Environment & Climate Change

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.

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."

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

We talk with Gerd Leipold of the the Free Seas Campaign of Greenpeace. Leipold's group is calling for another Geneva Convention, this one to establish environmental rules for war.

Foreman faces federal felony charges for allegedly plotting to blow up power lines leading to a nuclear power plant. His organization Earth First! has been praised and vilified for its use of "monkey wrenching" -- acts of sabotage and civil disobedience against organizations that are hurting the earth. Foreman, who has since distanced himself from the group, has a new book, called "Confessions of an Eco-Warrior."

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.

Christopher Flavin is a senior researcher at the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington-based think tank that monitors the state of the environment. He believes President Bush's new energy policies miss several opportunities for reforms, including taxes which would promote greater conservation of resources.

Chris Flavin, the Vice President for research at the WorldWatch Institute in Washington, talks to Terry Gross about the environmental risks of the Gulf War -- Saddam Hussein has threatened to blow up oil facilities. Next, Amy Salit speaks with Alfred Rubin, a professor of international law at Tufts University, about war and international law.

Misrach has been photographing the American West since the mid-70s. His new collection, "Bravo 20," is a photo essay on a region of the Nevada desert that has been illegally used as a bombing range by the Navy for the past 30 years. He hopes that the site can eventually be turned into a national park.

Journalist Dan Noyes is part of the Center For Investigative Reporting, and was in charge of the Center's investigation into the international traffic in toxic waste. Their findings reveal environmentally damaging practices and unethical business practices. The investigation resulted in the PBS documentary "Global Dumping Ground," reported by Bill Moyers, and companion book by the same name.