Planet Pod

Every second of every day one rubbish truck of fashion goes to landfill. 150 million tonnes of second hand clothing arrives in Ghana's market every week. 40% of those clothes are unsellable and are dumped. We explore where our clothes really end up, the catastrophic damage they are causing and what we can do about it with Betty Osei Bonsu, Project Coordinator at Green Africa Youth Organisation (GA...

Fashion has a dangerous addiction to fossil fuels. 67% of our clothes are made out of plastic, most of which ends up in landfill. Synthetic fibres are energy intensive to produce and, according to a report by Ellen MacArthur Foundation, produce six times more CO2 emissions than cotton, not to mention the threat of microfibre pollution. So why is this such a fast growing industry? In...

Climate activists of all shapes and sizes will be affected by the proposed amendments to the new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. All forms of peaceful protest from linking arms while walking in the road to making a noise could be banned and potentially criminalised. Estelle Dehon a barrister with expertise in environment & human rights law and Liam Norton campaigner & spoke...

When does 'normal' concern about the planet become climate anxiety? Who does eco-anxiety affect? What can we do about it? How can we look after our mental health under a cloud of Covid? We explored these questions and more with  Dr Patrick Kennedy-Williams , a  Clinical Psychologist  specialising in Climate Anxiety,  Dr Emma Lawrance , Mental Health Innovations Fellow at t...

In this final episode in our COP Conversations series @TheGreen Amanda and co-host Chris White from the University of Strathclyde catch up with Chris Stark , Chief Executive of the UK’s Climate Change Committee who sounds a positive note about the likely final outcome from COP26. We discuss how this COP has established a clear pathway to limiting global heating to below 2degC, if not the targ...

Solving the climate emergency will need a host of innovative ideas and new business models.  In this special episode recorded at COP @TheGreenAmanda meets up with  Hugo Spowers  - entrepreneur, former motor racer and MD of Riversimple, producers of affordable, hassle free, fun-to-drive hydrogen powered eco cars and Earthshot prize winner Vaitea Cowan ,...

As we reach the end of two weeks of debate and dialogue, @TheGreenAmanda asks guest  Seema Joshi  from  Global Witness  to reflect on some of the key themes at this year’s COP.   Since the Paris agreement global banks have lent $157bn to businesses which drive deforestation, so are we really serious about protecting global rainforests? With the 503 delegates repr...

It is time to rethink our relationship with cars - 30% of the time your car sits unused outside your house. We need a systems change around transport. Our guests understand the changes needed in business models, culture, planning and government policies to set us on the right road. @TheGreenAmanda is joined by Professor Greg Marsden from the University of Leeds’ Institute of Transport Studies, Hug...

Covid-19 has left many people tired, dazed and frustrated - there is a danger that we collectively press the ‘pause’ button to catch our breath.  But accelerator for change organisation  After the Pandemic , co-founded alongside Laura McHard by our guests in this episode  Fergus Bruce  and  Graham Hogg  (from Lateral North) ,  are   passionate about mob...

The world's coastlines are dynamic and constantly shifting, providing homes and livelihoods to millions of people whilst playing a key role in nature based solutions for adapting to climate change. With sea level rise - even if every net zero target is met - coastal erosion is set to continue apace. In this powerful episode Amanda is joined by Professor Larissa Naylor , Professor of Geom...

How linked are the Climate Crisis and the Nature Crisis? We talk to Professor Andy Purvis of the Natural History Museum about managing nature rather than mining it, Greta, over consumption, lobbying, shifting baselines and how we can encourage the behaviour change that nature so desperately needs. Amanda goes on location to see first hand the threat to one small woodland rich in biodiversity...

Title: Striking for the Planet   In this special episode Amanda joins young climate activists on the streets of Glasgow for the Fridays for Future Climate Strike and hears a loud and powerful message about their concerns about the impact of unchecked global heating on the planet and their future. They are the generation that will suffer the real consequences of our collective inaction on...

