Not surprisingly, Joseph Sirosh, has big ambitions for his product portfolio at Microsoft which includes Azure ML, HDInsight and other tools. Chief among them is making it easy for mere mortals to consume these data services from the applications they're familiar with. Take Excel for example.

If a financial analyst can, with a few clicks, send data to a forecast service in the cloud, then get the numbers back, visualized on the same spreadsheet, that's a pretty powerful story, said Sirosh who is corporate VP of machine learning for Microsoft.

But as valuable as those applications and services are, more and more of the value to be derived from computation over time will be the data itself, not all those tech underpinnings.  "In the future a huge part of the value generated from computing will come from the data as opposed to storage and operating systems and basic infrastructure," he noted on this week's podcast. WHich is why one topic under discussion at next month's Structure Data show will be who owns all the data flowing betwixt and betweeen various systems, the internet of things etc.

When it comes to getting corporations running these new systems Microsoft may have an ace in the hole because so many of them already use key Microsoft tools -- Active Directory, SQL Server, Excel. That gives them a pretty good on-ramp to Microsoft Azure and its resident services. Sirosh makes a compelling case and we'll talk to him more on stage at Structure Data next month in New York City.

In the first half of the show, Derrick Harris and I talk about the Hadoop world has returned to its feisty and oh so interesting roots. When Pivotal announced its plan to offload support of Hadoop to Hortonworks and work with that company along with IBM, GE on  the Open Data Platform the response from Cloudera CEO Mike Olsen in a blog post with his take. 

Also on the docket, @WalmartLabs massive OpenStack production private cloud implementation.

Microsoft's machine learning guru on why data matters sooooo much

China has for the first time committed to an absolute target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, by 7 to 10 percent by 2035. We discuss China’s growing dominance in the global clean energy transition while the current US administration doubles down on fossil fuels.
Also, compared to traditional rooftop solar, “balcony solar” offers renters, apartment dwellers and folks on a tighter budget a much less expensive solar energy starter kit.
Balcony solar is already common in Europe and Asia, and now it’s getting a boost from state legislation in the US.
And members of the late conservationist Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots youth organization and the Living on Earth crew share memories of her and gratitude for her enduring gifts to the world.
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You can help support our free public radio show and podcast, for free, by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. It’s one of the best ways to help other listeners find Living on Earth!


China’s Climate Pledge, Balcony Solar, Remembering Jane Goodall and more.

Facing lost jobs and higher energy prices after the Trump EPA canceled $7 billion in low-income solar grants, a coalition of labor, green and anti-poverty groups is teaming up to fight in court for clean energy jobs and save “Solar for All.” 
Also, one of the most frightening aspects of Halloween is the monstrous amounts of waste it can generate. We share ideas for making Halloween a little more sustainable, from recycling candy wrappers, to composting pumpkins, to thrifting costumes.
And on September 21st, hundreds of people leapt into the Chicago River for the first public swimming event since 1927. We discuss how major projects including green infrastructure have helped clean up the river for both people and wildlife to enjoy.
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You can help support our free public radio show and podcast, for free, by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. It’s one of the best ways to help other listeners find Living on Earth! 

Coalition Defends Solar for All, Taming the Monsters of Halloween Waste, Chicago River Restored to Health and more.

A recent Human Rights Watch report found that illegal cattle ranching and clearing of the Amazon rainforest has led to the forced eviction of small farmers and indigenous people in the state of Pará, Brazil. We discuss the stakes for the planet and people, as well as possible solutions. 
Also, meat is the biggest single source of carbon emissions from the food system, which is itself responsible for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. We talk about the gap between reality and coverage of how meat contributes to global warming, as well as effective strategies for encouraging people to choose to eat less meat without trying to force them to do so. 
And David Brancaccio of Marketplace lost his home in the devastating Los Angeles fires this past January only two months after moving in. We check back in with David to hear about his hopes to rebuild with fire-resistant material.
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Federal funding for public radio has ended. But support from listeners like you always helps us keep the lights on no matter what. Living on Earth needs listeners like you to keep our weekly environmental news coverage going strong.
If you’re already an LoE supporter, thank you! And if you’ve been considering supporting LoE, now is a great time to give during our fall fundraiser. Visit LoE dot org and click donate. And thank you for supporting Living on Earth!


