The Environment in Focus with Tom Pelton

Freakish weather events this summer--droughts, wild fires, record-breaking heat, and the "derecho" storms across the East--have inflicted economic damage on millions of American voters. But an eerie silence on climate-related subjects is the reaction from the U.S. presidential candidates, and public opinion on global warming has eroded because of the economic downturn.

The average American eats 100 pounds of poultry meat every year. But what do these 9 billion chickens eat? A study by Johns Hopkins researchers found that the poultry industry feeds the birds their own feathers, ground up and mixed with grains.  And this feather meal may be laced with a variety of drugs and chemicals, including arsenic, caffeine, banned antibiotics, and the active ingredients in Benadryl, Tylenol, and Prozac. 

Wetlands are supposed to be protected because of their value as pollution filters and habitat for fish and birds. But federal and state agencies routinely approve permits for developers to destroy wetlands under the condition that they pay for the construction of artificial wetlands as replacements. These replacements, however, are not as productive biologically as real wetlands.  (Originally aired 2/8/12.)

Seagrasses are important breeding grounds for fish and crabs, but they are in decline around the world because of pollution, seafood harvesting, and climate change. Along Virginia's lower Eastern Shore, however, 4,300 acres of eelgrass have returned to once-barren coastal bays. The Johnny Appleseed of eelgrass is Robert Orth of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, who has worked with partners, including The Nature Conservancy, to plant 41 million seeds.