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A “bathtub ring” lines the canyon walls of Lake Mead, marking the dramatic drop in water levels as the Colorado River system faces prolonged drought and overuse. Image by Tara W. / Pexels. As the Colorado River Basin faces historic drought, shrinking reservoirs, and intensifying climate pressures, new research reveals a striking reality: Some of the largest water users in the West pay little to nothing for their supply. In this episode of Terra Verde, host and producer Hannah Wilton speaks with Isabel Friedman, a senior advocacy associate with the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Noah Garrison, the Environmental Science Practicum Director at of University of California, Los Angeles’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability about their report, Free Water While It Lasts: An Analysis of Wholesale Water Pricing in the Lower Colorado River Basin States. Drawing on decades of policy and pricing data, Friedman and Garrison unpack how longstanding decisions about water allocation and cost have shaped today’s crisis. They explore stark disparities between agricultural and urban water pricing, why artificially low costs can discourage conservation, and how these dynamics have contributed to the Colorado River’s declining storage levels. They also explore emerging proposals — including a potential surcharge on federally supplied water — and the political deadlock states face as they struggle to negotiate the river’s future. As California and the broader region confront deepening water scarcity, this episode asks: What would it take to align water pricing with the realities of a changing climate? The post Free Water While It Lasts appeared first on KPFA.

Locally farmed flowers offer an alternative to imported varieties, which in the United States typically come from South America. ​Photo by Zoe Richardson. Flower have much to offer. They bring us joy and beauty. They improve ecosystem health and boost food production. And they play an important role in many cultural practices and in celebrations of love and life. The global flower industry, however, has a heavy footprint. The vast majority of farmed flowers are sprayed with synthetic pesticides, which harm pollinators and increase serious health risks for farm workers and florists. The average flower sold in the United States has been transported thousands of miles, at great cost to the climate. Not to mention that plastic use in the industry is widespread. Locally, ethically grown flowers offer an alternative, and the movement for “slow flowers” has gained traction in recent years. In the Bay Area, that’s in no small part due to the hard work and advocacy of local business owners, including today’s two guests: Pilar Zuniga, the owner and lead designer at Gorgeous and Green and the Sustainable Flower School in Oakland, and Joanna Letz, the founder and owner-operator of Bluma Farm, which was formerly located in Berkeley. They join Terra Verde host Zoe Loftus-Farren to discuss the current state of the flower industry and what they see as the path forward. The post Greening the Flower Industry appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – April 3, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – March 27, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

This oil drilling rig off the coast of Santa Barbara is one of numerous that line the ocean view. Photo courtesy of Way Out West News. On Saturday, March 14, using the pretext of the war on Iran and spiking fuel prices, the Trump administration allowed Sable Offshore Corp. to restart the controversial Santa Ynez offshore oil platform and pipeline along the Santa Barbara County coast. The pipeline has been shut down since 2015, when a rupture caused by external corrosion caused a massive 142,000-gallon spill at Refugio State Beach and sent some 21,000 gallons of oil into the Pacific Ocean. The move has led to a showdown of sorts that’s pitting Sable and the Trump administration against local environmental groups and authorities in Santa Barbara and the State of California. To shed light on this developing situation and the broader ramifications of the Trump administration ramping up extraction and use of fossil fuels,Terra Verde co-host and Earth Island Journal editor-in-chief, Maureen Nandini Mitra, talks with Talia Nimmer, an attorney with the Climate Law Institute at the Center for Biological Diversity, and Collin Rees, US Program Manager at Oil Change International.   Take Action: Tell the US Department of Transportation not to waive California’s safety requirements for Sable’s pipeline. The post Showdown Over Sable Restarting Oil Pipeline in Santa Barbara appeared first on KPFA.

The National Parks Service has lost nearly a quarter of its permanent employees since Trump took office last year, and drastic budget cuts have significantly impacted the agency’s ability to carry out educational programming, maintenance, and vital emergency services within the parks. On this episode of Terra Verde, host and producer Fiona McLeod speaks with Christine Lehnertz, President and CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy about how the current picture of funding and management of public lands is impacting parks in the Bay Area and beyond. They discuss the crucial role that nonprofit partners can play in supporting our beloved national parks and conservation areas in the face of limited federal funding — as well as the gaps they can’t step in to fill.  Learn more about the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy’s work with national parks in the Bay Area here. The post National Parks Under Pressure  appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – March 6, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – February 27, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – February 20, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

After an extended stretch of dry, record-warm weather, California is finally seeing cooler, wetter conditions—a rapid swing the state is increasingly facing. Image credit: NASA Worldview Snapshots. California is lurching between extremes—from record-breaking heat and low mountain snowpack to torrential atmospheric river events and catastrophic wildfire. In this episode of Terra Verde, host and producer Hannah Wilton speaks with climate scientist Dr. Daniel Swain about the phenomenon of “hydroclimate whiplash” and what it reveals about the future of the American West. Dr. Swain unpacks how atmospheric dynamics are being amplified by climate change, what we learned from Los Angeles’s devastating fires last year, and why rapidly shifting wet-to-dry cycles are challenging water management and disaster preparedness across the state. The conversation also explores what’s at stake for American science as institutions like the National Center for Atmospheric Research face potential dismantling—and why California may have an opportunity to lead in rebuilding climate research capacity. You can follow Dr. Swain’s work through his widely-read Weather West blog, where he offers real-time perspectives on California weather and climate, as well as on X, Bluesky, and YouTube. The post California’s Climate Whiplash appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally. The post Terra Verde – February 6, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

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.

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.

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.

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.