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.
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Nov 13, 2026 · 33:34
Teens and 20-somethings have done more to draw attention to the climate crisis than any other generation. But when it comes to COP 31, the UN’s high profile climate summit, their…
Nov 6, 2026 · 25:34
Passenger pigeons once blotted out North America’s skies. Within decades, they were gone. How did the continent’s most abundant bird vanish so fast and what can we learn from…
Oct 30, 2026 · 29:39
Once, storms sparked witch hunts. Today, conspiracy theorists blame secret government plots for extreme weather. Why do we search for hidden enemies when disaster strikes, and…
Oct 23, 2026 · 29:07
To many on Germany’s Hallig Islands, the thought of relocating is scarier than facing dangerous flood events. A closer look at why the German government is investing big money…
Oct 16, 2026 · 29:29
As the world races to adapt to sea level rise, in Germany, nature itself is part of the solution. A visit to its islands, the vital coastal defenders protecting the mainland from…
Oct 9, 2026 · 24:11
Dave McGann had never experienced a serious asthma attack. Then a storm rolled in and he couldn't breathe - neither could thousands of others. What was in the air that night?
Oct 2, 2026 · 25:10
As a teen, Lobsang Yangtso left her home in Tibet. It took two decades to return, and what she found shocked her. China's clean energy revolution is bringing major gains, but…
Sep 25, 2026 · 25:34
Cycling changed Aisling's life for the better. So why did she begin to wonder whether it was worth it? Her story reveals the hidden barriers keeping many women off two wheels,…
Sep 18, 2026 · 34:34
Anasuya Basil lives in a virtual tinder box in California. After surviving blazes big and small, she winced at the smell of smoke. Then everything changed. Now she sets fires on…
Sep 11, 2026 · 26:09
Katie Hodgetts wanted to do everything right for the planet. She stopped flying, changed how she lived, and threw herself into climate activism. But when doing more became too…
Sep 4, 2026 · 27:35
In 2022, a catastrophic flood tore through Australia's Northern Rivers region. By the time it receded, life for one couple had changed forever. Surviving the flood was one thing,…
Aug 28, 2026 · 23:18
Syria’s bee population was once considered the largest in the Middle East, but then came the civil war in 2011, plunging the country into years of violent conflict. Only a…
Jul 31, 2026 · 30:00
What if the places we think of as empty and unmarred are anything but? What if wilderness is as much an idea as a place? A conversation with Cal Flyn, who, in her new book,…
Jul 31, 2026 · 30:50
If you want to escape to the profound stillness of the Himalayan foothills, a good place to start is by reading Indian writer Anuradha Roy’s latest book, Called by the Hills. A…
Jul 31, 2026 · 29:29
If you've ever wondered whether humanity can adapt to a changing climate, the fossil record offers surprising reasons for hope. Paleontologist Evan Jevnikar, author of Surviving…
Jul 31, 2026 · 33:09
Standing atop a 1.7-billion-year-old rock in Wisconsin, geologist Marcia Bjornerud points out the many challenges our planet has weathered, and that its long memory might hold…
Jul 24, 2026 · 33:52
Where does the cloud actually live? We go behind the high-security fences of a German data center to find out. Inside lies the physical infrastructure that powers our expanding…
Jul 17, 2026 · 22:24
The internet's invisible backbone is becoming impossible to ignore. As data centers multiply, so do questions about the land, power and communities they depend on – and who…
Jul 10, 2026 · 37:24
Five years after catastrophic floods tore through Germany's Ahr Valley, Living Planet host Neil King reflects on the devastation he witnessed firsthand, while reporter Jonas…
Jul 3, 2026 · 1:46
The cloud is supposed to be invisible. Limitless. Until it isn't. Coming soon, Living Planet goes in search of the hidden infrastructure being built to power our digital futures.
