Rights of nature laws elevate nature to have similar legal rights to humans, and in Orange County, Florida local communities are citing these laws to try to protect water ways from development. Host Bobby Bascomb speaks with journalist Katie Surma about the ongoing battle between Orange County and the state legislature over granting rights to nature.

For this week's trip beyond the headlines with Environmental Health News Editor Peter Dykstra, he joins Host Bobby Bascomb to tally up the best cities for bicyclists in the United States. After that, the two look into why Amazonian birds appear to be shrinking over time. And, from the history books, 52 years ago ground was broken for the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

Despite pledging to dramatically cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, the Biden administration approved the sale of oil and gas drilling leases across 80 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico in November 2021. A coalition of environmental groups sued the administration to block the sales and on January 27, a federal Judge revoked the deal, citing climate concerns. Vermont Law School Professor Pat Parenteau joins Host Steve Curwood to discuss the case and what it says about how seriously the Biden administration is taking its promises to phase out fossil fuels.

For years Twin Metals Minnesota has sought to mine for copper and nickel just outside the pristine Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, but the Biden administration recently cancelled two federal mining leases the company needs to begin operations. Dan Kraker is a reporter for Minnesota Public Radio and has the story.

The Winter Olympics in Beijing feature covid protocols and new sustainability measures. Natalie Ma, a reporter at the state-owned paper Shanghai Daily, joins Host Steve Curwood to discuss the ways China is cutting carbon emissions at the games, on-the-ground conditions in Beijing, and the games’ future implications for local business owners in Chongli and surrounding regions.

China and the International Olympic Committee say the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing have many elements of sustainability. But critics point to the environmental impacts of creating an alpine ski resort in an arid region, on the site of a nature reserve. And as Earth warms due to climate change, suitable places to host winter sports are disappearing around the globe. Carmen de Jong, a Hydrology Professor at the University of Strasbourg, discusses the past and future sustainability of the Winter Olympics with Bobby Bascomb.