Planet Hope

Even for countries with adequate water resources, water scarcity is not uncommon. But for those who live in remote and poverty struck areas of the world, water scarcity can be the difference between life and death. With reports suggesting that by 2025 half of the world's population could be living in areas facing water scarcity, is there a way to turn the tide? Environment Editor for The Times, Ad...

Planet Hope from The Times in partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. Follow the podcast now to never miss an episode. Rising sea levels, increasingly extreme weather patterns, alarming extinction of species—these headlines surround us everyday and are intensifying far more rapidly than we had ever feared. Yet, amidst these global threats, hope remains boundless. In this podcas...

The loss of forests across earth has increased at alarming levels. Five hundred years ago, the Atlantic Forest in Brazil spanned 330 million acres - more than three times the size of California- and by the 1970s, 80 percent of the woodland had been lost. Environment Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan is joined by entrepreneur and Rolex Awards for Enterprise Laureate Laury Cullen Jr to hear how he...

It is estimated that 37 percent of Nigerian agriculture is lost due to inefficient or non-existent cold chains. And this food spoilage - due to a lack of cold storage - costs 93 million small farmers in Nigeria a quarter of their annual income. The food production crisis in Nigeria is a serious issue that has significant implications for the country’s economy and the livelihoods of the most populo...

We have all seen the images of bleached coral reefs, fishermen throwing back inadvertent catches and overflow waste pipes being pumped out to sea. But how do these photographs help to conserve the planet and has time run out to truly make a difference? Environment Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan is joined by photographer, conservationist and Rolex-partner, Cristina Mittermeier, to learn how she...

The Earth’s average surface temperature has risen by one Celsius since the late 19th century, an increase which has a lasting impact on our entire planet, not to mention some of the world's coldest and extreme areas. With reports suggesting that Arctic sea ice is now shrinking by 12.6% per decade, crucial data found in polar sea ice which can help predict future climate change is disappearing befo...

There is no denying that humans have an obligation to protect animals and the ecosystems that they live in, but with an estimated 8.7 million species of plants and animals in existence on Earth the question is, where do we start? Environment Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan is joined by wildlife conservationist and Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year in 2021, Paula Kahumbu, to learn h...

In 2022 Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano, erupted on Hawaii's Big Island. Fortunately this event didn't result in any fatalities - but the same can't be said for other recent eruptions in places like Indonesia, Tonga and the Philippines. Environment Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan is joined by volcanologist and Rolex Awards for Enterprise Laureate Andrew McGonigle to learn more abo...

An ever-increasing world population and human advancement has offset a complex balance on our natural resources, one which is damaging the way many people live. Environment Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan visits environmental advocate and Rolex Awards for Enterprise Laureate Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim who has experienced first-hand the effects of climate change with Lake Chad drying up - changing t...

As the world population continues to surge, conflicts between people and wildlife over food, resources and space for living are heightening. Environment Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan is joined by conservationist and Rolex Awards for Enterprise Laureate Krithi Karanth to explore how she is using technology to help local communities in India mitigate animal attacks and lessen animosity bet...

The Earth’s climate has been known to change in the past, but it’s only since the industrial revolution that there have been changes to our climate which have been driven by humans. Environment Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan joins climate scientist and National Geographic Explorer Tom Matthews to investigate how his work, mapping the planet’s most extreme climates, can help us to better unders...

Medical inequity jeopardises the safety of everyone and contributes to growing inequalities in and between countries. Take vaccinations for example, we know how important they are for ensuring a longer and healthier life, yet during the Covid-19 pandemic statistics have shown that of the more than 10 billion doses of the coronavirus vaccine distributed worldwide, only one percent have been adminis...

With estimates suggesting that there are more than 5 trillion pieces of micro and macro plastics in our seas and continued reports stating that a truckload of plastic enters our oceans every minute, we can no longer turn a blind eye to the life cycle of plastic products once they are thrown in the bin. Environment Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan is joined by scientist, tech entrepreneur and Rol...

The balance between wilderness areas and the species that depend on them are fragile and are being threatened. Environment Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan joins conservationist and National Geographic Explorer Steve Boyes in Zimbabwe to investigate why Africa’s greatest water sources - the rivers that run through the heart of the continent - are crucial to a prosperous future environment in Afr...

Introducing Planet Hope - a new podcast from The Times in partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative . Follow the podcast now to never miss an episode. Each day we watch as rising temperatures, extreme weather and extinctions are accepted as the new normal. The list of bleak headlines feels endless. It’s no wonder hope is wavering. But all is not lost. In this podcast ser...