In this week’s trip Beyond the Headlines, Peter Dykstra and host Steve Curwood discuss the decline of coal, as a major Western utility pivots to renewables and Murray Energy faces potential bankruptcy. Also, recent reports paint a picture of science in crisis under the Trump Administration. And in the history calendar, it’s been ten years since an island government held a cabinet meeting under water to draw attention to the vulnerability of low-lying nations to climate change.

More people than ever before now believe climate change is happening and is fueled by human activities, but translating that belief into actual greenhouse gas emissions reductions remains a challenge. Jonathan Safran Foer addresses this and more in his new book, We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast. He describes the power of collective actions to deal with the climate crisis, and points to our three meals a day as a great place to start. Jonathan Foer spoke with Host Steve Curwood at a recent live event in Boston.

The 2019 Alaskan fat bear tournament is over and we have a winner! Fat Bear Week is a yearly competition organized by Katmai National Park and Preserve in southern Alaska to honor the fattest brown bear, since a fat bear has a better chance of staying healthy through the long winter months. Katmai Media Ranger Naomi Boak joined Living on Earth’s Bobby Bascomb to name this year’s corpulent champion.

Six whistleblowers who formerly worked at EPA, the National Park Service and more have come forward to highlight how the Trump Administration has meddled in scientific reports and communication. They say the White House has prevented crucial scientific information about climate change and more from reaching the public and decision makers. Oliver Milman from the Guardian shared their stories with Host Steve Curwood.

A deadly form of air pollution known as "small particulate matter" is linked to as many as 20,000 excess deaths in the United States, mostly in the form of cardiovascular events such as strokes or heart attacks. Now, there is mounting evidence that these small, PM 2.5 particulates may also be harming the mental health of children and teens by worsening depression, anxiety, suicidality and more. Brian Bienkowski, the editor of Environmental Health News joins Host Steve Curwood to talk about the correlation.