Bobby Bascomb

Bobby Bascomb is a freelance producer based in South Africa.

Bobby Bascomb is a freelance producer based in South Africa. Formerly she was a producer and reporter for the public radio program Living on Earth since 2006. With a background in environmental studies and geography, her reporting focuses on the often-complicated relationship between human development and environmental conservation. She has reported on critical environmental issues ranging from indigenous land rights to climate change.

Bobby has collaborated on a series of reports focused on deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, including an hour-long documentary. That work explored a United Nations mechanism to mitigate climate change by reducing tropical deforestation. She also reported on the construction of a highly controversial dam installation on the Madeira River at the border between Brazil and Bolivia.

Fruits and vegetables are often wrapped in plastics containing chemicals harmful to human health

A new study highlights the urgent need to regulate phthalates in plastic

A new meta-study correlates phthalates in plastics with numerous health disorders, including obesity, male and female reproduction problems and mental health troubles.

A new study highlights the urgent need to regulate phthalates in plastic
Cattle graze on land recently burned and deforested by cattle farmers near Novo Progresso, Para state, Brazil.

World leaders pledged to end forest loss. What will it take?

World leaders pledged to end forest loss. What will it take?
A coal-fired power station in Witbank, South Africa

World leaders agree to help South Africa phase out coal

World leaders agree to help South Africa phase out coal
A female North Atlantic Right whale entangled in fishing gear

North Atlantic right whales are shrinking in size as they struggle to survive environmental havoc

North Atlantic right whales are shrinking in size as they struggle to survive environmental havoc
Nancy Sharabarin hands money to a customer buying strawberries at the Saturday farmers market as business opens up with a successful vaccination campaign in Portland, Oregon, Saturday, June 5, 2021.

There's still time for canning, preserving and freezing excess fruits and veggies

There's still time for canning, preserving and freezing excess fruits and veggies
Climate change activists show hands in support of climate action during a climate strike rally, as part of a global youth-led day of global action.

Study finds widespread climate anxiety among youth

A recent global survey illustrates the depth of anxiety many young people are feeling about climate change. Lise Van Susteren, a forensic psychologist, encourages adults to speak with children and youth about their doom to educate and alleviate anxiety.

Study finds widespread climate anxiety among youth
Anna's hummingbird

'The Hummingbirds' Gift' sings the praises of this 'superlative' bird

Writer Sy Montgomery had the opportunity to rehabilitate two orphaned hummingbirds. The experience reminded her that "miracles happen all the time" and that these fragile yet fierce birds are "a great symbol of hope."

'The Hummingbirds' Gift' sings the praises of this 'superlative' bird
Humpback whales undergo one of the longest migrations of any mammal on Earth — over 6,000 miles.

A NatGeo documentary reveals 'Secrets of the Whales'

National Geographic has released “Secrets of the Whales,” a video documentary miniseries that seeks to unravel the secrets of whale behavior and understand whale cultures of orcas, humpbacks, narwhals, belugas and sperm whales.

A NatGeo documentary reveals 'Secrets of the Whales'
An adult cicada rests after shedding its nymphal skin, on the bark of an an oak tree early Wednesday, May 5, 2021, on the University of Maryland campus in College Park, Maryland.

17-year cicadas — noisy nuisance to some, delicacy to others

Don't like the deafening sound of 17-year cicadas? Try eating one. You may fall in love.

17-year cicadas — noisy nuisance to some, delicacy to others
Adult cicadas cover a plant, Monday, May 17, 2021, at Woodend Sanctuary and Mansion, in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Have you seen the Brood X cicadas?

Trillions of cicadas, underground for the last 17 years, have emerged in numerous eastern and midwestern states to spend a few days above ground climbing onto trees and walls, mating and making a wonderful ruckus.

Have you seen the Brood X cicadas?
Red and white trucks flank a tall drilling well pictured against the sky

Trying to measure fracking's toll on human health

The fracking boom has transformed large swaths of rural America, turning towns from idyllic to industrial and threatening the physical and mental health of many inhabitants.

Trying to measure fracking's toll on human health
An illustration of blue and black magnetic field lines that Earth generates today.

Scientists link Earth's magnetic reversals to changes in planet's life and climate

The discovery of a fossilized tree in New Zealand is providing scientists with insight on how magnetic pole reversals could affect life on Earth.

Scientists link Earth's magnetic reversals to changes in planet's life and climate
The Belo Monte hydroelectric dam stands in the Xingu River in Altamira, Para state, Brazil, Friday, Sept. 6, 2019. 

Plan to divert water to Brazil's Belo Monte dam threatens Indigenous peoples and wildlife

The company that built and operates the Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River in Brazil has begun drawing down some 85% of the river, an amount scientists and Indigenous peoples believe will have catastrophic effects.

Plan to divert water to Brazil's Belo Monte dam threatens Indigenous peoples and wildlife
National Geographic Explorer and wildlife DJ Ben Mirin.

'Nature is always singing': Now you can make your own music from nature's sounds

Music producer and National Geographic explorer Ben Mirin, creator of the website Beast Box, is "a messenger for the intricately tuned voices of the natural world."

'Nature is always singing': Now you can make your own music from nature's sounds
Riparian forest in northern Mexico

This land and water preservationist is a 'force of nature' in northern Mexico

Valer Clark has dedicated herself to finding ways to restore and maintain lands that have dried up in northern Mexico and the southwestern US since the 1970s when she purchased properties in the region.

This land and water preservationist is a 'force of nature' in northern Mexico