The Forest Cost of Beef, Media and the Meat Habit, Rebuilding Back Better After Wildfire and more.

Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean in modern times, left a wake of destruction in Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti that will take years to recover from. A Jamaican climate physics professor describes the toll of this climate catastrophe, and a meteorologist joins us to explain how the storm grew so ferocious in the blink of a hurricane’s eye.  

Also, Gwich’in Alaska Natives, which consider the land of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge sacred and local Porcupine Caribou as relatives, are expressing alarm at how renewed prospects of drilling in this fragile environment could upend their world. 

And the Pacific Northwest of the US harbored a serial killer hotspot of sorts in the 1970s, associated with the neurotoxin lead. Seattle-born author Caroline Fraser explores this link in her book Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers. She discusses how dangerously high lead exposure from smelters and gasoline may have led to the increase of violence and murders in the region.

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Federal funding for public radio has ended. But support from listeners like you always helps us keep the lights on no matter what. Living on Earth needs listeners like you to keep our weekly environmental news coverage going strong.

If you’re already an LoE supporter, thank you! And if you’ve been considering supporting LoE, now is a great time to give during our fall fundraiser. Visit LoE dot org and click donate. And thank you for supporting Living on Earth!


Climate Monster in the Caribbean, Gwich’in People Resist Arctic Drilling, Serial Killers and Lead Exposure, and more.

The biggest climate negotiations of the year, COP30, are kicking off in Belem in the Brazilian Amazon. Longtime COP observer Jennifer Morgan joins us to preview COP30 and discuss the focus on closing the gap between current greenhouse gas reduction policies and what’s needed to limit warming to a safer level.
 
Also, King Charles III, who leads the Anglican Church, and Pope Leo XIV, who leads the Roman Catholic Church, recently joined in a historic prayer in the Sistine Chapel. This act of unity by these two faith leaders who are also sovereign heads of state was embedded in their shared concern for the environment, or creation.
 
And as one of the strongest hurricanes ever documented in the Atlantic, Hurricane Melissa brought catastrophic damage to Jamaica and Cuba, and an extensive relief and recovery effort is now underway. We talk about the aid efforts, long road to recovery, and importance of building back better.  
 
 
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Federal funding for public radio has ended. But support from listeners like you always helps us keep the lights on no matter what. Living on Earth needs listeners like you to keep our weekly environmental news coverage going strong.
 
If you’re already an LoE supporter, thank you! And if you’ve been considering supporting LoE, now is a great time to give during our fall fundraiser. Visit LoE dot org and click donate. And thank you for supporting Living on Earth!

UN Climate Talks Kick Off in Brazil, Pope and King Share a Prayer for Creation and more.

November’s elections brought victories across the country for state and local Democratic candidates who pledged to address rising energy costs. The challenges of meeting those promises the incoming Governors of Virginia and New Jersey, and Mayor of New York, will likely face.
Also, a recent report warns that the European Alps, Rockies of the Western U.S. and Canada, Iceland, and Scandinavia would lose nearly all ice at 2°Celsius of warming – a threshold we’re currently on track to exceed. 
And in the Peruvian Amazon, the Asháninka people have developed a symbiotic relationship with the local bees, which often lack stingers, and their honey. A new and innovative law in Peru has granted these bees legal rights to help protect them and the indigenous people living with them.
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Federal funding for public radio has ended. But support from listeners like you always helps us keep the lights on no matter what. Living on Earth needs listeners like you to keep our weekly environmental news coverage going strong.
If you’re already an LoE supporter, thank you! And if you’ve been considering supporting LoE, now is a great time to give during our fall fundraiser. Visit LoE dot org and click donate. And thank you for supporting Living on Earth!

