logo
episode-header-image
May 2023
39m 9s

Planet Hope: Navigating the Great Spine ...

THE TIMES
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Today
The by-election that could decide the UK's future
Sir Keir Starmer’s next big test is the Gorton & Denton by-election in three weeks' time; commentators are calling it a three-way race between the Greens, Reform and Labour. But how is this vote a microcosm of the national picture, and what does it tell us about the direction of ... Show More
30m 2s
Yesterday
Britain is in a cancer crisis. Will a new strategy fix it?
On nearly every metric, the UK is ranked as one of the worst places in the Western world to have cancer. But today, the government is rolling out an ambitious new National Cancer Plan to tackle the crisis. Will it be able to shorten waiting lists? Or do cultural problems within t ... Show More
31m 24s
Feb 3
Britain's mental health reckoning - part two
A public inquiry resumes this week to investigate the deaths of over 2000 mental health inpatients in the care of NHS trusts in Essex. We unpick some of the themes the Lampard Inquiry has been hearing, and speak to a whistleblower about her experiences working on one of the wards ... Show More
32m 27s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2021
Introducing: "Guardians of the River"
The Okavango River is a major river system in Southwest Africa. It begins in Angola, passes through Namibia and ends in a vast delta in Botswana. This river system, its ecological and social impact is the subject of a breathtaking new podcast called Guardians of The River.  Guard ... Show More
48m 58s
May 2023
Colin Hoag, "The Fluvial Imagination: On Lesotho’s Water-Export Economy" (U California Press, 2022)
Landlocked and surrounded by South Africa on all sides, the mountain kingdom of Lesotho became the world's first "water-exporting country" when it signed a 1986 treaty with its powerful neighbor. An elaborate network of dams and tunnels now carries water to Johannesburg, the subc ... Show More
59m 23s
Apr 2022
A Covid Mystery in Africa
<p>As countries have struggled with disease and death throughout the coronavirus pandemic, one part of the world seems to have been mostly spared: central and western Africa.</p><p>South Africa was deeply affected by waves of the coronavirus, as were countries in East Africa like ... Show More
30m 31s
Apr 2021
How Nigeria explains the climate crisis
In a very special Earth Month episode, Zack, Jenn, and Alex use Nigeria as a case study to uncover the deep reasons why it’s so hard for the world to quit fossil fuels. Nigeria is a country deeply threatened by climate change, but it’s also one with a major oil industry that hope ... Show More
59m 2s
Sep 2021
Jemma Wadham, "Ice Rivers: A Story of Glaciers, Wilderness, and Humanity" (Princeton UP, 2021)
The ice sheets and glaciers that cover one-tenth of Earth’s land surface are in grave peril. High in the Alps, Andes, and Himalaya, once-indomitable glaciers are retreating, even dying. Meanwhile, in Antarctica, thinning glaciers may be unlocking vast quantities of methane stored ... Show More
35m 23s
Oct 2023
Is Africa prepared for the next pandemic?
Many governments around the world have been questioning how prepared they were for covid- 19 and discussing what they might do in another pandemic. But what about Africa? One of the most interesting and significant things happening on the continent is an early warning system in N ... Show More
18m 21s
Oct 2022
What should Africa do with its fossil fuel reserves?
<p>Africa accounts for around 10 per cent of the world's known fossil-fuel reserves. But plans to build an oil pipeline through East Africa to transport hundreds of thousands of barrels a day have been condemned by the European Union. </p><p>The pipeline, which runs from the sou ... Show More
27m 43s
Nov 2023
Rammed earth: What is it and can it help tackle climate change?
Cement is said to be responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions. In the search for an alternative, more sustainable construction material, building companies in Ghana and other African countries are reviving an ancient technique called ‘rammed earth’. Daniel Dadzie, a BBC repo ... Show More
15m 32s
Nov 2021
Kenya's Wildlife Warriors
In the heart of the Serengeti, hippos bathe and hyenas snatch food from hungry lions. National Geographic Explorer of the Year Paula Kahumbu brings this world to life in her documentary series Wildlife Warriors, a nature show made by Kenyans for Kenyans. Host Peter Gwin meets up ... Show More
29m 21s