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Living Planet

Looking to reconnect with nature? Want to make better decisions for the health of the planet? Every Friday, Living Planet brings you the stories, facts and debates on the key environmental issues of our time.

Episodes

Whale speak, nature's opera & tidal marshes (rebroadcast)

How do sperm whales express their cultural differences? And what kind of music would birds and the wind make if you gave them the chance? In today's episode, we listen to some curious soundscapes, as well as hear from the climate scientists in Maryland trying to figure out what the future will look like if we change one of Earth's hardest working carbon sinks: saltwater marshes.

Jun 22, 202330 min

Bill McKibben on power & the climate emergency

Environmental journalist & author Bill McKibben helps us understand the link between power, Russia's war in Ukraine and the climate crisis. We then head to Columbia to hear from people on the ground suffering the consequences of Germany's reignited coal deal. And, from Lithuania, we ponder how climate change is altering the way we understand seasons. This episode originally aired in June 2022.

Jun 15, 202330 min

Amitav Ghosh on colonialism & the climate crisis

We talk to renowned Indian author Amitav Ghosh about the origins of the climate crisis, the story of one very important spice, and why he prefers the term "planetary crisis" to the climate crisis.

Jun 08, 202330 min

Introducing: Drilled on ExxonMobil's oil colonialism in Guyana

This week we're sharing an episode of Drilled, a true-crime climate podcast we love that describes itself as Law & Order meets the climate crisis. This is episode one from their new season that follows the story of a Guyanese reporter as she tries to find out what kind of deal was struck between ExxonMobil and the Guyanese government after they discovered oil reserves off the country's coast.

Jun 01, 202330 min

Critical minerals & decarbonization: Can we have our cake and eat it, too?

We hear from people in Puchuncaví, Chile, who want to reclaim their region from industrial exploitation. And we talk to author and expert Saleem Ali about how to reduce the harm of mining and refining the minerals critical to harnessing renewable energy and powering electric vehicles.

May 25, 202330 min

Climate misinformation: How do we tackle it?

Climate journalist Stella Levantesi, climate communication researcher John Cook and Wikimedia strategist Alex Stinson join Sam Baker for an engaging round-table discussion on how factually inaccurate and misleading information about the environment travels around the web - and what to do about it. This episode was originally broadcast in April 2022.

May 18, 202330 min

Introducing: Heat of the Moment on what a 'just transition' really means

This week we're sharing an episode from Heat of the Moment, a podcast from Foreign Policy in partnership with the Climate Investment Funds. In Season 3, they explore the idea of a "just transition" away from fossil fuels — not only what that means for the coal miners whose jobs are going away, but also how the opportunity can be used to address wrongdoings such as racism, sexism and colonialism.

May 04, 202330 min

Conflicting priorities: The cost of cobalt, dealing with deer in Scotland & fighting heat and air pollution in India's slums

On Living Planet this week, too many deer in the Scottish Highlands are leading to community disputes over how to deal with them. As India works to clean up its air, scientists have realized there may be a surprising trade-off: even higher temperatures. And we venture into the heart of the humanitarian disaster that is cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo with author Siddharth Kara.

Apr 27, 202330 min

Fake electronics lead to e-waste, the pitfalls of compostable packaging and a greener refugee camp

This week on Living Planet, we hear how refugees in Cameroon are creating shade and fresher air, as they connect their tree-planting project to the Great Green Wall of Africa. We also unpack Uganda's electronic waste problem, which has been made worse by a flood of cheap, counterfeit mobile phones on the market. And we learn about the promise and drawbacks of compostable packaging.

Apr 20, 202330 min