Democratic Debaters United on Need For Climate Action / Beyond the Headlines / Senator Lisa Murkowski Talks Up Public Lands / Trump Moves to Weaken NEPA / Note on Emerging Science: Plastic-Eating Mushrooms / After Coal: Stories of Survival in Appalachia and Wales At the final Democratic primary debate before the 2020 Iowa caucuses, the six candidates onstage all discussed their concerns about climate impacts and their plans to meet this existential challenge. Also, communities in Appalachia have been hit hard economically as coal production dropped. It's a story that has also played out in Wales in the UK. Now the "After Coal Project" is helping breathe new economic and cultural life into both communities. And Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, known for reaching across the aisle to broker bipartisan deals, sponsored the 2019 Dingell Act to protect and expand public lands. The Alaska Senator is entering her final year as Chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. All that and more, in this episode of Living on Earth from PRX. Find this week's transcript here: https://loe.org/shows/shows.html?programID=20-P13-00003. . . . *** LEARN MORE about these stories and everything in our decades of archives at loe.org. We've got audio, transcripts, links, photos and more! . . . JOIN US at our upcoming live FREE event in Boston January 30 with author Terry Tempest Williams! RSVP on Facebook or Eventbrite. . . . PITCH IN with your tax-deductible contribution at https://loe.org/about/donate.html. Thank you for your support! . . . FOLLOW US and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. . . .