Living Planet

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 received recognition for its work in climate journalism. In this episode, we’re going to revisit those award-winning episodes along with the producers behind them.

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 planet. So, how can we make a difference - and could eating roadkill be part of the solution?

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 climate footprint, and what choices could cut emissions without sacrificing strength and health. And we hear from one powerlifter's surprising shift from meat-lover to vegan butcher, against the backdrop of online culture wars.

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 can actually see a path forward. In the third and final part of our special miniseries, The Switch, we ask him what that path looks like – and what still threatens to derail it.

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 to bottlenecks across Europe, the way we move electricity is in desperate need of some updates. In Part 2 of The Switch, we reveal the power grid cracks halting climate progress.

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 stopping the clean energy revolution from taking off where the sun shines the brightest? In Part 1 of our special miniseries, The Switch, we head to Morocco in search of the promise, and the politics, of desert power.

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 digging into why the switch is so damn hard. From solar mega-farms in Morocco to European bottlenecks to climate writer Bill McKibben’s office, we're asking what the holdup is – and where to from here. Starting November 21.

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 the world - artisanal and small-scale gold mining. This episode looks at efforts in South America to reduce mercury use in mining - and what that means for people's health and the future of the Amazon.

Liz Ricketts, founder of the Orr Foundation and textile waste advocate, sheds light on the environmental issues tied to the second-hand clothing trade. She reveals the shocking amounts of clothing waste on Ghana's beaches and the health effects it has on locals. Discussing the rise of resale markets, Liz warns that buying used can often lead to unconscious consumption. Both Liz and Neil argue for the need for durable, long-lasting fashion and transparency from brands about production practices to combat waste effectively.

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 with a shocking find: a boy's body hidden in a bale of recycled plastic in Turkey, leading to a dangerous, cross-border investigation into a global recycling scandal.