Planet Pod

For our last podcast of the season we are in conversation with two beacons of hope. We talk to Professor Professor Richard Templer, who led the climate innovation centre at Imperial College and went on to found Undaunted in partnership with the Royal Institution and look back over his career and the huge impact he has had on students, businesses and start ups with Tom Robinson, CEO...

Should solicitors or barristers turn down work from fossil fuel companies? What is the role of law in the transition from an oil based economy? We explore the changing face of accountability with Haley Czarnek, National Director of Law Students for Climate Accountability, Alexander Rhodes, Partner and Head of Purpose at corporate law firm Mishcon de Reya and Paul Powlesland, Barrister and Fou...

Three species go extinct every hour. We talk to zoologist, wildlife TV presenter and photographer Megan McCubbin and Dr John Ewen, Senior Research Fellow at ZSL’s Institute of Zoology about their work to highlight and tackle threats to wildlife, how far we should go to stop a species going extinct and the painstaking work, hope and courage it takes to bring a species back from the edge of ext...

A conversation with author Nicola Chester about her life, shaped by the landscape she has fought so hard to save. Author of the Wainwright Prize-nominated 'On Gallows Down', Nicola talks protest, nature, belonging, hope and the future of climate action. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Insects - pollinators, major carnivores, herbivores and recyclers. They sustain our diet. Most animals eat insects. Our food relies on insects. The ecology of the world has evolved around insects. Yet they are in crisis, the situation is dire. We speak to Matt Shardlow, the Chief Executive of Buglife – The Invertebrate Conservation Trust, and Dr George McGavin, television prese...

We take a deep dive into the threats facing our waterways and why it matters with Feargal Sharkey, former frontman of punk band The Undertones and de facto figurehead of the battle to save Britain’s rivers, author and Right to Roam activist Amy-Jane Beer and author, academic and campaigner Mark Wormald. To mark the conference Owned By Everyone? Chalk Streams in Culture and Crisis, we exp...

What is the meaning of geese? This podcast explores what climate change, personal action and hope hold in store for our local spaces through the story of Nick Acheson, renowned naturalist and conservationist, who cycled 1,200 miles during lockdown, the exact length of the pinkfeet's migration to Iceland, to try and discover what geese mean to communities, landscapes and th...

Migratory birds are in sharp decline. We talk to pioneering conservationist  Sacha Dench  about her work to raise awareness of the threats facing these incredible creatures and efforts to create systems to protect them and their flyways. We talk about her recent expedition, the Flight of the Osprey, her recovery following the tragic accident on the Round Britain Climate Challenge and the...

Do we need to rethink farming? Farmers are not just food producers; they are custodians of the land, businesses, innovators and our partners in the hunt for solutions to climate change. What does the Government's new payment scheme mean for them? We catch up with Martin Lines, arable farmer in South Cambridgeshire and UK Chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network and Dominic Buscall, Project Man...

We speak to Sasha Abraham, Senior Analyst at the UK's Climate Change Committee and formerly a member of the COP26 President's team, about her hopes and fears for 2023. How does the CCC hold Government to account? What did the UK achieve in 2022? Was COP27 a success? Also, in Animal, Vegetable, Mineral we talk to Jim Haywood about the latest incredible green tech. What do seaweed, squid a...

We hear from Sally Bunce, seal protection officer at Teesside about the collapse of the local marine ecosystem which many believe is due to constriction to service an offshore wind project and Isobel Morris, Senior Policy Officer for Energy at the RSPB about how the UK can prioritise nature during an energy crisis. We also hear some very good nature news from Charlie Zakss of Suffolk Wil...

What price is nature paying for the UK's transition to clean energy? We talked to Joan Edwards OBE, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at The Wildlife Trusts and Dr Tom Appleby, Chief Legal Affairs Advisor at The Blue Marine Foundation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is nuclear energy safe? Is it clean? Do we need it? We talk to experts from both sides of the debate - Dr Paul Dorfman, Associate Fellow at University of Sussex and Chair of the Nuclear Consulting Group and Jessica Johnson, Communications and Advocacy Director at Nuclear Europe - about how nuclear energy is generated and whether it can play a role in the UK's transition to Net Zero. Hosted on...

