logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2025
52m 14s

Witness History: The Environment Movemen...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

To mark Earth Day, we bring you remarkable stories of the history of the environmental movement, told by the people who were there. Selected from the BBC’s Witness History program, we hear about the major moments that changed our understanding of the planet we live on.

Up next
Today
Diving for Yuko
In coastal Japan, Yasuo Takamatsu has spent nearly 15 years diving for the remains of his wife, Yuko, who was swept away in the 2011 tsunami. With on-location recording of Yasuo on his 763rd dive, this Heart and Soul documentary explores his search as an act of devotion shaped by ... Show More
26m 41s
May 2
Mapping Epstein's global connections
The personal correspondence, photographs and papers of the late convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein have been released to the public in stages, beginning in December 2025, after an almost unanimous vote in the US Senate. The released files run to three and a half ... Show More
26m 29s
Apr 25
Inside the Mugabe dynasty
Late Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe died in 2019, but in the years before and since his death, his three children with his former wife, Grace, consistenly made headlines for all the wrong reasons. In April 2026 Bellarmine Mugabe pled guilty to a firearms offence in South Afri ... Show More
26m 29s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2020
When the Environment United Us
April 22, 1970. Nearly 20 million Americans come out in solidarity for one of the largest mass movements of the century. It was called Earth Day. And 50 years later, we still celebrate this day. But in 1970, this call to action crossed the aisle and brought major change to Washin ... Show More
22m 15s
Apr 2021
Women and Environmental Activism
<p>When it comes to environmental activism, women have been integral throughout history. In belated honor of Earth Day, Anney and Samantha discuss the eco-gender gap and highlight examples of women who have led the way when it comes to protecting our planet and everyone that live ... Show More
31m 28s
Dec 2022
The deep time walk | Outrage + Optimism
To close out the year on TED Talks Daily, we wanted to leave you with something special. It's an immersive sound journey through the history of Earth, as told by ecologist and author Stephan Harding. He's had a massive influence on the climate movement and has inspired global lea ... Show More
49m 26s
Oct 2019
An environmental history special
<p>A pioneer of climate change science, UK's Windscale nuclear accident, Kenya's Green Belt heroine who won the Nobel Peace Prize, the man "who fed the world", and banning cars in Mexico City.</p><p>(Photo: Thick black smoke blowing out of an industrial chimney. Credit: John Gile ... Show More
50m 49s
May 2023
Civilization and the planet
We seldom hear how the environment affected the growth and collapse of civilizations across the world and history. More than any other factor, the environment has been a defining factor to where we live, how we organize and what we consume. Today we’re joined by the great Peter F ... Show More
38m 43s
Apr 2025
Ghosts in the Green Machine
<p>In honor of our Earth, on her day, we have two stories about the overlooked, ignored, and neglected parts of nature. In the first half, we learn about an epic battle that is raging across the globe every day, every moment. It's happening in the ocean, and your very life depend ... Show More
33m 19s
Apr 2022
For Earth Day, two books rethink how we talk about environmental crises
Today is Earth Day, a good occasion as any to reflect on the emergencies the planet currently faces. First, Harriet A. Washington, author of A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind, talks to NPR's Sarah McCammon about the long-term dam ... Show More
8 m
Oct 2021
The child environmental activist of the 1990s
<p>To mark the start of the UN Climate Change Conference, or COP26, taking place in Glasgow in the UK, we’re looking back at the history of our awareness of climate change with some of the scientists and activists who have been trying to solve this global crisis in recent decades ... Show More
50m 11s