Sustainababble

For 27 years John Vidal was environment editor at The Guardian, scouring the world to bring underreported environmental issues to light.John talks to us about his latest story - the remarkable discovery of billions of tonnes of carbon-rich peat in the Congo basin - as well as some of the more hair-raising moments from his three decades of reporting on the state of the planet.Sustainababble is your friendly environment podcast, out weekly. Theme and other music by the legendary Dicky Moore – https://soundcloud.com/dickymooAvailable on iTunes, Acast, Soundcloud & all those types of things, or at sustainababble.fish. Visit us at @thebabblewagon and at Facebook.com/sustainababble. Email us at [email protected].

Right now, a lot of hideously sleep-deprived people are in Bonn, Germany, figuring out how nations should work together to stop the planet frying.Thought this was all sorted out in Paris two years ago? Think again.To find out what really goes on at these annual 'COP' meetings, we interview Rachel Kennerley, Friends of the Earth's International Climate Campaigner. Rachel explains why the Americans are still causing trouble despite Trump's very public climate chexit, and why Fijians are surprisingly crap party hosts.She never quite explains why she's talking to us from the bathroom.Also this week, GOOD NEWS for the bees!Sustainababble is your friendly environment podcast, out weekly. Theme and other music by the legendary Dicky Moore – https://soundcloud.com/dickymooAvailable on iTunes, Acast, Soundcloud & all those types of things, or at sustainababble.fish. Visit us at @thebabblewagon and at Facebook.com/sustainababble. Email us at [email protected].

Fancy getting your hands on a bit of lovely solar or wind power, while making friends and sticking it to the big energy companies? Course you do.So, er, why isn't community energy more of a thing in the UK? Is it the fault of that nasty ol' Government?In our first ever Babble panel chat, we meet Emma Bridge, CEO of Community Energy England; Leonie Cooper, Labour's lead on Environment in the London Assembly & chair of the Environment Committee; and Andy Hunt from Bury Community Hydro. Crikey!Also, listen to the end for the sound of two adults watching a bridge go up.Sustainababble is your friendly environment podcast, out weekly. Theme and other music by the legendary Dicky Moore – https://soundcloud.com/dickymooAvailable on iTunes, Acast, Soundcloud & all those types of things, or at sustainababble.fish. Visit us at @thebabblewagon and at Facebook.com/sustainababble. Email us at [email protected].

We meet that Liz Bonnin off of TV and science to talk about the Galapagos Islands. It's far away, an ecological wonder, and slowly getting ruined by plastic. Liz tells us what needs to be done.In our exclusive chat at the Royal Geographical Society, we learn why anteaters don't need straws, why being green is trendy, and what keeps Liz feeling optimistic despite it all.Sustainababble is your friendly environment podcast, out weekly. Theme and other music by the legendary Dicky Moore – https://soundcloud.com/dickymooAvailable on iTunes, Acast, Soundcloud & all those types of things, or at sustainababble.fish. Visit us at @thebabblewagon and at Facebook.com/sustainababble. Email us at [email protected].

Insect numbers are plummeting and no-one knows why. What they do know is that the implications are, frankly, terrifying.Is it possible to get our heads round stuff like this without being paralysed by fear? What can we do? And why aren't our leaders even talking about it?This week's episode is unashamedly heart-on-sleeve, confronting the profound anxiety often triggered by a never-ending slew of diabolical environmental news, and wondering how on earth we remain chipper.Sustainababble is your friendly environment podcast, out weekly. Theme and other music by the legendary Dicky Moore – https://soundcloud.com/dickymooAvailable on iTunes, Acast, Soundcloud & all those types of things, or at sustainababble.fish. Visit us at @thebabblewagon and at Facebook.com/sustainababble. Email us at [email protected].

Hoots! Scotland's banned fracking! Ol and Dave don their Tam o' Shanters and find out why.Elsewhere, there's more suspiciously good news, particularly if you're an elephant or you like making electricity out of poo.  Even Theresa May's new clean energy strategy isn't terrible. We're agog.Sustainababble is your friendly environment podcast, out weekly. Theme and other music by the legendary Dicky Moore – https://soundcloud.com/dickymooAvailable on iTunes, Acast, Soundcloud & all those types of things, or at sustainababble.fish. Visit us at @thebabblewagon and at Facebook.com/sustainababble. Email us at [email protected].

Is apathy the biggest barrier to stopping climate change? How do we persuade millions of preoccupied people to put climate into the "urgent/important" box? And do we need to convince the Inhofes to join our side - or can we save the planet without them?These questions and more are answered by ex-pollster and mega brain Leo Barasi, who joins us to talk about his new book The Climate Majority .You can order Leo's book at https://newint.org/books/politics/the-climate-majority/Sustainababble is your friendly environment podcast, out weekly. Theme and other music by the legendary Dicky Moore – https://soundcloud.com/dickymooAvailable on iTunes, Acast, Soundcloud & all those types of things, or at sustainababble.fish. Visit us at @thebabblewagon and at Facebook.com/sustainababble. Email us at [email protected].

Germans went to the polls recently and, somewhat astonishingly, elected a rather large number of fascists in the process. Nicht so gut.We talk to Kenneth Richter, an actual German, to find out what it all  means and ask whether Germany and Mrs Merkel are the green heroes they're made out to be.Also this week, animals losing their shit. Specifically: otters, rats and hornets.Sustainababble is your friendly environment podcast, out weekly. Theme and other music by the legendary Dicky Moore – https://soundcloud.com/dickymooAvailable on iTunes, Acast, Soundcloud & all those types of things, or at sustainababble.fish. Visit us at @thebabblewagon and at Facebook.com/sustainababble. Email us at [email protected].

Lewis Hamilton's jacked in the meat and dairy cos he's scared about the planet. We applaud, then ask: hang on, you drive pointless belchy cars for a living, don't you?In other news, say eh-oh to a magic bucket that will make it easier than ever to lob litter out of your car, and the offshore wind that's so cheap it's surprised even miseryguts greenies.Plus: why using a plastic bag in Kenya may now land you in the clink.Sustainababble is your friendly environment podcast, out weekly. Theme and other music by the legendary Dicky Moore – https://soundcloud.com/dickymooAvailable on iTunes, Acast, Soundcloud & all those types of things, or at sustainababble.fish. Visit us at @thebabblewagon and at Facebook.com/sustainababble. Email us at [email protected].

BAFTA award winning BBC presenter Bruce Parr, star of ‘Tribe’, ‘Amazon’ and ‘Arctic’, tells us all about his brand new film ‘Tawai: A Voice From The Forest’.As well as revealing the extraordinary stories behind the film - and what on earth a Tawai is when it’s at home - Bruce is candid in explaining some of the formative experiences in his own life.Check out the film at https://www.tawai.earth/Additional music by David Szesztay, Ibuki Fkuda and Satellite Ensemble.Sustainababble is your friendly environment podcast, out weekly. Theme and other music by the legendary Dicky Moore – https://soundcloud.com/dickymooAvailable on iTunes, Acast, Soundcloud & all those types of things, or at sustainababble.fish. Visit us at @thebabblewagon and at Facebook.com/sustainababble. Email us at [email protected].