Imagining Tomorrow Emma Newman with Friends of the Earth

In recent years, young people have been at the forefront of campaigning on climate change. How does it feel to spearhead a campaign? How is it possible to campaign with busy lives and academic pressures? What keeps you going in these times of hostile politics, an adversarial press and toxic social media? Emma Newman talks to a young activist who has spearheaded an amazing campaign for clean air in London and a youth campaigning mentor from Friends of the Earth.In episode 5 we heard from:Desti...

One day, a man in Salford Quays awoke to find a duck nesting on his balcony, 150 ft above the water. Once born, her ducklings had to be lowered down in a bucket. With over 20 acres of water at her disposal, why did that mother duck decide to nest there? And why did thousands of fish in the same location die overnight?Inspired by talking to the duckling rescuer, the inventor of cutting-edge water monitoring equipment, and an award-winning science fiction author, Emma Newman imagines a future w...

When the average person can’t control how the funds in their own bank accounts or pensions are used by institutions, is there any way to stop terrible things being done with our money?Inspired by conversations with the leader of a grassroots movement empowering women to take control of their finances, a community farm in Wales raising funds to keep the farm in the service of the local people it feeds, and an award-winning science fiction writer, Emma Newman imagines a world in which fossil fu...

Across the UK there are thousands of faith buildings playing important roles in their communities. Churches, mosques, gurdwaras, all host gatherings for worship and for community activities such as playgroups, choirs, support groups and many more. Recently, many have been serving as warm banks, providing a space for people struggling to heat their homes in the energy crisis. How can these buildings, often huge and sometimes hundreds of years old, afford to provide these critical spaces in tim...

Over the past couple of years, extreme weather events, the energy crisis and Brexit have put a visible strain on the UK’s food supply chain and increased prices for the consumer.What if we increased the amount of food that we grow in cities, and thus increased biodiversity and reduced food miles?Inspired by talking to a community gardens group in Reading, a horticultural engineer who has co-founded a vertical farm in London and an award-winning author and screenwriter, Emma Newman imagines a ...

Most homes in the UK are still heated by burning fossil fuels. Struggling households are faced with unnecessarily high bills and cold winters, or bearing the financial burden of replacing old-fashioned central heating.So is there a better way to heat and cool our buildings, accelerate decarbonisation and reduce fuel poverty?Inspired by talking to a Welsh community, a scientist and award-winning author Anne Charnock, Emma Newman imagines a future in which ex-industrial towns can be regenerated...