Jun 26, 2026 · 34:16
Dust storms around the world are getting worse and for people like Michelle, living with chronic asthma near a drying lake in California, the results are life-threatening.…
Jun 19, 2026 · 29:33
What happens after carbon is captured? In this special collaboration with How We Survive, Living Planet follows CO₂ from a cement factory to its final resting place more than a…
Jun 12, 2026 · 29:23
Every time you drive a car, heat your home or board a plane, carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere. A growing industry says it can pull that CO₂ back out again. Living Planet…
Jun 5, 2026 · 26:10
At some point today, you’ve probably used an appliance that relies on HFCs, also known as refrigerants. They're many times more potent than CO2, which is why the EU, US and…
May 29, 2026 · 28:40
A new generation of chemical recycling plants promises to turn hard-to-recycle plastics back into new packaging and keep waste out of landfills and incinerators. But as Europe…
May 22, 2026 · 27:40
Wind turbines, pig manure, people power – and one radical idea. Feldheim may look like an ordinary farming village, but it’s become world famous for its unique energy system,…
May 15, 2026 · 30:39
We thought we were done talking about rats. Then your questions came in. From plague myths to poisoned predators, population growth and climate change to urban allotment gardens…
May 8, 2026 · 28:58
After a life-changing accident, Vanessa spent years fighting a dangerous infection that kept coming back. Eventually, doctors discovered why: the bacteria fueling it were…
May 1, 2026 · 30:20
Laundry seems harmless - but it’s not. Chemicals, microplastics, and energy use add up fast. Are we overwashing just to feel "clean”? Discover how to clean your clothes smarter -…
Apr 24, 2026 · 31:57
When Russia targets Ukraine's energy system, it's not just turning off the lights, it's creating conditions for nuclear disaster. Each attack forces a rethink: more solar, more…
Apr 17, 2026 · 29:41
Alex Ootowak grew up watching narwhals, the "unicorns of the sea", frolic in Canada’s Arctic waters. Then a nearby mine changed everything. In this episode, hear how underwater…
Apr 10, 2026 · 30:29
In cities around the world, rats aren't just surviving; they're thriving. Despite decades of poison, traps and control, they keep coming back. So, what is it about modern city…
Apr 3, 2026 · 30:00
Climate change is reshaping the world - but inside many churches, it’s barely spoken about. So what’s behind the silence? One believer whose passion for God’s creation started as…
Mar 27, 2026 · 33:58
Brock Yordy once helped extract fossil fuels; now, he’s using the same skills to tap the Earth’s heat for clean energy. His journey from oilfields to geothermal puts a new…
Mar 20, 2026 · 29:18
Chemical recycling promises to transform plastic waste, and Houston is at the center of this big experiment in the US. While industry touts it as a breakthrough, activists are…
Mar 13, 2026 · 34:09
The four-day work week was a hot new trend not all that long ago, but amid stagnating economies, some countries are pushing for more work, not less. Even in Europe, the German…
Mar 6, 2026 · 35:04
As climate change reshapes the Arctic, Norwegian scientists are testing how far north farming can go. But is expanding Arctic agriculture a responsible answer to future food…
Feb 27, 2026 · 28:18
The rainforests in northeast Australia are some of the most protected in the world. They haven't been logged in nearly 40 years. But after decades of measuring these forests tree…
Feb 20, 2026 · 33:38
Do men really care less about the environment than women or is the story more complicated? We unpack the "Green Gender Gap," the politics and identity behind it, and the…
Feb 13, 2026 · 29:35
Synthetic leather. Faux leather. Vegan leather. Call it what you want - it’s everywhere, especially in the shoes on our feet. For some shoppers, it’s about saving money. For…
Feb 6, 2026 · 16:59
This week, we're featuring Episode 2 of Boy Wasted, a three-part environmental true crime series by Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor, co-produced by Adnan Khan. The investigation into a…
Jan 30, 2026 · 29:57
US Health Secretary RFK Jr. released new dietary guidelines that have literally turned the food pyramid upside down. Beef is, quite literally, "what's for dinner." Living…
Jan 23, 2026 · 33:23
Children today spend less time in nature than any generation before - and educators are sounding the alarm. But what if the outdoors becomes the classroom itself? In this…
Jan 16, 2026 · 35:07
Bioacoustics is pretty niche, but now thanks to AI, it could turbocharge biodiversity research. Michel André calls it “the science of the sound of life.” In this episode, we hear…
Jan 9, 2026 · 26:51
It started with a scoop of soil from an Arctic dump. Inside was a microbe scientists call a game-changer - able to live on air and pull methane, one of the planet’s most…
Jan 2, 2026 · 36:05
Time to ring in the New Year with something a little different, and fun! Host Neil King is joined by producers Jennifer Collins, Kathleen Schuster and Charli Shield for Living…
Dec 26, 2025 · 33:41
Before we say goodbye to 2025, Living Planet has some good news to share. Not only has the feedback from you, our listeners, been overwhelmingly positive, but our team has…
