Rare Earth

BBC Radio 4
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Rare Earth

New science documentary series for BBC Radio 4

  1. 5 DAYS AGO

    Who's in charge: us or plastic?

    Our love affair with plastic has grown beyond all expectations since we were first introduced to the substance in the mid 20th century, and the rate at which we're using it shows no sign of slowing. But the tidal wave of plastic pollution we've unleashed is causing serious environmental problems. In this programme, Helen Czerski and Tom Heap hear how some of our plastic waste is burnt in incinerators or sent overseas, causing pollution far from our shores. In their search for solutions, they visit the Plastic Waste Innovation Hub at University College London, where Professor Mark Miodownik shows them how science is trying to keep up with the proliferation of plastic pollution. Back in the studio, they're joined by Professor Steve Fletcher from the University of Portsmouth, Sally Beken from Innovate UK, and environmental journalist Leana Hosea from Watershed Investigations, to talk about how we got here and how we can change our relationship with plastic. In the 2000s the amount of plastic waste generated rose more in a single decade than it had in the previous forty years. It's in everything - from our clothes, cars and cosmetics, to the 2.5 billion disposable drinks cups now discarded every year in the UK. It seems we can't live without it. So Helen and Tom ask: who's in charge now - us or plastic? Producer: Emma Campbell Produced in association with the Open University

    53 min

  2. 15 NOV

    Beak and Talon

    Nothing beats the sight of a top predator as it hunts. In the British Isles that means looking up. Our birds of prey are bouncing back after decades of shooting, poisoning and habitat loss. Buzzard numbers are up by 80% since 1995 and Red Kite by 2000%. Peregrine Falcon are thriving in London and Marsh Harriers have returned to our wetlands. Helen gets up close to Black Kites and an Eagle Owl at the Owl and Raptor Centre in Kent and travel writer Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent describes the extraordinary migration of tens of thousands of birds of prey through the Batumi Gap on the border of Georgia and Turkey. The RSPB's Mark Thomas and Robert Benson of the Moorland Association discuss the threat that birds of prey still face on some of Britain's shooting estates and Jennifer Ackerman, author of 'What An Owl Knows' joins Tom and Helen to explore the science behind the night-hunting skills of so many owls. Producer: Alasdair Cross Assistant Producer: Toby Field Rare Earth is produced in association with the Open University

    53 min

  3. 8 NOV

    Clean energy or green fields?

    How can we build new green infrastructure without wrecking the countryside? Helen Czerski and Tom Heap debate the issue with a panel of experts, and ask what the measures outlined in last week's budget will mean for planning decisions and the environment. On the panel this week: Emma Pinchbeck, new CEO of the Climate Change Committee; Roger Mortlock, chief executive of the CPRE - the Countryside Charity; and Professor Matthew Kelly, modern historian from Northumbria University. Producer: Emma Campbell

    52 min

  4. 1 NOV

    Rise of the Tuna

    It's four metres long, the weight of two grizzly bears and dangerously delicious. The Bluefin Tuna is back in British waters so Tom Heap and Helen Czerski are here to celebrate the role of the tuna in food, culture and nature. Unseen since the 1960s, these enormous fish have surprised surfers and anglers by leaping clear out of the waters of South-West England. Rare Earth takes a deep dive with the tuna to examine their unusual biology and their cultural importance to people all around the world. They can live up to 60 years, dive up to 1km below the ocean surface and swim as fast as 40 km per hour. Unfortunately for the bluefin, they’re particularly tasty, prized for their meaty sashimi, with some fish reaching prices close to £2m in the ceremonial new year auction at Tokyo’s fish market. Tom explores the intense Japanese relationship with tuna while Helen makes a plea to give this fish the respect it deserves- we should celebrate its extraordinary biology rather than stuffing it in a tiny can with a ‘dolphin-friendly’ stamp on the label. Producer: Alasdair Cross Assistant Producer: Toby Field Rare Earth is a BBC Audio Wales and West production in conjunction with the Open University

