Peter Thomson

A child plays in the flooded streets of Norfolk, Virginia, during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Norfolk is one of many coastal cities around the world experiencing more frequent flooding as sea levels rise in response to warmer global temperatures.

Meet our new Livable Planet desk. It’s about what we need to have a future.

Environment

Times are changing and so are we. Welcome to the Livable Planet Desk, the new home for environment coverage from PRI’s The World and PRI.org.

A "Water Pickup" sign points to a bottled water distribution center in Flint, Michigan in January. In an effort to save money, state officials running Flint's affairs implemented changes to the city's water system that resulted in widespread lead contamin

This is your brain on lead, and lots of other nasty pollutants

Environment
Superstorm Sandy

A new report from the US government shows how the impacts of climate change are already harming the US

Environment
US President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union speech on Capitol Hill in Washington January 28, 2014.

The State of the Union with The World’s newsroom

Global Politics
The European Space Agency’s Earth Explorer CryoSat makes precise measurements of changes in the thickness of marine ice floating in the polar oceans, as well as variations in the thickness of the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica.

On a long downward slide, scientists say 2013 was an up year for Arctic Ice

Environment
Environment editor Peter Thomson's changing lunch: Rotary Club veggie dogs on whole wheat buns. (Photo: Peter Thomson)

Launching ‘What’s for Lunch’: Environment editor Peter Thomson on climate change and food

Environment

Host Marco Werman speaks with The World’s environment editor Peter Thomson about our new series on climate change and the future of food.

The next pandemic – Are we ready?

Health & Medicine

The World’s Environment Editor Peter Thomson on Wednesday moderated a discussion at the Harvard School of Public Health on whether the world is ready for the next pandemic.

Boat

The protectors of the world’s largest fresh water lake may be put out of business by a Russian court

Environment

A citizens’ group devoted to protecting Siberia’s Lake Baikal, the largest and deepest lake in the world, may be forced to close after being declared a “foreign agent.” The court ruling follows a 2012 law forcing any group that gets foreign funding and engages in political activity to register as a foreign agent or face big fines.

Violence at the Marathon and Beyond: A Psychiatrist Talks About How to Talk with Kids

In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, Massachusetts General Hospital psychiatrist Paula Rauch speaks with The World’s Peter Thomson about how kids experience violent events, and how parents can talk with their kids about them.

Report: Soot #2 Contributor to Global Warming

Environment

A new report says soot is a much bigger contributor to global warming than had been thought. Host Marco Werman gets the latest on soot from The World’s environment editor Peter Thomson.