There s a biodiesel boom happening! It s fueled by incentives and policies intended to cut greenhouse emissions, and is motivating some oil companies like World Energy in Paramount, California to convert their refineries to process soybean oil instead of crude. NPR s food and agriculture correspondent Dan Charles explains why farmers are happy, bakers are frustrated and people who want to preserve the world s natural forests are worried. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.
Along certain coastlines near the equator, you can find a tree with superpowers. Mangroves provide a safe haven for a whole ecosystem of animals. They also fight climate change by storing tons of carbon, thanks to a spectacular above-ground network of tangled roots. Ecologist Alex Moore talks to guest host Maria Godoy about how mighty this tree is, and why it is under threat.