Energy Powers Democratic Wins, Earth’s Cryosphere On Thin Ice, Rights of Nature for Stingless Bees and more.

As the host of this year’s UN climate treaty negotiations and home to most of the Amazon tropical rainforest, Brazil led a major advance for forests and their indigenous inhabitants. The new $125 billion fund, with guarantees for investors, will send its profits to countries with documented forest preservation, including some cash going directly to indigenous and local populations. 

Also, we now know about the severe health impacts of tiny airborne particles or PM2.5, thanks in large part to the groundbreaking “Six Cities” study that started in the 1970s. The leaders of that team were Doug Dockery and Arden Pope, and they’re co-authors of the 2025 book, Particles of Truth: A Story of Discovery, Controversy, and the Fight for Healthy Air.

And members of the Living on Earth crew share a few laughs and our favorite Thanksgiving recipes, from pumpkin soup to chouriço stuffing to desserts made with leftover pie crust.
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If you or someone you know might be interested in a Living on Earth internship, this is “last call” to apply for Spring 2026 by Wednesday, November 26th! Learn more at loe.org/about/jobs 

Tropical Forests, Forever? Air Pollution Pioneers, and Thanksgiving Feast Favorites.

Wildfire smoke is fouling air quality across the US with increasing regularity, and it carries a heavy toll. A September 2025 study published in the journal Nature found that every year around 40,000 Americans are dying from wildfire smoke, with more on the way as the planet warms. Air filters, face masks and low-intensity prescribed burning can help protect the public from this growing threat.
Also, around a third of the firefighters who battle wildfires in California are incarcerated, and until recently they were paid just $5 to $10 a day. Under a state law enacted in October 2025, incarcerated firefighters are now paid at least $7.25 per hour while actively fighting fires.
And around the world, Indigenous people have been using fire on the landscape for thousands of years. One such practice comes from the Métis tradition in Western Canada. A Cree-Métis scientist shares with us how this low-intensity “good fire” helps rekindle cultural traditions and cultivate healthier ecosystems. 
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Do you have a story of recovery or rethinking your relationship with wildfire you’d like to share? Record and send us a voice memo at comments@loe.org, and we might feature your story on Living on Earth. To find out how, check out this week’s Living on Earth newsletter. Just go to the Newsletter tab at loe.org and click on “View previous newsletters.”

Wildfire Threats and Resilience

Artificial intelligence or AI’s huge appetite for power is reviving demand for older and dirtier fossil fuel energy. We talk about the massive data centers that power AI, community pushback, and how AI seems to be putting vital climate targets out of reach. 
Also, the Make America Healthy Again or MAHA movement has pinpointed some health concerns backed up by credible research, including concerns about pesticides such as the probable carcinogen glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup. But after agribusiness lobbying the Trump Administration erased pesticides from its MAHA Commission report. 
And Braiding Sweetgrass author Robin Wall Kimmerer is also the author of a 2024 book that continues her explorations of gift economies. She shares insights from The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World and how gift economies can offer an alternative to overconsumption.

AI Power Demand and the Climate, MAHA, MAGA and a Win for Pesticides, and Robin Wall Kimmerer on The Serviceberry.

Climate activist Bill McKibben, who authored The End of Nature nearly 40 years ago, is back with Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization. He joins us for a wide-ranging discussion on the stunning growth of renewable energy from the sun and wind, led in part by China, even as the fossil fuel industry digs in.

Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence, Mark Seth Lender provides a refuge for hungry ducks during hunting season. He also observed something remarkable: these “dabbling” ducks have learned to dive for the seed he offers them.

And as a preview for next week’s Winter Solstice storytelling special, we feature a traditional “Wassail Song” with storyteller Diane Edgecomb.

Bill McKibben on Abundant Solar and the Waning Power of Fossil Fuels, and more.

A weekly podcast from GigaOM providing the latest news, analysis and interviews about the cloud, infrastructure and big data spaces. 

Microsoft's machine learning guru on why data matters sooooo much

Gigaom Structure