ScienceEarth Sciences

Rare Earth

BBC Radio 4

Environmental journalist Tom Heap and physicist Helen Czerski tackle major stories about our environment and wildlife, celebrate the wonder of nature and meet the people determined to keep it wonderful.

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26 episodes
weekly
Avg 52 min
English

Episodes 26

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Friday · 53 min
Can lawyers save the planet?
How can the legal system protect the environment? Tom Heap and Helen Czerski investigate.
September 11 · 53 min
Tentacular: The Wonderful World of the Octopus
Over intelligent and over here. Meet the octopus that's taken to our waters.
September 4 · 52 min
All In This Together
Is nature all about survival of the fittest or do we all need to work together?
August 28 · 52 min
Andy's Green In-Tray
How will the environment be changed by a Burnham government?
August 21 · 53 min
Volcano
Helen Czerski and Tom Heap investigate the environmental impact of volcanoes.
August 14 · 52 min
Drawing Our Future Homes
Can architects help our homes evolve faster than climate change?
June 27 · 52 min
The Sound of Water
How new technology lets us listen in to the extraordinary sounds of the planet's waterways
June 19 · 53 min
Into the Wild
Is there any true wilderness left on our planet? Writer Cal Flyn joins Tom and Helen.
June 12 · 52 min
Hotter Than Hell
How can Britain - and the world - prepare itself for extreme heat?
June 5 · 52 min
Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog
40% of amphibian species are threatened with extinction. How can we save them?
May 30 · 52 min
Leaving Fossil Fuels Behind
Tom Heap and Helen Czerski ask whether war is accelerating the shift from fossil fuels
May 22 · 52 min
World of Flowers
Tom Heap and Helen Czerski discover how flowers changed our planet.
April 3 · 52 min
The Joy of Soil
Beneath your feet is a world wide web that keeps us all alive. Dig the joy of soil.
March 27 · 53 min
Hot Sport
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup we ask how to cut the environmental cost of sport.
March 20 · 52 min
America and the Planet
How will the second Trump presidency really impact the future of our environment?
March 13 · 53 min
Lakes, Lochs and Loughs
Plunge into the chilly, much-disputed waters of the lakes of the British Isles.
March 6 · 53 min
Should we still have zoos?
Tom Heap and Helen Czerski ask what the role of zoos is in the 21st century.
February 27 · 53 min
Ocean Explorers
Tom Heap and Helen Czerski explore how robots and DNA are expanding our oceanic knowledge.
Dec 19, 2025 · 52 min
Love of a Cold Climate
What will warmer winters mean for the natural world?
Dec 12, 2025 · 52 min
City Transport: Faster, Cheaper, Greener
Tom Heap and Helen Czerski examine how we get around our towns and cities.

Showing 1–20 of 26 episodes