Dec 19, 2025 · 36:08
Every year, countless animals meet their end on our roads - yet most of us barely notice. But this isn’t just a minor tragedy; the sheer scale is reshaping ecosystems across the…
Dec 12, 2025 · 30:50
Protein obsession is reshaping our diets — and our planet. We lift the lid on the protein craze, what we truly need for good health, why animal protein carries such a heavy…
Dec 5, 2025 · 31:26
For 40 years, environmentalist and author Bill McKibben has chronicled the worsening climate crisis and politicians' failure to stop it. But now, for the first time, he says he…
Nov 28, 2025 · 27:58
We're generating more solar and wind power than ever before, but somewhere between where it's made and where it's needed, the energy system can't keep up. From Spain's blackout…
Nov 21, 2025 · 26:19
Some of the places hardest hit by climate change are also home to one of the future's most powerful gifts: superabundant sunshine. If solar is now cheaper than ever, what’s…
Nov 14, 2025 · 1:29
Solar power is the cheapest energy source in history – and wind isn’t far behind. So why isn't the clean energy transition moving faster? In a new three-part miniseries, we’re…
Nov 7, 2025 · 35:50
When mercury pollution makes headlines, it's often linked to fish and human health. But there's another big source of mercury pollution that's affecting millions of people across…
Oct 31, 2025 · 23:01
Your thrifted shirt might not be as green as you think. From Ghana's "dead white man's clothes" to the rise of resale, we uncover fashion's hidden impact - and a way forward that…
Oct 24, 2025 · 23:38
This week on Living Planet, we're sharing Boy Wasted - a gripping three-part environmental true crime series by Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor and co-produced by Adnan Khan. It begins…
Oct 17, 2025 · 29:46
The harm of plastics on human health is well known, but what about their impact on the people living near the plants that produce them? In this episode, we hear from the women on…
Oct 10, 2025 · 35:57
In classrooms across the US, fossil fuel interests and political pressure are shaping the science - and leaving key facts out. Meet two teachers fighting to keep climate…
Oct 3, 2025 · 27:52
Think fungi are just mushrooms and mold? Think again. Over 90% of fungal species are still unknown, and scientists are discovering new ones all the time. This World Fungus Day,…
Sep 26, 2025 · 29:29
Hydropower, heat pumps and EVs made Norway a climate darling. Oil and gas exports made it rich. When one Norwegian started to question his role in this story, he came up against…
Sep 19, 2025 · 30:04
Louisiana loses a football field’s worth of land every 100 minutes to coastal erosion. Franziska Trautmann, co-founder of Glass of Full, tells the story of how she and her…
Sep 12, 2025 · 31:58
What happens when science collides with conspiracy? When a weather forecast sparks hate mail and even death threats? In this episode, we follow the journey of a meteorologist who…
Sep 5, 2025 · 23:45
Long-distance trips make up just a fraction of our journeys - yet they drive most of our travel emissions. Trains can cut that footprint by up to 75%, but planes still dominate.…
Aug 27, 2025 · 31:54
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, leaving behind a deadly path of destruction. It was the costliest disaster in US history. As E'jaaz Mason can attest, many…
Aug 22, 2025 · 30:07
Tea and coffee. Millennia-old drinks that fuel our mornings and shape our cultures. But behind every steaming cup lies a journey across continents, a web of farms and workers,…
Aug 15, 2025 · 32:02
We love the smell of fresh laundry – but at what cost? In Episode Four of our Greener Living series, we unpack how our quest for "clean" has been shaped by marketing, not…
Aug 8, 2025 · 31:20
Who's a good boy? We love our pets (how could we not?) – and they love us back. But the way we care for our furry companions says a lot about how we consume, what we value, and…
Aug 1, 2025 · 28:11
Decipher the back of your sunscreen bottle with the help of an ecotoxicologist in Episode Two of our Greener Living series. Craig Downs helps us understand, and if we're honest,…
Jul 25, 2025 · 30:17
Summer is here, vacation is calling, and Living Planet is out of the office. But not to worry, we’ve lined up five great episodes of our favorite tips for living a greener life.…
Jul 24, 2025 · 0:30
Summer is here and the living is easy. Well, maybe not so easy when it comes to making environmentally friendly choices! From sunscreen to your next car, your pet's diet to your…
Jul 18, 2025 · 31:35
By day Matt Winning works on climate policy. By night, he’s turning scientific data into jokes. Fusing razor-sharp research with dry Scottish wit, Matt uses stand-up to make the…
Jul 11, 2025 · 23:29
Nuclear power is making a comeback in Japan. But in Hokkaido, indigenous Ainu communities are being sidelined as their ancestral land is eyed for nuclear waste storage. The Ainu…
Jul 4, 2025 · 41:26
Even in five episodes, we couldn’t cover everything. So in this bonus epilogue, Neil and Kathleen sit down with reporters Sam Baker and Charli Shield to unpack some questions we…
Jun 27, 2025 · 31:27
