Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Rare Earth

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

Radio 4,53 episodes

Episodes

ListGrid

Love of a Cold Climate
What will warmer winters mean for the natural world?
19 Dec 2025,52 mins
City Transport: Faster, Cheaper, Greener
Tom Heap and Helen Czerski examine how we get around our towns and cities.
12 Dec 2025,52 mins
Hiding in Plain Sight
A celebration of city wildlife from across the world.
05 Dec 2025,53 mins
The Evolution of Evolution
What would Darwin and the other great naturalists think of our world today?
28 Nov 2025,52 mins
Fashioning the Future
Can we rethink how we dress to be less impactful on the planet?
21 Nov 2025,52 mins
COP30: A New Hope?
World leaders are gathering in Brazil, but can they prevent runaway climate change?
14 Nov 2025,52 mins
Trains on Trial
Is train travel part of a green future, not just our industrial past?
26 Sep 2025,53 mins
Great Migrations
New technology gives fresh insights into the great animal migrations
19 Sep 2025,53 mins
World of Steel
Steel is the skeleton of the modern world, but can it ever be green?
12 Sep 2025,52 mins
Engineering the Planet
Can we design and build our way out of climate change?
05 Sep 2025,52 mins
Creatures of the Night
A celebration of the wildlife that works while we sleep
29 Aug 2025,53 mins
The Risk Takers
Can the insurance industry save the planet? Tom Heap and Helen Czerski report.
22 Aug 2025,52 mins
After the Bomb
Eighty years since Hiroshima, how has our relationship with atomic power changed?
04 Jul 2025,53 mins
A Whale's Life
Whales have been protected from hunting for 40 years. Have they recovered from us?
27 Jun 2025,53 mins
Metals and Minerals
Where can we get the materials we need for the transition to a green economy?
20 Jun 2025,53 mins
Powering Our Robot Overlords
The energy used by a simple internet search is increasing. Can we cut the cost?
13 Jun 2025,52 mins
Is Net Zero a toxic brand?
Can the UK ditch its carbon emissions by 2050?
06 Jun 2025,53 mins
Are insects the answer?
Helen Czerski and Tom Heap discuss the environmental importance of insects.
30 May 2025,53 mins
Set in Concrete
Our civilisation is based on concrete. Can we build in a cleaner way?
11 Apr 2025,53 mins
Paradise on the Edge
Travel to the beautiful islands of the Pacific - the front line of climate change.
04 Apr 2025,53 mins
How to Clean Up the Shipping Industry
The shipping industry is a big polluter. Tom Heap and Helen Czerski search for solutions.
28 Mar 2025,53 mins
Forever Chemicals
The health impact of PFAS chemicals used in everything from frying pans to coats.
21 Mar 2025,53 mins
The Hole That Changed the World
40 years ago a hole was discovered in the ozone layer. It caused an international crisis.
14 Mar 2025,53 mins
Cry Wolf
Wolves are back, right across Europe. Should we be nervous or welcoming?
07 Mar 2025,53 mins
Arctic Goldrush
President Trump wants a slice of the Arctic. What does it mean for the region's wildlife?
28 Feb 2025,53 mins
Reasons To Be Cheerful
How will 2025 shape up for the environment and wildlife?
27 Dec 2024,53 mins
Christmas Trees
Helen Czerski and Tom Heap celebrate the urban trees of Britain.
20 Dec 2024,53 mins
Good Clean Fun
How to cut the carbon from live music and sport and film and TV production.
13 Dec 2024,52 mins
Amazon Future
Drought and fire are devastating the Amazon rainforest. What can be done to save it?
06 Dec 2024,52 mins
The Final Frontier
Is space colonisation the last hope for mankind or a dangerous distraction?
29 Nov 2024,53 mins