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.

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20 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes20

Newest first

Friday · 30 min
Summer reads – How we made the wilderness w/Cal Flyn
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, travels to some of the world's most remote, awe-inspiring places to trace the changing meaning of wilderness, and to explore how one of conservation's most cherished ideals has come at a human cost.
Friday · 30 min
Summer reads – On the magic of the Himalayas w/Anuradha Roy
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 conversation about living with wild animals on her doorstep and her roof, cultivating a deep connection to nature and how the Himalayas are changing.
Friday · 29 min
Summer reads – Learning from dinosaurs w/Evan Jevnikar
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 Climate and Chaos explores how dinosaurs endured millions of years of environmental upheaval, and what their story can teach us about shaping our own future.
Friday · 33 min
Summer reads – Thinking in deep time w/Marcia Bjornerud
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 the key to facing climate change today. A conversation about the power of awe, resilience, and "timefulness," this summer read will help put things in perspective.
July 24 · 33 min
When data centers move in II
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 digital universe. And a growing debate about energy, climate and the kind of future we're building.
July 17 · 22 min
When data centers move in I
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 decides where they go. In part one, we visit a quiet town in Europe's biggest data center hub to explore how the race to build our digital future is playing out on the ground.
July 10 · 37 min
The next flood doesn’t have to be a disaster
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 Mayer returns to see what's changed. Can communities really build back better - or is the next disaster only a matter of time?
July 3 · 1 min
The cloud comes to town (coming soon)
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.
June 26 · 34 min
California's largest lake is turning to dust
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. Elsewhere, seeds of change are being planted in the form of native vegetation. Can eco science help fill a dust bowl like the Coachella Valley with hope for fresh air?
June 19 · 29 min
Can we bury climate pollution?
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 mile beneath the seabed. We investigate the promise, pitfalls and politics of a technology that could help tackle climate change - or prolong the fossil fuel era.
June 12 · 29 min
Is carbon removal a fantasy?
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 reporter Sam Baker visited two companies behind direct air capture to see whether this much-hyped technology is on the verge of a breakthrough - or headed for a reality check.
June 5 · 26 min
How this super pollutant became as ‘lucrative as cocaine’
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 others are phasing them out. Planet A reporter Tim Schauenberg went undercover to explore the black-market boom in these gases now worth hundreds of millions of euros in Europe alone.
May 29 · 28 min
Europe’s chemical recycling gamble
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 pours millions into the technology, critics are questioning whether it can really deliver on those promises. This investigation examines the gap between the industry’s recycling claims and the reality on the ground.
May 22 · 27 min
Feldheim: The village that took back its power
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, where residents pay far less for power than most Europeans. So what can the rest of the world learn from the German village that decided to go it alone?
May 15 · 30 min
Rats, revisited
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 in Helsinki, this bonus episode follows the threads we couldn't fit in the first time around, and digs deeper into the surprisingly emotional world of humans versus rats.
May 8 · 28 min
Prescription for a superbug crisis
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 resistant to antibiotics. Her story leads us far beyond the hospital, into waterways, soils, and a hidden world where the medicines meant to save us may be helping create the next superbugs.
May 1 · 30 min
The dirty truth about laundry (Rebroadcast)
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 - and greener.
April 24 · 31 min
War-proofing Ukraine's power grid with solar
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 batteries, more distributed, harder-to-hit systems. For Ukrainians, this isn't about climate protection, it comes down to survival. What can the rest of the world learn from this?
April 17 · 29 min
Something is wrong in the Arctic – Narwhals can tell
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 recordings reveal a decline in narwhals — and why scientists couldn't research these enigmatic creatures without the Inuit community.
April 10 · 30 min
Why cities keep losing the war on rats
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 life that suits them so well? From Berlin to New York, this is a story about what happens when urban systems start feeding "the rat problem".