Recorded on the eve of the Fridays for the Future Climate Strike and as COP26 talks continue apace, we step out onto the streets of Glasgow to talk with young climate activists who bring their passion and energies to the discussions.  University of Strathclyde students  Ben Rapson, Ru Wallace  and  Lewis McDermott  voice the concern many young people feel about the cl...

As COP26 moves through Day 3 we hear from  Professor Mark Maslin , author and Professor of Earth System Science at UCL and environmental campaigner, Citizens’ Assembly megafan and drag comedy artist  Alex Bradbury  about the politics of this particular COP. How, by talking about the issue - in the workplace, to friends and family, to our politicians - can we ensure that our col...

Global heating resulting from climate change is likely to have the greatest impact on those who can do least about it.  In this episode Amanda talks with  Professor Lisa Vanhala , Professor of Political Science at UCL and  Michael Watson , Partner at law firm Pinsent Masons, about the non-economic loss and damage associated with unchecked climate change.  We ask where...

As COP26 finally kicks off in Glasgow hosts for this special series Amanda and Chris begin to get a sense of how far we’ve come and how far we have yet to go to sort out climate change once and for all.  WWF’s Stephen Cornelius highlights the importance of connections and collaborations at all levels whilst, fresh from an epic 500 mile walk from London to Glasgow, Ric Casales from Carbon...

In this first podcast in our special COP 26 series we talk with seasoned COP veteran and pioneering scholar Professor Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger , a renowned international expert in climate change policy, law and governance about the power of the COP process to bring hearts and minds together to address the pressing issues of climate change. We set the scene for this important gathering in...

What are the challenges facing the food industry in the 20th Century? Are our supply chains resilient? Is the food industry sustainable? What role does technology play in more sustainable food production? We explore every aspect of food with Matt Reynolds, science editor at WIRED UK and author of The Future of Food and Sir Charles Godfray, Director, Oxford Martin School, popula...

We are launching our Autumn podcast series "Climate on Your Doorstep" with an exploration of AR6, the most sobering IPCC report yet, and what it means for the UK's weather. This Sixth Assessment Report is the first major review of the science of climate change since 2013. In the run up to COP26 we spoke to Dr Chris White, Head of the Centre for Water, Environment, Sustainability and Public Health...

Planet Pod catches up with the inspirational  Sacha Dench  – aka the Human Swan – as she takes to the skies for an amazing 3000 miles coastal circumnavigation of Britain. For this extraordinary flight Sacha has decarbonised - her paramotor is now electric and during recharging stops she is gathering stories from people on the ground who are devising innovative solutions to the...

Our National Parks are in crisis - just when we need them most to help us tackle the climate emergency, boost nature recovery and biodiversity.  Rewilding Britain has called for 10% of the parks to rewild but can they or will they? Who owns our parks? Not the nation but private landowners. Are they listening? We talk to Guy Shrubsole, Policy and Campaigns Coordinator at Rewilding Britain...

The ancient art of silvopasture could be set to, quite literally, change the landscape of British farming.   Currently the subject of a 12 year trial run by farmers, Rothamsted Research, The Woodland Trust, The Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) and Innovative Farmers, silvopasture (a traditional method of farming livestock with trees) is thought to sequester additional carbon, r...

In the aftermath of a pandemic which, for many of us, has fundamentally changed our relationship with nature, we talk to two people building on that capital: Dr Pavel Cenkl , Head of College at Schumacher College and Director of Learning, Dartington Trust and Trewin Restorick , Founder and CEO of Hubbub. We explore creative solutions to the climate crisis and how we can educate and influence...

How to create an ecological garden that is people and nature friendly with Matt Rees Warren and Brigit Strawbridge Howard share their tips and advice for a friendlier gentler approach to gardening. Perfect for no mow May! This episode has been produced with generous sponsorship from Chelsea Green Publishing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss the new Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill with Caroline Lucas MP and Dr Richard Benwell from the Wildlife & Countryside Link This episode of Planet Pod is supported by leading international law firm Eversheds Sutherland Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.