Episodes

  • Green Energy’s New Frontiers

    Green Energy’s New Frontiers
    Jan 30 2026
    As the world races to transition away from fossil fuels, demand for lithium and other “green” minerals is exploding—reshaping landscapes, supply chains, and geopolitics in the process. On this episode of Terra Verde, host Hannah Wilton speaks with political scientist and author Thea Riofrancos about the hidden costs and contested promises of the green energy boom. In her new book, Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, Riofrancos examines how the push for renewable energy connects to the expansion of extractive frontiers, often at the expense of environmental justice communities, workers, and fragile ecosystems. From Chile’s lithium-rich salt flats to the deserts of Nevada, her research investigates how national policies, corporate interests, and legacy mining laws determine where and how extraction occurs—and why addressing these dynamics is critical for a just energy transition. This conversation also explores how supply chains can become sites of solidarity and political transformation, linking frontline communities across borders, and why addressing the global extractive economy—not just greening consumption—is essential to a truly just energy transition. The post Green Energy’s New Frontiers appeared first on KPFA.
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    30 mins
  • Terra Verde – January 23, 2026

    Terra Verde – January 23, 2026
    Jan 23 2026
    A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – January 23, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
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    30 mins
  • Dissecting RFK’s Meat-Heavy Food Pyramid

    Dissecting RFK’s Meat-Heavy Food Pyramid
    Jan 16 2026
    Old vs New: Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s new red meat- and dairy-heavy food pyramid (right) versus an earlier iteration of the US Department of Agriculture’s food pyramid. Images courtesy of USDA. On January 7, US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced new dietary guidelines for Americans, which upend the food pyramid as we know it. The new pyramid emphasizes red meat and whole-fat dairy — both of which past guidelines have long recommended we limit because of their saturated fat content. Kennedy called the new guidelines the “most significant reset of nutrition policy in history.” But what kind of reset? Good? Bad? Confusing? In this episode of Terra Verde, Earth Island Journal editor-in-chief and cohost Maureen Nandini Mitra talks with three experts in the field of nutrition, food policy, and advocacy — Anupama Joshi, vice president of programs at Center for Science in the Public Interest; Miguel Villarreal, interim co-executive director of the National Farm to School Network; and Anna Lappé, executive director of the Global Alliance for the Future of Food and an internationally recognized expert on food systems — who break down the public health and environmental implications of the new guidelines. Here are some other sound dietary resources for listeners: Is Saturated Fat Good or Bad? The Uncompromised DGAs The Planetary Health Diet The post Dissecting RFK’s Meat-Heavy Food Pyramid appeared first on KPFA.
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    30 mins
  • Terra Verde – January 9, 2026

    Terra Verde – January 9, 2026
    Jan 9 2026
    A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – January 9, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
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    30 mins
  • The Fire-Resilient Future (Part II)

    The Fire-Resilient Future (Part II)
    Jan 2 2026
    Young people will inherit a world in which fire is far more prevalent than it has been for generations before. Yet when it comes to fire management and policy, the most impacted stakeholders — including young people and Indigenous communities — have historically been excluded, with little representation to this day. In the face of increasingly frequent and intense wildfires, a broad coalition of young Indigenous fire practitioners, wildland firefighters, and researchers have come together to reshape the culture of decision-making surrounding fire. Guided by a vision for a future with “good fire,” their work centers Indigenous knowledge and young people in frontline and marginalized communities in order to shift policy; restore Indigenous land stewardship; and heal relationships between fire, land, and people. This week on Terra Verde, Ryan Reed, Ayuthea LaPier, and Kyle Trefny — co-founders of the FireGeneration Collaborative — join host Fiona McLeod to discuss how empowering Indigenous leadership and diverse young generations is critical for a fire resilient future. This is Part Two of this series on fire resilience and stewardship. Listen to Part One at kpfa.org or on the Earth Island Journal podcast page. The post The Fire-Resilient Future (Part II) appeared first on KPFA.
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    30 mins
  • The Fire-Resilient Future (Part I)

    The Fire-Resilient Future (Part I)
    Dec 26 2025
    Young people will inherit a world in which fire is far more prevalent than it has been for generations before. Yet when it comes to fire management and policy, the most impacted stakeholders — including young people and Indigenous communities — have historically been excluded, with little representation to this day. In the face of increasingly frequent and intense wildfires, a broad coalition of young Indigenous fire practitioners, wildland firefighters, and researchers have come together to reshape the culture of decision-making surrounding fire. Guided by a vision for a future with “good fire,” their work centers Indigenous knowledge and young people in frontline and marginalized communities in order to shift policy; restore Indigenous land stewardship; and heal relationships between fire, land, and people. This week on Terra Verde, Ryan Reed, Ayuthea LaPier, and Kyle Trefny — co-founders of the FireGeneration Collaborative — join host Fiona McLeod to discuss how empowering Indigenous leadership and diverse young generations is critical for a fire resilient future. This is Part One of a two-part conversation. Tune in to Terra Verde again next week for Part Two. The post The Fire-Resilient Future (Part I) appeared first on KPFA.
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    30 mins
  • Can Fungi Help Heal the Earth?

    Can Fungi Help Heal the Earth?
    Dec 5 2025
    Across the U.S., there are well over a million contaminated brownfields and superfund sites such as abandoned factories, industrial facilities, and former gas stations where toxic materials have accumulated in the soil. Many of these sites sit polluted for decades because cleanup is expensive and still relies on excavating the soil, hauling it away, and dumping it somewhere else. California alone exports more than half a million tons of contaminated soil every year, much of it to hazardous waste landfills in other states. On this episode of Terra Verde, host Hannah Wilton speaks with environmental toxicologist and mycologist Dr. Danielle Stevenson about nature-based remediation as an alternative to costly “dig and dump” cleanup. Drawing from her research at three highly contaminated brownfields in Los Angeles, Stevenson describes how she works with fungi, plants, and microbes to pull heavy metals from soil, break down petrochemicals, and restore life to polluted sites. Stevenson also discusses her post-fire bioremediation research, where she is using “myco-wattles,” native plantings, and hyperlocal fungal inoculum to rebuild soils in landscapes scorched by the Palisades and Eaton fires. The post Can Fungi Help Heal the Earth? appeared first on KPFA.
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    30 mins
  • Terra Verde – November 28, 2025

    Terra Verde – November 28, 2025
    Nov 28 2025
    A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – November 28, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.
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    30 mins