound alternatives for the the people who live there.

Anthropologist, archaeologist and the director of the University of Arizona's 20 year-old Garbage Project, William Rathje. The project applies the principles of archaeology to modern garbage to see what could be learned about our civilization. They've processed over 250,000 pounds of trash. Rathje has co-authored a book about the findings of the project, "Rubbish! The Archaeology of Garbage."

Fresh Air Producer Amy Salilt talks with Peter Garrett, lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil, a band known for its environmental and political activisim. They have a new album called Earth and Sun and Moon.

Journalist Raymond Bonner criticizes the World Wildlife Fund for what he believes is an unnuanced approach to the protection of endangered species in Africa. He believes that the needs of the people living in impoverished areas need to be taken into consideratio. Later, Terry talks to Ginette Hemley of the WWF for her organization's perspective.

Authors Seth Cagin and Philip Dray. Their new book is "Between Earth and Sky: How CFCs Changed Our World and Endangered the Ozone Layer." It's about how CFCs (or chlorofluorocarbons) went from being the "miracle compound" to the the biggest threat to the ozone layer. CFCs came into being in 1928 and made possible the mass use of refrigerators and air conditioners. By the 1950s they were used in aerosol sprays and in the manufacture of Sytrofoam. But by 1974, scientists began to see their deleterious environmental effects.

Dr. Paul Mayewski, chief scientist with the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2. The project archives tubes of ice extracted from Greenland which chronicle 250,000 years of the earth's atmosphere, and changes in the climate. From the ice, scientists can pinpoint the start of the industrial revolution, or the end of the ice age. Scientists hope, by looking at the ice, they can better understand rapid changes in the earth's climate. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Ethnobotanist Mark Plotkin. He has a new book about what he learned about botany and medicine from the Medicine Men of the tropical rain forests. His new book is "Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice," published by Viking. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Journalist Christopher Joyce has just written a book, "Earthly Goods," about searching for medicinal plants in rain forests. He'll talk about the history of seeking treatments in nature and the recent attempt of pharmaceutical companies, medical researchers, and anthropologists, to preserve the rain forests while they search for cures to disease.

Physician Mike Stroud and his companion Ranulph Fiennes were the first people to cross Antarctica on foot. Their 95-day expedition culminated in 1993. Stroud has just written a book, "Shadows on the Wasteland," about the 1350-mile journey. Stroud is a nutritionist and survival consultant to the British Ministry of Defense, and has participated in other Polar expeditions

Associate Counsel for Human Rights Watch, Richard Dicker. He'll discuss the situation in Nigeria. Last week poet, playwright and minority rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa was sentenced to death and killed, along with eight other men. Saro-Wiwa lead the "Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People," a movement to help the impoverished Ogoni. They had been fighting for rights to petroleum reserves and compensation for environmental damage by Shell Oil Company, a lead oil operator in the country. The deaths have been condemned by many world leaders.