    53 min

  5. 25 OCT

    Battle for the Planet

    US elections always have an outsized impact on the planet. As the world's second largest polluter and one of the primary sources of green technology and finance, America's lead on environmental issues is a vital part of our battle against climate change. Tom Heap and Helen Czerski analyse the efforts of the Biden regime and examine the rival policies of Harris and Trump. Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act is said to have helped channel half a trillion dollars into clean technology and renewable energy. Has all that money brought down emissions or funded fresh answers to the planet's biggest challenge? Trump talks tough on the environment, supporting oil, gas and coal companies but did his presidential term really accelerate global warming? Tom and Helen are joined by Professor Leah Stokes from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Trisha Curtis, CEO of PetroNerds and presenter of the PetroNerds podcast and by Pilita Clark, Associate Editor and environment and business columnist for the Financial Times. Producer: Alasdair Cross Assistant Producer: Toby Field Rare Earth is a BBC Audio Wales and West production in conjunction with the Open University

    54 min

  6. 18 OCT

    The Magic of Microbes

    The environment and wildlife show returns with a celebration of the humble microbe. Tom Heap and Helen Czerski are joined by a ‘microbe explorer’ who travels to some of the Earth’s most hostile environments in search of microbes with a huge appetite for carbon dioxide. They also be visit the crop trial field station of Imperial College London where researchers are studying changes to bacteria in soil that could help agriculture and the environment. Producer: Emma Campbell Assistant Producer: Toby Field Rare Earth is made by BBC Audio Wales and West in association with the Open University.

    53 min

  7. 9 AUG

    Save Our Seabirds

    Seabirds face many challenges - avian flu, plastic pollution, overfishing and climate change have all had an impact - but despite all of this, these resilient birds are surviving and in some cases, thriving. Tom Heap and Helen Czerski explore all things seabird, from the urban kittiwakes of Tyneside to the sea cliffs of Shetland. They're joined by Adam Nicolson, the author of The Seabird's Cry. He's determined to recover the reputation of the puffin from the cute star of seaside mugs and tea towels to its rightful place as a brave and powerful navigator of the toughest ocean environments. Mike Dilger, resident nature expert on BBC TV's The One Show, reports from Shetland on the extraordinary colony of storm petrels that breed in the brickwork of Iron Age brochs. The kittiwakes that nest in the heart of Newcastle and Gateshead are the furthest inland colony in the world. Helen Wilson of Durham University discusses her research on the birds and their developing relationship with the people who live and work alongside them. Many of Britain's most dramatic seabird colonies breed on the most isolated islands of the west coast of Scotland. Film-maker and adventure leader Roland Arnison has spent the summer in a kayak, paddling from island to island, recording the sounds of thirty species of seabird. He tells Tom and Helen about his Call of the Loon expedition and his dramatic scrapes with riptides, hypothermia and the most predatory of Scottish seabirds- the great skua. Producer: Alasdair Cross Assistant Producer: Toby Field Researcher: Christina Sinclair Rare Earth is a BBC Audio Wales and West production in conjunction with the Open University

    53 min

  8. 2 AUG

    How to Floodproof A City

    Tom Heap and Helen Czerski meet the people with fresh ideas to combat rising sea levels, from Enfield to Indonesia. Average sea levels across the world are rising fast. That puts 570 cities with a combined population of 800 million people at significant threat of inundation. Add in the impact of extreme rainfall events and you have a huge slice of our urban planet that needs protection from flooding. Tom and Helen are joined by Professor Richard Dawson of Newcastle University who considers the engineering solutions available, from huge chunks of concrete and steel to the clever use of parks and gardens that can slow down the flow of water into the streets. Emma Howard Boyd, former chair of the Environment Agency, tells them about her London Climate Resilience Review which shines a light on the urgent need to raise the city's embankments and suggests some quirkier options. Could the 160,000 large holes that are dug ever year in London be repurposed as emergency water buffers? Helen visits New Orleans, 19 years after one of the world's most disastrous urban floods, to meet Dana Eness who leads the Front Yard Initiative which helps city residents floodproof their homes with native flower gardens and rainwater butts. And journalist, Peter Hadfield, discusses his visit to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia that's sinking fast. There are ambitious plans for new sea defences linked by artificial Dubai-style luxury islands, but the national government has decided to abandon the city in favour of a new capital over 1000km away. Producer: Alasdair Cross Assistant Producer: Toby Field

    53 min
See All (23)

About

New science documentary series for BBC Radio 4

Information

  • Creator
    BBC Radio 4
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2024
  • Show Website
    Rare Earth

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