In this week's Beyond the Headlines segment, Environmental Health News Editor Peter Dykstra and Host Steve Curwood discuss why there was enormous natural gas flaring in the midst of the crippling power outages this February in Texas. Next, they look at how California has saved lives over the last three decades by reducing diesel emissions by 78%. Finally, they travel back to 1815, the year Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted, circling the world in smoke and ash, resulting in what was later called “the year without a summer.”

President Biden recently announced big plans to expand offshore wind power, with 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power along the U.S. coasts by 2030, backed up by billions in federal loan guarantees. Host Steve Curwood highlights this key part of President Biden’s infrastructure plan and how it may especially help New York City meet its clean energy demands.

Enric Sala’s love for the ocean drew him into a career in marine biology. But as he studied marine environments across the world that have been damaged by human activity, he began to feel he was writing the “obituary of the ocean.” So he left academia to advocate for protecting the oceans as a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and the founder of their Pristine Seas program. With special thanks to the New England Aquarium, Enric Sala talks with Host Aynsley O’Neill about his passion for convincing decision makers to create marine protected areas, with stunning results for ocean biodiversity and local economies.

The oceans are facing serious and growing threats, including climate change, overfishing, plastic pollution and more. But a group of 14 world leaders called the Ocean Panel is committing to transform the ocean from victim to solution, by sustainably managing 100% of their ocean areas by 2025. Jane Lubchenco is the Deputy Director for Climate and Environment for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, as well as a co-chair of the Ocean Panel Expert Group that helped ground this vision in research. She joins Host Aynsley O'Neill for more about the Ocean Panel and its vision.

Spring is the perfect time to start gardening, and growing your favorite fresh produce doesn’t have to feel like a chore. Landscape designer Michael Weishan, former host of The Victory Garden, joins Host Steve Curwood to discuss how to work smarter, not harder when growing herbs and vegetables.