Exploring the volatility in the energy sector with Dhara Vyas, Director of Advocacy at Energy UK and Dr Jeff Hardy, Senior Research Fellow at the Grantham Institute of Climate Change. Why are bills so high? Why aren't we solving the crisis by building renewables at pace? What renewables would solve the crisis? What does next year look like? How can communities gain control of their own e...

In 2020 the government pledged to protect at least 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030 – the ‘30x30’ target. Two years on and they have made woeful progress. What can we, as citizens, do to challenge this inaction? We speak to Kate Jennings, Head of Site Conservation and Species Policy for the RSPB and Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link; a coalition of over 60...

It has been a tumultuous time for nature in the UK with many of the existing legal protections for species and habitats coming under threat. To kick off our new series we speak to Natalie Bennett, Green member of the House of Lords and former leader of the Green Party and Karla Hill, Associate Director at think tank E3G and former Director of Programmes at Client Earth about the relationship betwe...

Award-winning writer Ben Macdonald joins us to discuss his new book Cornerstones, how these species can save our planet and the power of books to shape our lives. We are also joined by Rose Malleson, founder of a sustainability book club, who shares her recommendations for summer reading. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An exploration of the incredible past and a hopeful future of the Dogger Bank and Doggerland, a unique area which once connected the British Isles to Europe. With Julia Blackburn, described as "one of the most original writers in Britain" and author of Time Song, a startling, "funny and often very moving" exploration of life on Doggerland and Dr Tom Appleby, Asso...

We talk to William Kendall, environmentalist, entrepreneur and farmer about the future of farming. Having transformed Green & Blacks and Covent Garden Soup, William now farms organically and conventionally in coastal Suffolk. Where is farming going wrong? How do we keep food affordable? What is the difference between organic and regenerative? How will innovation transform farming? Listen to fi...

In this episode we look at rewilding on both a small and a large scale - from the  'Best in Show' garden at The Chelsea Flower Show  to an ambitious new wilding project at  West Chevington  on the shore of Durridge Bay. We chat to  Duncan Hutt , Director of Conservation at  Northumberland Wildlife Trust  about their new wilding site at West Chevington; a 700...

Biodiversity is in trouble pretty much everywhere. Our new series explores biodiversity, habitat loss and threats to wildlife. In this first episode we speak to Professor Andy Purvis, Research Leader at the Natural History Museum and take a walk around the magical nature reserve of RSPB Minsmere with Visitor Experience Officer Ian Barthorpe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...

The global population is sustained by fragile food systems that are wreaking havoc with the environment and public health. Food systems contribute to and are significantly affected by climate change but they are also a crucial part of the solution. In this final episode of Spilling the Beans we spoke to Patrick Holden, Founding Director of the Sustainable Food Trust and Patty Fong, the Program Dir...

In the UK we face a triple threat of climate change, energy scarcity and cost of living crisis. What did the Spring Statement mean for climate action? Why are our pensions a superpower? We spoke to Simon Mundy, Moral Money Editor at the Financial Times and author of The Race for Tomorrow, Kenneth Green, Campaigns Manager at Make My Money Matter and Alex Smith, Senior Associate...

Planet Pod talks to two organisations who are tackling the damage our food system inflicts on the planet in very different ways. Sofia Condes is the Investor Outreach Manager at FAIRR, a collaborative investor network that aims to harness the power of capital market to drive transition in the food system. Lana Zivanovic is the CSO at InnovoPro, who have developed an extraction process to conc...

How can we produce the right food in the right place, the right way and in the right amount? We spoke to Ivo Mulder, Head of Climate Finance Unit at UNEP and Dorothy Shaver, Global Food Sustainability Director for Unilever’s food and ice cream brands about the issues with our complex food supply chains and how we can address them - both with producers and consumers. This is the first pod...