It's the trip of a lifetime. A journey to the end of the Earth, where icebergs groan and penguins shuffle. More tourists are flocking to Antarctica than ever before, drawn by a…
Jun 20, 2025 · 39:33
This week we are sharing an episode from Boiling Point, a podcast by L.A. Times Studios that looks at the climate challenges facing California and the American West, and the…
Jun 13, 2025 · 30:41
How does a person in advertising go from perpetuating consumerism one day to championing environment citizenship the next? In this episode, we explore the story of one ad man…
Jun 6, 2025 · 28:53
In the past 20 years more than a fifth of our oceans have been growing darker. What is causing this and how worried should we be? In this episode we take you beneath the Baltic…
May 30, 2025 · 29:33
After cancer treatment, Suzanne was persuaded to join an animal-assisted therapy session with horses. She was skeptical at first, but the experience changed her life. This…
May 23, 2025 · 29:15
When Kelly Ramsey joined an elite unit of wildland firefighters called the "hotshots" in Northern California, she thought she knew what she was signing up for. But climate change…
May 16, 2025 · 37:22
What’s a forest really worth? Or a pollinator, or a reef? In this final episode of The Cost of Climate Change, we travel to Tasmania’s underwater forests to uncover the hidden…
May 9, 2025 · 40:15
Extreme heat is no longer a future threat. It's here, and it’s costing us. From hospitals pushed to the brink, to cities built for a cooler planet, the toll is mounting on our…
May 2, 2025 · 40:19
What do a German heat pump and a Canadian carbon price have in common? They're both flashpoints in a growing political battle over how to cut emissions and share the costs…
Apr 25, 2025 · 38:46
Sun, wind, water, and Earth’s heat — they’re abundant, carbon-free, and cheaper to harness than ever. But what’s the true price of overhauling our energy system? Is clean power…
Apr 18, 2025 · 42:34
In the first episode of our series on The Cost of Climate Change, we head to Miami — where vibrant nightlife, sunshine, and storm surges collide. As hurricanes intensify and…
Apr 11, 2025 · 14:58
Ever notice how debates about the cost of climate change tend to focus on how green policies are too expensive — and less about the huge bill we’ll all face the longer we fail to…
Apr 4, 2025 · 36:23
PFAS, or "forever chemicals," are everywhere – in food packaging, water, and more. But what happens when they enter our bloodstream? One woman's fight to find out.
Mar 28, 2025 · 33:12
Is our love for nature more than instinct? A look at the fascinating link between nature, mental health, and physical recovery.
Mar 21, 2025 · 31:44
Spring is in the air, and so are fresh blooms! With the US marking National Flower Day this week and flower season about to ramp up in the world's flower capital, the…
Mar 14, 2025 · 25:04
Governments are cracking down on climate protests. They say activists have crossed the line into extremism. But history shows resistance only adapts. As repression intensifies,…
Mar 7, 2025 · 33:27
Last year, the world pumped over 41 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Hard to picture, isn’t it? In this episode, we explore different ways of understanding this basic…
Feb 28, 2025 · 34:28
Is Ireland really running out of water? Is AI to blame? And where does Irish mythology fit in? In this special behind-the-scenes episode, we answer your questions, share…
Feb 21, 2025 · 30:25
Imagine a city where everything - work, shopping, schools, and parks - is just 15 minutes away. Is this the key to a greener, more convenient future or a threat to personal…
Feb 14, 2025 · 31:55
Scientists in the US have found a way to grow plants in complete darkness. Could this be the future of farming, reducing land use and environmental impact? Or will traditional…
Feb 7, 2025 · 27:10
What would you do to save your home from disappearing? As sea levels rise, the tiny Pacific island nation of Tuvalu mulls a permanent move to the metaverse to save its culture.…
Jan 31, 2025 · 32:34
As Ireland's capital faces a growing water crisis, a controversial multibillion-euro pipeline threatens to reshape the fate of the mighty River Shannon. This is a story of…
Jan 24, 2025 · 29:32
We recently devoted an episode to exploring LED light pollution in one of Germany’s brightest cities. In part two, we hear from a motley team of researchers who want to rewild…
Jan 17, 2025 · 18:11
Who doesn't love a good story? Even in the noise of today, some books keep on drawing new readers. Outdated in many ways, yet standing the test of time, can those with strong…
Jan 10, 2025 · 13:02
What happens to bees in winter? These busy creatures don't just vanish when the cold sets in. In this second episode of our Naturally Connected mini-series we learn about the…
Jan 3, 2025 · 17:40
What is it about the sea that draws us in? From rugged cliffs to sandy shores, Tamsin Walker explores the ocean’s magnetic pull and the mysteries of its hold on us in this…
Dec 27, 2024 · 32:32
Before we ring in the New Year, Living Planet has some answers to your listener questions. Which is better for the environment: reusable or paper coffee cups? And what about the…
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